For more than two and a half years, the Super League project has generated all kinds of opinions, controversies and claims to justice. These are the key dates of the matter until this Thursday, when the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled in their favor.

April 18, 2021

It’s a Sunday, the football day par excellence. The continent’s major leagues are at stake when suddenly the world of ball is shaken by a revolutionary announcement led by the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, and supported as first lieutenant by Barcelona’s Joan Laporta. That day the Super League project was announced in a rather sloppy and nocturnal manner. But the fact is that the following 12 clubs communicate the foundation of the competition: Milan, Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, FC Barcelona, ??Inter, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham.

It is formulated as a semi-closed tournament. The 12 original teams would be joined by another three also as founders and each campaign five more would enter the competition based on sporting results. A format of two groups of ten is contemplated, with the first three of each entering directly into the quarterfinals while the fourth and fifth of each group would play a eliminatory to get the other two places. Everything is based on stimulating economic income under the umbrella of the North American investment bank JP Morgan. The initial statement indicated that 3.5 billion euros were going to be distributed.

April 19, 2021

Criticism of the project spreads like wildfire. The main continental leagues, starting with the Spanish one chaired by Javier Tebas, and UEFA are attacking the Super League. Political leaders such as the British Premier, Boris Johnson, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, strongly reject the idea and the fans of the six English teams demonstrate against the project massively and emphatically. The president of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, assures that the Super League is the result of “the greed, selfishness and narcissism of some.” He announces sanctions to the clubs involved, with a ban on their players from participating in UEFA competitions.

April 20, 2021

FIFA also takes a position against the Super League. Meanwhile, the Commercial Court 17 of Madrid receives a complaint from the Superliga -A22 Ssports Management S.L. and European Super League Company S.L. – and grants the very precautionary measures requested to prevent any measure that prevents its implementation and sanctions to the clubs threatened by UEFA. At the same time, the six English clubs get off the Super League ship.

April 21, 2021

Atlético de Madrid, Inter and Milan are withdrawing from the project while Juventus also resigns, but not officially, leaving themselves in an ambiguous position. In practice, Madrid and Barça, which go hand in hand, are left alone.

April 23, 2021

JP Morgan, which was going to finance the Super League, admits that it “misjudged” the impact that the birth of the competition would have throughout the world, for which it was going to make a loan of 3,983 million euros.

May 7, 2021

UEFA is implementing “reintegration measures” for teams that have withdrawn. These teams will be left without 5% of their income from European competitions during a campaign and will have to pay 15 million euros as a donation.

May 13, 2021

The Commercial Court 17 of Madrid submits a preliminary ruling to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to resolve whether there is abuse of the dominant position of UEFA and FIFA in accordance with community regulations, by preventing the organization of other competitions outside its scope.

May 25, 2021

UEFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.

July 1, 2021

The Commercial Court number 17 of Madrid orders UEFA to archive the disciplinary procedures and to annul the “covert sanctions” to the other nine clubs that renounced the project.

April 21, 2022

The court upholds UEFA’s appeal and lifts the precautionary measures that prevented the imposition of sanctions on the clubs.

July 11 and 12, 2022

The Court of Justice of the European Union holds the hearing of the case.

October 18, 2022

The company A22 Sports Management, in charge of sponsoring and helping the creation of the Super League, appoints Bernd Reichart as general director.

December 15, 2022

The Advocate General of the European Union, Athanasios Rantos, presents his non-binding opinion on Super League matters, an opinion that largely favors UEFA and FIFA.

January 31, 2023

The Provincial Court of Madrid once again imposes precautionary measures to prevent Super League clubs from being sanctioned by UEFA.

February 9, 2023

A22 publishes a decalogue on the Super League in which it is committed to an open competition, with various divisions and between 60 and 80 clubs, a very different format from the initial one.

December 21, 2023

The CJEU makes its verdict public and rules in favor of the Super League.