The idea of European Super League in 2021 created a havoc in the footballing world with many labelling it as the “destruction of football”. Super League is aimed to rival the premier European football competition “UEFA Champions League”.
UEFA and FIFA prohibited clubs from taking part in the newly formed Super League, the decision which was backed by the fans. Some of the big names across European football including the “big six” of the Premier League were the part of the proposal along with AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus.
The league would have meant participating clubs would no longer had to share TV revenues with smaller clubs and would also have resulted in free viewership of the matches for the fans. However, due to widespread criticism and backlash, the plan was aborted.
The things have taken a drastic turn lately with Spanish court ordering UEFA and FIFA to halt their opposition to the European Super League and said that they were taking advantage of their “dominant position” by banning the clubs to take part in the newly formed league.
The court also ordered UEFA and FIFA to withdraw any exploitative decisions taken in the past. This case was put forward by A22 Sports Management, the company behind the idea of ESL. “The era of the monopoly is now definitively over,” A22 CEO said.
Protests That Led To Super League Downfall
The announcement of European Super League did not go down well with the fans. Widespread protests followed in the Premier League stadiums with Liverpool fans raising “anti super league” banners outside the Anfield. Ahead of Chelsea’s game against Brighton, thousands of fans gathered outside Stamford Bridge shouting anti Super slogans.
“Created by the poor, stolen by the rich” was what one of the banners read inside the Old Trafford as the Manchester United faithful raised their concerns against the ESL. Pep Guardiola also criticized the idea of Super League saying “It is not fair when one team fights, fights, fights, arrives at the top, and cannot qualify because success is already guaranteed for just a few teams.”
But this new twist with the Spanish court’s ruling means the idea of a European Super League has not completely died down yet.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
