The National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) announced this Friday The opening of a file to UEFA for their maneuvers to avoid Super League creation driven by Florentino Pérez. The investigation focuses on the UEFA reaction to the announcement, on April 18, 2021, that nine European clubs were going to promote a new competition outside the international federative structure of football.
The CNMC observes “Indications of possible infractions” both of Spanish and community legislation. Specifically, the Law on the Defense of National Competition and the Treaty of Operation of the European Union, based on a complaint made by A22 Sports, the commercial company that promotes the non -cream competition and which, at the moment, at the moment, at this time, It has Real Madrid and Barça as the only public defenders.
Florentino Pérez and Joan Laporta. / ARCHIVE
“The CNMC investigates an UEFA agreement with nine football clubs to prevent them from organizing or participating in European competitions other than their own. The agency would also have adopted a series of measures to ensure that the clubs complied with these restrictions, “collects the statement made public by the regulator.
UEFA agreement with nine clubs
The nine clubs referred to are Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool, Inter Y Milan. All of them renounced their participation in the Super League just a few hours after the impulse of the competition was announced, with them as founding members. Subsequently, Juventus also ended up abandoning the project, leaving Real Madrid and Barça alone.
These nine clubs, in addition to giving up 5% of their UEFA competition income in a season, They accepted to pay 15 million euros as a donation to the “local communities” of European football and promised to participate in UEFA competitions for which they were classified. Also They accepted the payment of a fine of 100 million euros If one day they will seek to play an “unauthorized” competition, EFE collects.
UEFA has issued a statement later stating that “Take note of the opening of an investigation by the Spanish competence authority“And consider fully legal · The declarations of commitment of unilateral clubs voluntarily made by the clubs after their withdrawal of the project called 'Super League'”.
“These statements They were approved by UEFA in May 2021 in a spirit of reconciliation. UEFA continues to trust that club's commitment statements are fully compatible with Spanish and EU legislation in competence, “adds the statement in which to highlight their “Constructive Spirit” with the CNMC To “conclude” the matter, which has a research margin of up to 24 months.
Justice, about the Super League
This investigation deepens the thesis of the Super League that UEFA and FIFA abused their domain position to block the Super League. An interpretation that the Spanish justice endorsed in the first instance in May 2024. Then a commercial court in Madrid urged UEFA and FIFA to “cease in sanctioned anti -competitive behaviors and their future reiteration is prohibited, in addition to condemning them to immediately remove all the effects of the anti -competitive actions that have occurred before or during the duration of this procedure. “
That is, ordinary justice has already determined in the first instance that UEFA (which is the only subject of the CNMC investigation) violated the rules of competence. The EU Court of Justice had already determined that UEFA and FIFA cannot veto without further ado the birth of competitions outside theirs, but must create a specific regulatory framework that allows its creation.
UEFA, anticipating these resolutions, already created said regulatory framework, although it collected in it that third competitions cannot collide in the calendar with which she and the national leagues organize. In the heat of that regulation, A22 Sports formally requested UEFA and FIFA the creation of its Super Leaguenow called the Unify Liga, on December 2024, without knowing the response of the two agencies.