UEFA and FIFA rules requiring other entities seek their permission to set up new tournaments contravene EU law, the bloc's top court has ruled in a landmark ruling.
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00:00 The EU`s top court says that FIFA and UEFA acted against EU law when attempting to block
00:07 the creation of the European Super League in what`s being described as a landmark case
00:12 for football.
00:14 The verdict comes after years of fierce debate between the sports governing bodies and leading
00:19 European clubs who want to set up a rival competition to the Champions League.
00:23 UEFA says it has taken note of the ruling, but A22, the company representing the Super
00:29 League, says the decision changes everything.
00:33 The court has effectively opened the door to innovation in football and clubs can now
00:40 openly discuss and consider proposals to address the sport`s most pressing issues.
00:47 The ECJ is the highest court in the European Union and therefore, this rules cannot be
00:53 and this ruling cannot be appealed and it paves the way for the creation of a new, more
01:00 exciting competition at European level in which clubs can determine their own future.
01:07 The ruling on Thursday found that UEFA, which oversees European football and the global
01:11 body FIFA, acted unlawfully in threatening to sanction players and clubs that joined
01:16 the breakaway Super League in 2021.
01:22 The court did not suggest, however, that the Super League must now be approved.
01:25 Instead, the judges challenged the fundamental powers of UEFA and FIFA, saying they must
01:30 get rid of arbitrary rules and open themselves up to competition.
01:36 FIFA will have to inevitably rethink some of its practices and things and consider more
01:43 closely what rules are and the same applies to FIFA, but also other sporting bodies in
01:50 a sense.
01:51 It has grown used in Europe to this pyramid or this monopolistic or quasi-monopolistic
01:57 structure whereby you have a single organisation or sets of organisations within the pyramid
02:05 that set the rules for everybody.
02:07 So, then now a lot of rethinking will come from that and some tweaking might come.
02:14 New proposals by the European Super League mean that their original plans for a largely
02:18 closed competition of Europe's 15 top clubs are over.
02:22 Qualification through domestic leagues is now part of the Super League's plans, similar
02:26 to UEFA's Champions League.
02:28 UEFA also has plans to expand the Champions League while FIFA is revamping the Club World
02:33 Cup.
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