MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid will seek compensation from UEFA after a Spanish court rejected its appeal against a ruling that the European soccer body breached EU competition law when it blocked its plan to leave Super League.
On Wednesday, a court in Madrid rejected an appeal also brought by the Spanish league and the national soccer federation.
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in 2023 that soccer’s governing bodies UEFA and FIFA had violated EU law and abused their market power.
Madrid said in a statement that it was “delighted” by the ruling, which “confirms that UEFA committed a serious breach of the European Union’s free competition rules by abusing its dominant position in the Superliga matter.”
“The club announces that it will seek substantial damages from UEFA while continuing to act in the interests of world football and its fans,” Madrid said in a statement.
The Spanish league said it respected the new court ruling, but downplayed its significance, saying: “This ruling does not approve or support any particular competition format, nor does it refer to the original project announced in 2021 and subsequently modified by the promoter.”
“The court’s decision focuses solely on procedural aspects, stipulating that the sanctioning system must be based on transparent, objective and reviewable criteria, and makes no mention of the nature or feasibility of alternative tournaments,” the league said.
Madrid has not disclosed the amount of damages it seeks.
The club added that this year it had “held a number of discussions with UEFA to explore solutions without making any compromises in terms of more transparent governance, financial sustainability, player health protection and an improved fan experience, including a free and globally accessible broadcast model, as in the case of the FIFA Club World Cup.”
The Super League breakaway project, which was originally launched in 2021, quickly collapsed following protests by fans across Europe.
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