Manchester United, Bayern Munich commit to Uefa competitions after Super League verdict

LONDON – Manchester United and Bayern Munich said they remain committed to playing in competitions run by Uefa, despite the European Union (EU) court verdict on Dec 21 which said that Uefa and Fifa had contravened EU law by preventing the formation of a Super League.

European football governing body Uefa insisted “this ruling does not signify an endorsement or validation of the so-called Super League” while world governing body Fifa said it “will now analyse the decision in coordination with Uefa, the other confederations and the member associations before commenting further”.

United were one of the 12 clubs involved in the formation of the breakaway Super League in April 2021 but pulled out due to pressure from fans, governments and players.

“Our position has not changed. We remain fully committed to participation in Uefa competitions, and to positive cooperation with Uefa, the Premier League, and fellow clubs through the ECA on the continued development of the European game,” the club said.

Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal were the other five Premier League clubs involved.

The Premier League said they would face a 30-point deduction if they attempt a similar move in future and each would be fined £25 million (S$42 million) for any such breakaway attempt.

Two months after the six English clubs pulled out of the project in 2021, they said they would offer a combined £22 million as “a gesture of goodwill” to go towards the good of the game, including new investment to support fans, grassroots football and community programmes.

Bayern, who were one of those to have rejected the Super League’s overtures in 2021, said they remain committed to Uefa competitions.

“The Bundesliga is the foundation of FC Bayern, just as all national leagues are the foundation of other European football clubs,” Bayern chief executive officer Jan Christian Dreesen said.

“It is therefore our duty and our deep conviction to strengthen them, not to weaken them. We are also committed to the European club competitions under the umbrella of Uefa.”

The German Football League, which is in charge of the Bundesliga, said it “explicitly supports the European sports model and rejects competitions outside those competitions organised by the federations and the leagues”.

France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel also said it “unequivocally supports” competitions organised by Uefa.

The British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer added: “The government stood with fans when a number of clubs attempted to join a breakaway competition in 2021. We stand by that decision.”

After the collapse of the Super League plan, only three clubs remained in support of it, but Juventus opted to pull out in 2023 after their former chairman Andrea Agnelli, one of the figures behind the project, and the club’s board resigned in November 2022.

Real Madrid and Barcelona still hoped to go ahead with the competition and the Super League took its case to a Spanish court, which subsequently sought guidance from the Luxembourg-based European Court.

Real president Florentino Perez said the ruling marked “a before and after” for football.

“European club football will no longer be a monopoly. As of today, clubs will have their fate in their own hands. Ultimately, today has been another triumph for a Europe of freedom, and for football and its fans,” Perez said in a pre-recorded video statement.

Barcelona said they were satisfied with the ruling and that the creation of the Super League would allow football to address issues of fixture overload, putting “local and international players and supporters at the centre”.

“The medium-term sustainability of European football entails the need to create a concept along the lines of the Super League,” the club said in a statement.

However, Spain’s La Liga said: “Today, more than ever, we reiterate that the ‘Super League’ is a selfish and elitist model.” 

Meanwhile, sports development company A22, which was formed to assist with the creation of the Super League, on Dec 21 proposed a new competition with 64 men’s and 32 women’s teams playing midweek matches in a league system across Europe.

In a YouTube presentation, A22 CEO Bernd Reichart declined to name any clubs that could become part of the new league but said fans would be able to watch matches free of charge via streaming.

The Super League would threaten Uefa’s major club competitions, including its flagship Champions League. REUTERS, AFP