The promoter of the Super League indicated on Tuesday that it had requested “official recognition” from FIFA and UEFA of its new structure, renamed “Unify League”, based on a ruling by the Court of Justice of European Union (CJEU).
Almost two years ago, the promoter of the Super League, the embryo of an aborted dissident competition, promised on RMC a finished project, to respond to the fears expressed. This Tuesday, A22 Sports Management, the company behind the Super League, presented the new version of the revolution it intends to bring about. Now place for the 'Unify League', a well-branded name, which aims to be in total opposition to the initial project which aimed to exclude the majority in order to bring together a small number of European behemoths wishing to take most of the cake. .
In April 2021, supporters of European clubs like those of Manchester United rose up against this confiscation project for the benefit of a few. A22 Sports Management has revised its copy and modified the formula which now offers qualification on merit in one of the four leagues which make up its new structure: Star, Gold, Blue and Union, the first being considered the elite, i.e. equivalent of the Champions League. If the project were to be ratified, 96 participants from 55 countries would qualify each year based on their performances in their national championships, reports A22 Sports Management.
The Star League and the Gold League would each bring together 16 teams divided into two groups of eight for the preliminary phase, with each team playing a total of fourteen home and away matches against seven different opponents. The top four from each group would qualify for the quarter-finals, which would be played in a two-legged format. The semi-finals and the final were a dry match. As for the Blue League and the Union League, they would each bring together 32 teams divided into four groups of 8.
Few details on participants and schedule
“This competition will be organized by Unify, a platform for broadcasting live matches for supporters,” explains Bernd Reichart, general manager of the promoter of this project, in a video. “Unify will offer both free, ad-supported match streaming and premium subscriptions at affordable prices. It will also improve the home viewing experience by eliminating the need for multiple subscriptions while still offering fans the advanced features they demand. Finally, for the first time, it will directly connect clubs to their fans around the world.
A22 Sports Management insists on sporting merit and taking into account “annual performances” in the championship to determine the participants in the competition, without further details on the participants and the calendar, simply indicating that the matches would be played ” midweek” to avoid “interference with national championship schedules.” For example, what would be the distribution of qualified teams by country? The Madrid-based company does not say. However, it ensures that it has “sent a proposal to UEFA and Fifa in order to obtain official recognition of its new cross-border European club football competitions”.
The initial project for a semi-closed competition which almost imploded European football in 2021 was initially supported by 12 clubs, spearheaded by Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. But the six English clubs had thrown in the towel in the face of hostility from football authorities, their supporters and the risk of legislative measures envisaged by several governments. Other clubs then also gave up.
In May 2024, a Spanish court decision found that FIFA and UEFA had “abused their dominant position” by opposing the Super League. It took up the reasoning which led the CJEU to disavow the rules of UEFA and FIFA aimed at blocking the emergence of competing tournaments, which are legitimate if they respect the principles of inclusiveness, meritocracy and if they integrated into the overall calendar.
