To super league or to not super league ...

[John83]

I read someone comment on reddit that the English clubs are now restrained from joining such a league by legislation there. That ring a bell for anyone?

[A N Mouse]

I read someone comment on reddit that the English clubs are now restrained from joining such a league by legislation there. That ring a bell for anyone?

The guy from the supporters assocation seem to think so, in the article

FSA chief executive Kevin Miles said: "As our friends at Football Supporters Europe point out - there is no place for an ill-conceived breakaway super league.

"Supporters, players and clubs have already made clear they don't want a stitched-up competition - we all want to see the trigger pulled on the walking dead monstrosity that is the European Zombie League.

"While the corpse might continue to twitch in the European courts, no English side will be joining. The incoming independent regulator will block any club from competing in domestic competition if they join a breakaway super league.

Anyone else surprised at the decision given the mood music and last years brief?

There a lot to untangle but initial take is basically football is a business until it's not. Association et al still have say over what goes, but the they must be clear and transparent.

Maybe expect sperate entities for governance/competitions/regulations?

[culloty82]

I read someone comment on reddit that the English clubs are now restrained from joining such a league by legislation there. That ring a bell for anyone?

According to the Beeb's live-ticker update on developments (12:35), it seems the Tories plan to table legislation which would make a breakaway illegal, but can't see how that would work if clubs were determined to leave, and it seems the new proposal would maintain domestic competitions:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/67783796

In any case, Man United, Atletico Madrid and Bayern have thrown cold water on their involvement for now, at least.

[Stuttgart88]

I'm actually listening to a webinar at 3pm today with a bunch of sports lawyers who'll be explaining today's ruling. Most TV and media are reporting it as clear victory for the Super League protagonists and a defeat for UEFA. The headlines would suggest so, but a closer look actually reveal's otherwise, according to Bray's finest Miguel Delaney here https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...-b2467796.html

https://x.com/MiguelDelaney/status/1...705817342?s=20

"The answer [to whether a Super League can now happen] is that it remains complicated, and all advantage still lies with Uefa, as well as sporting governing bodies generally. The Super League is still subject to Uefa’s authorisation rules and procedures, but those rules just have to be more transparent. Clubs will also have to be more involved in decision-making. Put bluntly: the Super League would still have to get permission to set up, if their clubs want to stay in the system, which they have already said they do.

The end result of all of this was that Uefa have to amend and update their rules on the pre-authorisation of new competitions, and make them compliant with European Union law. Uefa was rebuked for the procedure of its laws rather than the substance. The old rules, which are in the process of changing, were criticised. That doesn’t mean it was wrong to have such rules.

An irony is that those regulations were already addressed in June 2022. The court, however, could only rule on the situation as it was presented. It was already out of date. The rules just need to be worked on.

The Super League, meanwhile, never actually tested those rules. They never applied for authorisation."

[Stuttgart88]

Some details of what is being proposed here: https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2023...-competitions/

Nothing in it for LOI clubs!

I wonder does it make it more likely that x-border leagues can be approved under UEFA's auspices though. I'd expect yes, because of the principles of objective legitimacy and proportionality.

The objective is surely legitimately justifiable on sporting grounds (e.g., a big capital city like Dublin could now aim for a higher tier for one or more of its clubs). UEFA's rationale for allowing some x-border leagues but not others would have to be transparent, non-discriminatory and proportional. It could still align with the important concept of the European Model of Sport – in fact it could actually strengthen the pyramid and allow for elite football’s revenues to be shared downstream more naturally.

[EatYerGreens]

According to the Beeb's live-ticker update on developments (12:35), it seems the Tories plan to table legislation which would make a breakaway illegal, but can't see how that would work if clubs were determined to leave, and it seems the new proposal would maintain domestic competitions:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/67783796

In any case, Man United, Atletico Madrid and Bayern have thrown cold water on their involvement for now, at least.

With the UK outside of the EU, there will be no need for the British Government to worry about EU law in this matter. For example, they could legislate to prevent any club that operates within its territory from joining a breakaway league. The clubs could then still break away, but they wouldn't be allowed to play their games in Britain any more if they did so. This is what the Wesh FA did when it originally set up the League of Wales in the 1990s, before falling foul of EU law over it all.

The 'free to watch' but is interesting. Broadcast rights are the big money spinner - both domestically annd internationally. So even if it was only free to air in the markets where participating teams came from, you'd suspect that that would change over time. Clubs themselves will want to maximise TV money, if nothing else.