The saga of the Euro Super League continues as A22 Sports, the promoter behind the controversial project, has formally submitted a revised proposal to UEFA and FIFA, seeking official recognition for a new European club competition. This move follows a significant ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in December 2023, which challenged the existing authority of football’s governing bodies.
The ECJ ruling stated that UEFA and FIFA had been “abusing a dominant position” and deemed their regulations on new competition formats as “arbitrary.” A22 is now leveraging this legal victory, arguing that any competition with “inclusive and meritocratic” qualification, compliant with the broader match calendar, should be officially sanctioned.
According to A22, this submission to UEFA and FIFA represents a formal request for “official recognition for its new cross-border European club football competitions.” The proposal incorporates adjustments to the initial Super League model, which was initially unveiled shortly after the ECJ decision in December 2023. These revisions are reportedly based on extensive consultations with various stakeholders across the football landscape, including clubs, leagues, and fan groups.
A22 CEO Bernd Reichart emphasized the rationale behind the revamped proposal, stating, “Our extensive engagement with key stakeholders revealed a number of pressing challenges facing the sport including increasing subscription costs for fans, an overloaded player calendar, insufficient investment in women’s football, and dissatisfaction with the format and governance of the current pan-European competitions.” He added, “Our proposal is designed to directly address these challenges.”
One of the key changes in the new proposal is the revised qualification system. A22 has stated that “club participation is based on annual, domestic league performance,” aiming for a system that is more integrated with the existing football pyramid.
Further details of the proposed competition, now rebranded as the “Unify League,” have also been released. While initially presented as the Super League, the new name “Unify League” reflects A22’s attempt to present a more collaborative image. The broadcast strategy for the Unify League involves a new streaming service named Unify, which aims to offer a free-to-air model supported by advertising revenue, potentially lowering the barrier for fans to access top-level European club football.
The proposed format for the Unify League men’s competition has been expanded to include 96 clubs across four leagues, a significant increase from the 64 clubs initially suggested in December 2023. The top two leagues, named “Star” and “Gold,” would each consist of 16 clubs, divided into groups of eight. The “Blue” and “Union” leagues would each feature 32 clubs, also organized into groups of eight.
The league stage would see teams playing home and away matches against others within their group. Qualifying teams would then advance to a knockout stage. The semifinals and final are proposed as single-leg matches played at neutral venues. Crucially, club qualification would be based on annual performance in domestic leagues, and matches would be scheduled during midweek, aiming to complement, rather than clash with, domestic football calendars.
The original Super League project, announced in April 2021, involved 12 founding clubs, including footballing giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and several top English Premier League teams. However, the English clubs rapidly withdrew from the project following widespread condemnation from fans and government intervention.
Despite the ECJ ruling and A22’s renewed efforts, opposition to the Super League concept remains strong. Major European leagues, including the Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, and Serie A, alongside prominent clubs and the European Club Association, have reaffirmed their commitment to UEFA-organized competitions and their rejection of the Super League.
Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga, has been a vocal critic, recently stating on social media, “Those from @A22Sports are back with a new idea: they produce formats as if they were churros, without analyzing or studying the economic and sporting effects on the competitions.” He further argued that the proposed television model would disproportionately benefit larger clubs at the expense of the financial stability of national leagues.
The future of the Euro Super League, now the Unify League, remains uncertain as A22’s revised proposal faces scrutiny and resistance from established football institutions and leagues. The coming months will be crucial in determining whether this new attempt to reshape European club football can gain traction or will face the same fate as its predecessor.
