September 21 – A Spanish judge has provocatively handed UEFA a five-day deadline to lift sanctions against Super League rebels Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus – or suffer the consequences.
The three clubs are facing a ban from the Champions League for refusing to renounce the project that was launched by 12 founder members in April, only to collapse within 48 hours.
UEFA deferred its disciplinary case after it was referred to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
That ruling is understood to be imminent but Spanish newspaper ‘Confilegal’ says judge Manuel Ruiz de Lara has given UEFA five days to end the punitive measures regardless, arguing that putting the disciplinary case on hold is not enough.
Lara claims UEFA cannot legally force organisers of the Super League from dissolving the project or impose €100 million fines on any other clubs wishing to re-establish the concept in the future.
In a statement he said he considered UEFA to be acting “outside the rule of law, in open promotion of practices that compromise the principle of free competition in the relevant market for the organisation of professional football competitions in the European Union.”
But it is by no means clear what jurisdiction the judge had to issue the order to UEFA and how enforceable it is.
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