By Alyssa McMurtry
OVIEDO, Spain (AA)- After a top EU court ruled on Thursday that football bodies UEFA and FIFA breached competition law by trying to block the breakaway Super League, the new league’s promoter unveiled its proposal for a pan-European competition.
The league’s Madrid-based promoter A22 said the ruling “finally gives professional clubs the ability to organize and manage competitions at European level,” and “ends a 69-year UEFA monopoly.”
Immediately announcing its new proposal after the landmark ruling, A22 said in a statement that it would “create the most exciting football competition in Europe.”
One of A22’s most striking proposals is the creation of a streaming platform where billions of fans could watch Super League matches for free.
For the men’s league, which was originally more focused on the top European teams, the new proposal includes 64 clubs divided into three divisions. As opposed to a prior proposal, it also said that participation will be “based on sporting merit with no permanent members.”
Even so, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid could see whopping €1 billion ($1.1 billion) windfalls due to signing loyalty bonuses with the league back in 2021 when the controversial project was first launched, according to Spanish daily Diario Sport.
It will also shake up women’s football, with 32 clubs set to participate in its proposed two divisions.
Under the new proposal, there would be a knock-out stage at season’s end to determine the winner of each division and the teams to be promoted and demoted for both men and women. Teams would qualify for the lowest division based on domestic league performance.
Each team would play a minimum of 14 matches per year.
A22 said that participating teams will earn 8% of league revenues with a minimum payment of €400 million. That’s more than double what they earn from the “current pan-European competition,” according to A22, in a veiled reference to the UEFA Champions League.
How this will disrupt the Champions League remains to be seen. In a statement on Thursday, UEFA insisted that the EU court’s ruling “does not signify an endorsement” of the Super League.
“UEFA remains resolute in its commitment to uphold the European football pyramid,” continued the European football body, saying it hopes the current “irreplaceable model will be safeguarded against the threat of breakaways.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid President Florentino Perez said he expected the ruling to be of “historical significance,” and added that he will continue to defend the Super League — “a project that will bring economic sustainability for all clubs and that above all will protect the players and excite fans around the world.”
While its streaming platform aims to provide the matches for free, A22 said it will generate income from advertising, premium subscriptions, distribution partnerships, interactive services, and sponsors.