Court rules on future of European football

AFP, Brussels :
The latest bid to set up a Super League of the biggest European football clubs collapsed swiftly under the weight of fan anger, but the idea hasn’t died.
Now Europe’s top court is to make a ruling in a case that could change the game forever.
The European Court of Justice will deliver a ruling on the breakaway Super League on Thursday that could be a key victory for European football’s governing body Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) or send shockwaves through the sport.
The case goes back to April 2021, when 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs announced they had signed up to the planned Super League, just before UEFA was to reveal reforms to the Champions League.
The Super League was seen as a direct competitor to UEFA’s flagship competition. The upstart league quickly fell apart in the face of a strong backlash from supporters, both UEFA and the world governing body FIFA threatened to take disciplinary action against the clubs involved. English fans in particular remained loyal to their traditional domestic league model and nine of the 12 rebel clubs — including six from the English Premier League — threw in the towel within 48 hours.