MY ACCOUNT
The European Super League remains “very much alive” despite the latest legal setback, claims the chief executive of the company behind the breakaway.
Bernd Reichart, the CEO of A22 Sports Management, was speaking at an economic forum event in Spain attended by Real Madrid and Barcelona presidents Florentino Perez and Joan Laporta.
The two clubs, who along with Juventus are the holdouts of the 2021 attempt, saw an argument that UEFA’s governance is an illegal monopoly on continental football struck down by the European Court of Justice on Thursday.
But Reichart has refuted the idea the competition’s hopes of coming to fruition are at an end, pointing out the ruling is non-binding, with a final decision due next year.
“The Super League isn’t dead, not at all, it’s very much alive,” he said. “We’ll keep working until the judgement.
“We are still convinced that UEFA can’t be everything at once. They organise the competition, they regulate the competition, and at the same time they control access to the market.
“What the advocate general’s opinion left clear is that [UEFA] have to open up access to the market, and their opinion must be subject to clear rules that limit them in that role.
“For me, that’s a step forward. Until next year we’ll keep working, proposing solutions, listening to the parties involved and developing our proposals. Obviously after that, we’ll need a solid legal basis to propose them.”
Attempts to launch the Super League in April 2021, led by a dozen of the game’s leading clubs, saw serious blowback from the sport’s governing bodies, alongside widespread anger among supporters.
