Real Madrid and Super League Seek Over $4 Billion in Damages from UEFA
Real Madrid and the promoters of the Super League are seeking more than $4 billion in damages from UEFA, accusing the governing body of unfairly undermining the breakaway competition, a source told AFP on Thursday.
A Spanish court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by UEFA related to the league.
The Super League, proposed in 2021 by 12 elite European clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona, collapsed quickly amid strong 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 violated European law.
“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.
However, the ruling’s impact remains uncertain, as it concerns regulations that have since been entirely revised. UEFA said in a statement, “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. These rules ensure that any cross-border competitions are assessed on objective, transparent, non-discriminatory, and proportionate criteria.”
Real Madrid welcomed the ruling, saying it “confirms 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 added it will continue to work “for the good of global football and fans while claiming substantial damages from UEFA.”
