The organisers of the revised European Super League have announced plans to launch in September 2025, stating the competition will provide a better experience for fans and clubs.
Initially proposed in 2021, the European Super League (ESL) envisages a breakaway competition involving Europe’s biggest teams in a “closed shop” format, with each team a permanent member of the ESL each year.
The announcement of the new launch date for the ESL came after a landmark verdict by Spanish courts, which ruled in agreement with the European Court of Justice that FIFA and UEFA’s actions to block clubs from joining the ESL violated regulations governing fair market competition. The verdict has rekindled fan fears that clubs could abandon their domestic leagues in favour of joining a European Super League.
The ESL would compete with UEFA’s Champions League by pitting the continent’s biggest teams against one another each season, ensuring fans get to watch more matches between Europe’s greats. The latest proposal from proponents A22, announced earlier this year, would feature leagues for 64 of the continent’s top men’s clubs, split across three leagues, and 32 teams in a women’s competition, in a bid to increase competition and the number of matches played between Europe’s top clubs. Bernd Reichart, the CEO of A22, the company promoting the Super League, explains: “…We believe that football fans deserve a better and more affordable experience on their screens.”
However, plans for the ESL received a fresh blow in June 2024, as Juventus withdrew from the competition and rejoined the European Club Association (ECA), leaving only Real Madrid and Barcelona in the project. Juventus was one of the initial 12 who signed up to the ESL in 2021 (including six from the English Premier League (Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham), all of which were subsequently excluded from the ECA in 2021 as a result.
The project faced a massive backlash from supporters across Europe at the time and suffered an embarrassing collapse within 72 hours of having been announced, with all English clubs forced to hastily announce their withdrawal from the proposed competition. At the time, fans accused club owners of disregarding domestic leagues and footballing tradition, and of abandoning the principle of merit, with only a handful of domestic clubs being chosen to take part in the proposed competition on a permanent basis.
It is certainly difficult to argue that membership of the ESL will be based on merit when there is no mechanism for teams to drop out of, or be promoted into, the league, and that those selected would share in a perpetual increase in reputation and riches – few could argue, for example, that Manchester United remains one of Europe’s ‘top clubs’ based on recent performances and results, so how the ESL would ensure competitivity remains to be seen.
Two of Europe’s biggest clubs do remain committed to the project, with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez steadfast in his determination to pursue the ESL, while Barcelona president Joan Laporta reiterated his support for the project earlier this year. Meanwhile, PSG president and ESL chair Nasser Al-Khelaifi has led efforts to maintain the status quo. With only two confirmed members, it is unclear which other teams are open to considering joining the ESL, though Laporta has suggested a string of top clubs from the Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch and Belgian leagues all remain interested.
Perhaps in response to the threat posed by the spectre of the ESL, UEFA has chosen to revise the format for this year’s Champions League, with an expanded group stage intended to increase the number of fixtures between clubs. However, the changes have already drawn criticisms from clubs and players, who worry that the increased fixture list will harm player welfare and affect the quality of football on show. Players have already voiced their concerns about the increased schedule, raising the prospect of a player strike over increased workloads.
After the considerable backlash faced by English clubs in 2021, it is doubtful that any domestic clubs would countenance signing up to the ESL as a founding member. And with only two confirmed members so far, albeit two of Europe’s top clubs, whether the ESL has a viable future remains to be seen. If it does, it could spell the end of European football competition as we know it, and potentially alter the face of domestic leagues forever too.
As with all things in football, ultimately it is the money that will do the talking and if the cash is there, we may see more clubs declare for the ESL over the coming months. Either way, splitting Europe’s top domestic clubs into two different and competing leagues doesn’t seem to serve fans interests, or achieve the goal of fostering greater competition between Europe’s top clubs. Although I am reliably informed that my team, Swansea City, have yet to decide whether to embrace the new competition!
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David Little is a Partner at Bishop & Sewell in our expert Sports Law and Corporate & Commercial teams. If you would like to contact him, please call on either 07968 027343 or, 020 7631 4141 or email: company@bishopandsewell.co.uk.
The above is accurate as at 05 November 2024. The information above may be subject to change.
The content of this note should not be considered legal advice and each matter should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
