Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have responded to the European Court of Justice’s hearing the UEFA’s attempts to block the Super League were unlawful – meaning, in theory, the Super League can be created.
Bayern CEO, Jan Christian Dreesen, released the following statement via their website shortly after the ruling.
“We have taken note of the judgement of the European Court of Justice. However, this does not change FC Bayern’s and the ECA’s position that such a competition would be an attack on the importance of the national leagues and the structure of European football. The Bundesliga is the foundation of FC Bayern, just as all national leagues are the foundation of other European football clubs.”
Dreesen didn’t mix his words when closing his statement: “So let me make it very clear once again that the door for the Super League remains closed at FC Bayern.”
Unsurprisingly, BVB are on the same hymn sheet as their Bundesliga counterparts.
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke questioned the decision by the ECJ but reiterated the club’s stance on any form of Super League.
“Borussia Dortmund will examine the ECJ’s judgment in detail as soon as the full grounds for the ruling are made available to us. However, we are already convinced that conclusions to be drawn from the ECJ’s ruling do not correspond to those that are currently circulating in the media. In its press release, the ECJ made it clear, among other things, that the decision does not mean that a competition such as the Super League must necessarily be allowed. For Borussia Dortmund, one thing holds true entirely independently of the discussions surrounding the verdict: we are not available for a Super League.”
A number of European clubs have released a statement rejecting any fresh proposal to form a Super League. These include AS Roma, Inter, AC Monaco, PSG, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, FC Copenhagen, Manchester United, and Atlético Madrid to name a few.
Two clubs which have welcomed the news are La Liga’s FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Both have vested interests in the competition and have always supported the project.
With a large packing of UEFA by Europe’s top teams, the organisation has said it will not block any creation of a Super League.
In a somewhat festive manner, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: “It’s close to Christmas, they saw a box under the tree and started to celebrate, but then when they opened the box they realised there was not much inside”.
GGFN | Jamie Allen