Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid, left (Photo: Angel Martinez/Getty Images) Real Madrid and Super League promoters are demanding more than $4 billion in damages from UEFA, claiming they are unfairly thwarting the breakaway competition.A Spanish court has rejected UEFA’s appeal of the league following an initial proposal in 2021 by 12 of Europe’s elite clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona.The Super League project failed to materialize due to strong opposition from supporters of English clubs and warnings from UEFA and FIFA.The European Court of Justice ruled in December 2023 that the blocking of the Super League was a breach of European law.A Spanish judge has ruled that FIFA and UEFA engaged in anti-competitive practices when they opposed the Super League.A Madrid court rejected appeals by both La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation.“We regret that UEFA has rejected any path of compromise and reform, despite months of discussions, and we have no choice but to open proceedings to obtain compensation for the damages suffered,” A22 Sports Management said.“After years of legal proceedings, UEFA can no longer ignore binding court decisions. By abusing its monopoly and preventing new initiatives, it has caused significant damage to many clubs, players and other stakeholders across Europe,” said A22 CEO Bernd Reichart. The impact of the court’s decision remains unclear, as it addresses regulations that have been completely revised.“This decision does not confirm the abandoned ‘super league’ project announced in 2021, nor does it undermine UEFA’s current authorization rules, adopted in 2022 and updated in 2024, which remain in full force. These rules ensure that any cross-border competitions are assessed on the basis of objective, transparent, non-discriminatory and proportionate criteria,” UEFA responded in a statement.“The club announces that it will continue to work for the good of world football and the fans, demanding substantial damages from UEFA,” Real Madrid said in a statement, expressing satisfaction with the decision, which confirmed a serious breach of the European Union’s rules of free competition by abuse of a dominant position by UEFA.
