The promoter of the European soccer Superleague, A22, took another opportunity to take a swipe at UEFA at a hearing before Madrid’s Commercial Court on Thursday.

“UEFA has been trying to kill the Superleague for the last three years,” said Fernando Giménez in Madrid on Thursday. The lawyer for the A22 company, which promotes the European Superleague, a rival project to the Champions League, also spoke of “unquantifiable” damage at a hearing before Madrid’s Commercial Court. Its judge, Sofia Gil, will have to decide whether UEFA abused its dominant position to prevent the project from coming to fruition.

A22’s lawyer and the representative of the European Superleague company, Fernando Irurzun, argued that UEFA had used its dominant position to prevent the creation of this new competition.

Relying on a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in December 2023, which ruled that the ban on Superligue was contrary to European law, the plaintiffs pointed out that in 2021, when the project was presented, UEFA had no clear criteria for authorizing or not authorizing new competitions.

According to its lawyer, A22 “has been denied entry to a market where competition should exist. It is the victim of anti-competitive behavior, and the damages are unquantifiable”.

Exposed in 2021 by twelve clubs – including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and three Italian clubs (Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus) – the first draft of the Superleague project was quickly buried due to opposition from English club fans in particular, and threats from UEFA and FIFA.

But the project was relaunched this winter following the CJEU ruling. The first formula reserved this competition, which competed with the European Cups organized by UEFA, for just twelve clubs. The A22 organization is now talking about a competition open to 64 clubs divided into three leagues.

This post is originally from L’Équipe