UEFA and FIFA lost football case & European Super League wins

The European Court ruled in favor of the European Super League (ESL) while UEFA and FIFA lost the football case. Football’s governing bodies UEFA and FIFA have lost a major court dispute that challenges their dominance in Europe.

This decision of the European Court also paved the way for the greatest clubs of sports to launch new breakaway competitions. The highest court of the European Union (ECJ) has ruled today that UEFA and FIFA acted illegally in threatening to fine players and teams who joined the ESL.

BREAKING 🚨: The European Court of Justice have ruled that UEFA and FIFA acted against competition law when they blocked the formation of the European Super League in 2021. pic.twitter.com/InDL9gP85H
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 21, 2023

The court found the act of UEFA and FIFA against the law of competition when they blocked the formation of ESL back in 2021. UEFA controls European football while FIFA is the global governing body of football.

#ECJ: The #FIFA and #UEFA rules on prior approval of interclub #football competitions, such as the Super League, are contrary to #EUlaw #EuropeanSuperleague 👉 https://t.co/ATb3CgbPxg pic.twitter.com/XCnLzwIKWb
— EU Court of Justice (@EUCourtPress) December 21, 2023

FIFA and UEFA stance on European Court decison

FIFA responded to the decision saying it has taken notice of the ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) about ESL. It will analyze the decision in collaboration with UEFA, other federations, and the member associations before making any further comments.

FIFA statement on Court of Justice of the European Union ruling on European Superleague Company

FIFA has taken note of the ruling issued today by the Court of Justice of the European Union in relation to the European Superleague Company SL.

FIFA will now analyse the decision in…
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) December 21, 2023

However, UEFA released a statement that it has taken note of ECJ’s decision in the European Super League dispute. This decision does not represent an endorsement or validation of the so-called Super League. It highlights a pre-existing shortcoming with UEFA’s pre-authorization structure. It is a technical component that was already identified and corrected in June 2022.

UEFA takes note of the judgment delivered today by the ECJ in the European Super League case.

Full statement: ⬇️
— UEFA (@UEFA) December 21, 2023

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The judges challenged the core powers of UEFA and FIFA and ordered both organizations to abandon unjustified restrictions and become more open to competition.

In other words, the verdict of the European court implies neither UEFA nor FIFA can impose sanctions on football clubs who participate in alternative competitions. In this regard, UEFA and FIFA lost a football case getting deprived of their power over ESL.

UEFA refers to the Union of European Football Associations and FIFA refers to the International Federation of Association Football. The recent verdict of ECJ comes in the aftermath of April 2021 when 12 football clubs joined together to launch a new league (ESL) for players. UEFA and FIFA attempted to undermine the ESL joining of players and violated European law.