Victory for European Super League in CJEU landmark ruling on sports tournaments

Compass Lexecon acted as economic expert for the European Super League Company and its organiser A22 Sports Management, in the legal proceedings at the Spanish courts and at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), related to the blocking of the Super League project by FIFA and UEFA.

The proposed new European Super League was blocked by FIFA and UEFA in 2021 as they threatened to exclude participating clubs in any FIFA or UEFA competitions. A22 Sports Management, the organiser of the new League, claimed that FIFA’s and UEFA’s conduct was violating European competition law.

In a landmark ruling from December 2023, the CJEU indeed concluded that the organisation of sports tournaments is an economic activity, that this market should not be a monopoly and that “The FIFA and UEFA rules on prior approval of interclub football competitions, such as the Super League, are contrary to EU law”.

Compass Lexecon assisted the European Super League Company and A22 Sports Management in the legal proceedings at the Spanish courts and at the CJEU. We prepared an expert report in which we analysed FIFA’s and UEFA’s conduct from a competition policy perspective, as well as the economic impact of the Super League creation.

The project was led by Jorge Padilla and included Anton Garcia, Albert Riera and David Jubete. We worked together with a team from Clifford Chance, led by Luis Alonso, Fernando Irurzun Montoro and Miguel Odriozola Alen.