Two-minute Recap of Competition Law Matters Around the Globe – December 2022

AG Rantos’ Opinion in the European Super League Case Leans Towards Uefa and Fifa

In December, EU Advocate General Athanasios Rantos, a legal advisor to the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”), published his much-anticipated opinion in the case concerning UEFA and FIFA’s alleged abuse of dominance and violation of rules on anticompetitive agreements, following the announcement in 2021 by several major European football teams of their intention to form a separate European Super League. In the opinion, which is not binding on the ECJ, Rantos states that FIFA’s and UEFA’s rules requiring their prior approval for any new competition, and their threat of sanctions against clubs that participate in a project to create a new competition, are not prohibited under EU competition law. Further, Rantos notes that preserving the pyramid structure of sports and therefore protecti