Barcelona announces exit from European Super League initiative
Barcelona has officially declared its withdrawal from the European Super League, marking another setback for a project that has faced significant challenges in gaining traction.
The Super League was initially introduced in 2021 with backing from 12 of Europe’s leading clubs, but a strong backlash from fans in England quickly led to the exit of the six Premier League teams — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and eventually Juventus also withdrew, leaving only Real Madrid and Barcelona as the remaining proponents of the initiative.
However, due to the deterioration of relations with Madrid in recent months, along with Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s efforts to rebuild connections with UEFA and the European Football Clubs [EFC], the Catalan club has now also opted out.
“Barcelona hereby announces that [on Saturday] it has formally notified the European Super League Company and the clubs involved of its withdrawal from the European Super League project,” the LaLiga leaders stated in an announcement.
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In the wake of the initial backlash against the Super League’s launch and the perception that it was an exclusive venture for its founding members, it was rebranded in 2024 as the Unify League.
Super League promoter A22 Sports indicated at that time that it had presented a proposal to UEFA and FIFA, requesting formal recognition of its right to establish a new European competition.
This move followed a ruling by the European Court of Justice in December 2023, which addressed the Super League’s request for protection under EU law, stating that UEFA and FIFA had been “abusing a dominant position,” and described their regulations governing new formats as “arbitrary.”
UEFA later asserted that it believed the rules implemented since the Super League’s attempted launch in 2021 ensured compliance with EU law.
Despite A22 Sports’ intentions, there has been minimal interest in the Super League across Europe following recent modifications to the Champions League format.
The transition from eight groups of four to the Swiss model — featuring 36 teams in a single league — along with changes in revenue distribution, has generally been well received by most clubs.
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The relationship between Barcelona and Madrid has deteriorated in recent months, particularly between their respective presidents, Laporta and Florentino Pérez.
As partners in the Super League initiative, they had set aside their differences while pursuing a competition they believed would provide financial benefits, especially as many European leagues struggle to match the financial power of the Premier League.
However, those differences have resurfaced recently, with Pérez and Madrid advocating for action against Barcelona in the Negreira case, an ongoing investigation concerning payments made by the Blaugrana to the vice president of the refereeing commission in Spain from 2001 to 2018.
In October, Laporta confirmed his intention to re-establish connections with UEFA and EFC during a meeting in Rome.
