Real Madrid say they are seeking “substantial damages” from UEFA for its blocking of the potential creation of the Super League in 2023.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Madrid said they were acting in accordance with the European Union’s Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that UEFA had infringed the EU’s rules on free competition. European football’s governing body, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and La Liga had appeals against this decision dismissed by the Provincial Court in Madrid earlier on Wednesday, prompting Madrid’s statement.
UEFA said it will review the judgement and not comment further at this stage.
“This ruling paves the way for the club to claim substantial damages for the losses suffered,” Madrid’s statement said.
The dispute began after Madrid were part of 12 English, Spanish and Italian clubs attempting to launch a new competition to rival the Champions League in 2021. The plans collapsed after fan outrage and threats of heavy sanctions from UEFA.
In 2023, the ECJ said that “the FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful”.
Analysis
By senior news reporter Matt Slater
Readers outside of the UK may be unfamiliar with Dame Lauren Alicia Mishika Tanisha Felicia Jane Cooper, a fictional character created by British comedian Catherine Tate in 2004. A permanently stroppy school girl, Lauren was best known for responding to any perceived criticism by saying, “Am I bovvered? Do I look bovvered?”
There are strong Lauren vibes to UEFA’s response to the Madrid appeal court ruling, with its passive-aggressive use of single quote marks around ‘super league’, focus on all the things this ruling does not mean and claims on the moral high ground.
UEFA, headed by its president Aleksander Ceferin, is against the Super League (Pedrag Milosavljevic/AFP via Getty Images)
La Liga’s statement makes similar points to UEFA but without as much snark, while Real Madrid has issued a statement that describes the ruling as a grievous defeat for UEFA, La Liga, the Spanish FA, Mordor, Lord Voldemort and all the other forces of darkness lined up against the world’s most wronged club.
So, is UEFA correct to suggest this ruling is just the logical conclusion of a minor border dispute, long after the real fighting finished? Or is it the knockout win ESL’s backers have been waiting for — Unify League, here we come?
Usually, no fence is too narrow for me to find a comfortable perch on it but I’m leaning towards Team Lauren here.
This ruling merely confirms what we have known since the ECJ verdict in December 2023: UEFA’s initial response to the ESL breakaway was clumsy and contrary to EU competition law.
But that is why UEFA had already changed its rules on how it responds to potential rivals in 2021, suspended its sanctions against the breakaway clubs, tweaked the “authorisation” rules further in 2024 and engaged with the EU on creating more legal certainty for what it calls the European Sport Model, the country-based, pyramid structure football has used for a century or more.
And, in the meantime, the big clubs have gained more European games, more money and more control over how UEFA’s competitions are run and marketed.
In short, they won this war even before the ECJ verdict came in. UEFA is not ‘bovvered’ because it has gone into business with PSG, Bayern, Liverpool and the rest.
As for Madrid’s damages, what damages have UEFA caused a club that have won two of the four Champions Leagues since 2021? There are hundreds of teams in Europe that would love to be that damaged.
