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The European Super League (ESL), officially The Super League, is a proposed seasonal football competition for club teams in Europe. The initial iteration of the league entailed 20 teams, with 15 of them being founding members of the competition.[2] The league was created by a commercial enterprise called the European Super League Company. This company aimed to rival the UEFA competitions, such as the Champions League, which are currently Europe's top club tournaments.[2]
The European Super League announcement in April 2021 was met with widespread opposition from various groups: fans,[4] players, managers and football clubs.[5] The league also faced opposition from UEFA, FIFA and some national governments.[6] Critics of the league raised concerns about elitism and a lack of competitiveness within the ESL, as the league would consist of high-ranking teams from selected European countries who would be permanent contestants in a semi-closed league format.[7]
The backlash against the announcement of the league's plans resulted in nine of the clubs that were supposed to participate, including all six English clubs, announcing their intention to withdraw.[8] However, eight of these clubs remain involved in the project as stakeholders.[9] In April 2021, the ESL announced that it was suspending its operations,[10] and a legal dispute ensued.[11] National courts have ruled that FIFA and UEFA must not interfere with the development of the ESL.[12][13]
In October 2022, A22 Sports Management, a company formed to "sponsor and assist" in the creation of the European Super League, announced it would be relaunching the competition.[14][15] On 21 December 2023, the European Court of Justice issued a ruling that a ban on the ESL would be contrary to European Union law.[16]
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