64 clubs, 3 divisions: Super League’s new plan after ruling

The European Super League presented its updated proposals for replacing the Champions League on Thursday, after a European court ruled that UEFA rules restricting the creation of new competitions were “unlawful”.

A presentation by A22 chief executive Bernd Reichart outlined plans for a three-league men's competition, comprising 64 clubs, and a two-league women's competition, 32 clubs, to replace the UEFA Champions League and the Women's Champions League.

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Super League sponsors A22 Sports wasted no time in setting out their vision for a new European-wide club football competition on Thursday, just hours after the court verdict was published.

“We will continue to work with clubs, leagues and other parties, without fear of sanctions, to create the best European football competitions,” Reichart said. “We reaffirm our commitment to the national leagues and the pyramid structure of football. For the first time since 1955, European competitions could be managed by the participating clubs themselves.”

In a highly anticipated ruling, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that UEFA “abused a dominant position” by banning the Super League, finding that its rules on prior approval were not “transparent , objective and non-discriminatory. and proportionate.”

However, the court also stated that its decision “does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved.” UEFA has argued that since attempting to launch the Super League in 2021, it has already updated its rules to comply with EU law.

A22 has proposed the launch of a new sports streaming platform to broadcast the Super League, saying all matches would be available for free to fans, with revenue generated through advertising, premium subscriptions and sponsorship.

The Men's Super League would include two leagues – the “Star League” and the “Gold League” – made up of 16 clubs each, and a third “Blue League” made up of 32 clubs, A22 said.

There would be promotion and relegation between leagues, with access to the Blue League based on domestic league performance.

Clubs would play in groups of eight, home and away, with a minimum of 14 matches per year, played midweek. At the end of each season, an eight-club knockout stage would determine the champions of each league.

In the Women's Super League, there would be two leagues, the 'Star' and 'Gold' leagues, with 16 clubs each, playing in groups of eight, in a similar format.

A22 said revenues would be guaranteed for the first three years and “solidarity payments” would represent 8% of Super League revenues, with a minimum payment of 400 million euros ($439 million).

The proposal is the result of “extensive dialogue” with fans, players, clubs and leagues over the past two years, the group said.