European Super League: What Happens now After New Proposal Announced?

It was initially launched 32 months ago but then dumped almost immediately by nine of its 12 founder members.

That followed the widespread opposition of the European Super League, which in England went as far as then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Royal Family through Football Association president Prince William.

But the concept has been given fresh impetus. Supersports24 and BBC Sport’s  assesses a seismic day for European football and looks at what may come next.

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What happened on Thursday?

A ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg stated world and European governing bodies FIFA and UEFA had “abused a dominant position” by threatening the Super League clubs and their players with sanctions and exclusion from major competitions.

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It also said rules that demand prior approval for “interclub football projects” were “unlawful” and that their exclusive control in negotiating commercial rights for competitions was restriction of trade.

The ECJ called FIFA and UEFA’S rules relating to the exploitation of media rights “harmful” to clubs, media companies, and fans.

Within hours, a new European Super League (ESL) proposal had been released.

It was major stuff, capturing attention in much the same way as the launch had done.

If anything, the reaction this time has been swifter and more extensive.

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Should UEFA be worried?

There are a couple of elements to this. Firstly, when they digested the initial release, UEFA officials were shocked.

However, when they started to read the detail within the case, it did not quite chime with the damning words on the ECJ press release.

Within the case, it seemed as though UEFA’S status as Europe’s footballing powerhouse was being confirmed.

It also soon became apparent that some of the issues it has been accused of ignoring, specifically rules around authorisation for launching new competitions, have been dealt with since the initial Super League launch – but it was the old details that were used by the ECJ in reaching its conclusions.

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In short, UEFA’S felt it had nothing to beat itself up over. As FIFA president Gianni Infantino put it in his own statement: “Today’s judgement does not change anything, really.”

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Except it had. The press release was music to the ears of A22 – the group backing the European League project and standing with Real Madrid and Barcelona, its two remaining members given Juventus had signalled their intention to quit.

And, unlike the initial ‘launch’, which was limited to one late-night interview – in Spanish by Real president Florentino Perez – this time, A22, the management organisation brought in to sponsor and assist in the creation of the Super League, was on the front foot.

What would a new European Super League look like?

A statement from A22 was issued half an hour after the ECJ press release was sent out. In it, chief executive Bernd Reichart declared: “The UEFA monopoly is over. Football is free.”

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Just over an hour after that came A22’s revamped European Super League proposals. Sixty-four men’s teams split across three divisions, 32 women’s teams split across two. No clubs were mentioned, but “guaranteed revenues” were promised, plus solidarity payments and a free state-of-the-art digital streaming platform.

Speaking to Supersports24 a couple of hours after that, Reichart was bullish about what had changed on the football landscape as far as A22 and its supporters were concerned.

“The ruling was pretty clear,” he said. “It talks about abuse of competition. There is little room for doubt. It is a clear ruling and a great day for football.”

Is the Champions League under threat?

best for their interests.”

What happens now?

The Italian and French governments seem to be mobilising to create legislation to stop any of their clubs joining. In England, a football regulator is part of the desire to clip the wings of the biggest clubs, backed up by legal powers if anyone starts to be seduced.

And that probably sums up the next steps.

If A22 comes forward with a plan and Uefa says no, it is impossible to imagine they won’t go straight back to the courts. If another body comes up with another plan and that is rejected, the same would probably apply.

If clubs were minded to join but felt they were stopped due to legal process, the lawyers would also get involved.

But there is also another path.

The powerful ECA is expanding. Its short-term aim is 500 members.

Since Super League collapsed, Al-Khelaifi has proved himself to be an astute politician. The Qatari has power – he comes from a country with significant wealth and growing connections – and has a vision.

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Having worked closely with UEFA to create a joint commercial and marketing arm, the shift wouldn’t be too great for the ECA to get control of the game on behalf of Europe’s clubs, which is what European Super League was supposed to be about.

It will probably be years before the full extent of the ECJ’s ruling becomes established.

But no one should be surprised if Al-Khelaifi – and numerous lawyers – turn out to be the big winners.