May 25 (Bloomberg).
Italy
The Football Association today released an official document announcing the repeal of a law enacted in May 2021 against the European Super League (
Euclid
League) bill.
This bill originally provided that the President of the Italian Football Federation could decide to disqualify an Italian club from participating in domestic tournaments if the club participates in tournaments not organized by FIFA, UEFA or other private associations not accredited by a soccer association, or in friendly matches or tournaments not authorized by FIFA.
The Italian Football Federation (FIFA) referred to the December 2023 ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in its announcement. The CJEU ruled that FIFA's and UEFA's requirement for prior authorization of inter-club competitions, such as the UEFA Premier League, violates EU antitrust law. This means that the UEFA Premier League will no longer be subject to FIFA's approval and that the "without FIFA authorization" clause in the Italian Football Association's May 2021 Act is no longer relevant.
The CJEU's decision is to the following effect:
FIFA and UEFA regulations requiring prior authorization for inter-club soccer competitions, such as the UEFA Premier League, are in breach of EU law.The regulations set by FIFA and UEFA requiring their prior authorization for any new inter-club soccer project and prohibiting clubs and players from taking part in these competitions are unlawful and contravene competition law and freedom of provision of services.The FIFA and UEFA regulations require the prior authorization of clubs and players to take part in these competitions.The FIFA and UEFA regulations require the prior authorization of clubs to take part in these competitions.
This ruling marks a major change in the rules governing European soccer and provides a new guarantee of the legitimacy of the UEFA Super League. This repeal bill by the Italian Football Federation is undoubtedly a positive response to this ruling.
