Uefa to take action on ESL rebels Real, Barca and Juve
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LAUSANNE • Uefa on Tuesday opened formal disciplinary proceedings against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, the three clubs that are still refusing to give up the aborted European Super League project.
"Following an investigation conducted by Uefa Ethics and Disciplinary inspectors in connection with the so-called 'Super League' project, disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus for a potential violation of Uefa's legal framework," said the governing body of European football in a brief statement.
The other nine founding members of the failed Super League escaped prosecution in exchange for financial penalties.
Uefa, challenged last month by the launch of the proposed elite tournament at the same time as it announced a major overhaul of the Champions League, has long preferred to negotiate the surrender of the rebels rather than impose a crackdown. But having failed to convince the three holdouts to give in, it has opted for disciplinary measures without specifying what offences they have committed.
Uefa's statutes prohibit any "grouping or alliance" between clubs without its authorisation.
Among the range of sanctions Uefa rules allow, the most severe for the clubs are "exclusion from current and/or future competitions", as well as "banning from all football-related activities" for the directors.
Last month, the 12 clubs, including England's traditional "Big Six", turned European football on its head and threatened the very existence of Uefa. The gradual withdrawal of the six English clubs, followed by Serie A clubs Inter Milan and AC Milan as well as La Liga's Atletico Madrid, led to the collapse of the project.
The clubs agreed earlier this month to pay a combined €15 million (S$24.3 million) fine and to forgo 5 per cent of their European revenue for one season.
Real, Barcelona and Juventus, meanwhile, retaliated through a commercial court in Madrid which referred the matter to the European Court of Justice, asking if Uefa was abusing its "dominant position" by seeking to block a competing tournament.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
