Real Madrid and the promoters of the Super League are seeking more than $4 billion in damages from UEFA, which they accuse of unfairly sabotaging the breakaway competition, a source told AFP on Thursday.

A Spanish court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by UEFA relating to the league.

Proposed in 2021 by 12 elite European clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Super League project quickly collapsed following fierce opposition from English clubs’ fans and threats from UEFA and FIFA.

In December 2023, the European Court of Justice ruled that UEFA’s ban on the Super League was contrary to European law.

Last year, a Spanish judge held that FIFA and UEFA had “prevented free competition” by opposing the Super League, ruling that they had engaged in anti-competitive behaviour and abused their dominant position.

The court in Madrid on Wednesday also rejected appeals filed by La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation.

A22 Sports Management, the project’s promoter, said it regretted that UEFA had “refused any path of compromise” and “reforms” despite several months of discussions, and claimed it had “no other choice” but to “initiate proceedings to obtain compensation for the damages suffered.”

“After years of legal proceedings, UEFA can no longer ignore binding court decisions. By abusing their monopoly and preventing new initiatives, they have caused substantial damages to numerous clubs, players, and other stakeholders across Europe,” A22 CEO Bernd Reichart said.

The scope of the court’s decision remains uncertain, however, as it concerns regulations that have since been completely rewritten.

“This ruling does not validate the abandoned ‘Super League’ project announced in 2021, nor does it undermine UEFA’s current authorisation rules, adopted in 2022 and updated in 2024, which remain fully in force,”

European football’s governing body said in a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday.

“These rules ensure that any cross-border competitions are assessed on objective, transparent, non-discriminatory, and proportionate criteria.”

Real Madrid said it was “delighted” by the ruling, “confirming that UEFA, in the matter of the Super League, seriously infringed the European Union’s free competition rules… by abusing its dominant position.”

“The club announces that it will continue to work for the good of global football and fans while claiming substantial damages from UEFA,” Real Madrid added in its statement.

AFP

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