As it fought to maintain its authority and lucrative television rights at a hearing at Europe's top court, UEFA on Monday criticized the breakaway European Super League and its group of elite teams as a textbook example of a cartel.Other sports, as well as teams and players interested in lucrative deals offered by dissident organisations, are eagerly following the conflict between UEFA, FIFA, and the European Super League.
Last year, less than 48 hours after it was announced, the European Super League collapsed due to a player, fan, and government backlash that led Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, AC Milan, and Atletico Madrid to withdraw.
Juventus, Real Madrid, and Barcelona continue to be skeptics. The Super League then filed a lawsuit against UEFA and FIFA in a Spanish court, which later sought advice from the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg (CJEU).
A cartel is "a textbook illustration of a closed league of wealthy teams," UEFA attorney Donald Slater told the CJEU's 15-judge bench.
He claimed that approving the Super League would have resulted in the creation of other closed leagues and the dissolution of the current open competition system.
He claimed that UEFA used its portion of money, which this year totals €190 million ($192 million) and represents 6.5 percent of total earnings, mostly to promote soccer throughout Europe.
A cartel is "a textbook illustration of a closed league of wealthy teams," UEFA attorney Donald Slater told the CJEU's 15-judge bench.
He claimed that approving the Super League would have resulted in the creation of other closed leagues and the dissolution of the current open competition system.
He claimed that UEFA used its portion of money, which this year totals €190 million ($192 million) and represents 6.5 percent of total earnings, mostly to promote soccer throughout Europe.
Miguel Odriozola, the attorney for the Super League, testified in court that UEFA will never authorize a rival due to a conflict of interest arising from its regulatory and commercial activities.
"Every club that threatens UEFA's monopoly is expelled, and it has done so for many years. We have made it our mission to criticize UEFA's methods "said he.
UEFA and FIFA had the support of the European Commission, each of the 27 member states of the EU, Iceland, and Norway. The judge will make a decision in 2019.
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