Super League promoter accuses UEFA of 'anti-competitive behaviour'

A22 has urged UEFA to stop what it describes as the "constant and unacceptable denigration" of its reputation in the media by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and others, and claims UEFA is putting pressure on clubs to prevent them from considering A22's proposals.

Ceferin and LaLiga president Javier Tebas have been the Super League project's biggest public critics since 12 clubs initially announced themselves as founder members in April 2021.

That criticism has continued, despite a ruling from the European Court of Justice last month which found the prior authorisation regulations which UEFA used to block the league three years ago were contrary to EU law.

A22 says the ruling ends UEFA's "monopoly" as a cross-border competition organiser in Europe.

"Since April 2021, UEFA's anti-competitive behaviour and actions towards A22 (supported by a number of domestic federations and leagues acting in a co-ordinated manner with UEFA) have been targeted to frustrate the business initiatives of A22," the letter, posted on A22's X account, read.

"They include the constant and unacceptable denigration of A22's reputation in the media and elsewhere and the pressuring and threatening of European clubs behind the scenes to prevent them from considering potential projects involving A22 and to push them to announce their public support of UEFA competitions.

"Continued anti-competitive actions taken by UEFA with the ultimate goal to exclude competitors like A22 from the European market for interclub competitions are illegal and will compound the already substantial damages incurred by UEFA as a result of its prior actions."

A22 said it "fully reserves all rights to bring any appropriate steps in all relevant jurisdictions against UEFA, and, as applicable, relevant UEFA executives".

Ceferin described the Super League project as "anti-football" in an interview with The Observer published last weekend.

"First of all, they don't have anyone (clubs). They had 50, 20, 200, these are jokes we don't care about," the Slovenian said.

"But I'm insisting: we never said they cannot play their own competition. Let them play, but they don't want to play. They speak about creating something and then they are the first ones to apply to play in our competition.

"I would ask them not to play in our competition and start working on theirs, together with whatever number of clubs they have. I don't understand what is holding them back."

A22 revealed its plans for a new-look Super League on the same day as the ECJ ruling. The men's competition would feature 64 teams split across three leagues, while the women's event proposed 32 teams split across two leagues.

So far the plans have received very little club support in public beyond original backers Real Madrid and Barcelona. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis appeared to indicate his readiness to at least discuss the new project, saying football was "administered by elderly people" who were "without vision".

UEFA has been contacted for comment regarding the letter.

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