A22 Sports, the company responsible for shaping the European Super League, has already presented the format, just hours after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that FIFA and UEFA cannot authorize the creation of this competition occur, where the two governing bodies manage football through “abuse of dominant power”.
Contrary to the original idea of creating a closed competition with the best 20 teams in Europe, the project now has three divisions, with promotions and descents such as the national championships.
So there will be a total of 64 teams divided into three divisions, with the main division being called the Star League, the second the Gold League, while the third will be the Blue League, entry to which will be based on performance in national competitions .
The first two divisions will consist of 16 teams, divided into two groups of eight in two rounds, guaranteeing a minimum of 14 matches per team per season. Subsequently, a knockout phase will decide the championship and division relegation.
The third tier will consist of 32 clubs divided into four groups of eight teams each, followed by a knockout stage, similar to what happens in the two main tiers to determine the winner: who goes up and who goes down.
In the first year of competition, clubs will be selected based on performance criteria, and the rules of financial sustainability and transparency will be fundamental to ensure fair competition among all participants.
A22 Sports also plans to create a Women’s Super League, with the Star League and the Gold League with 16 teams each divided into eight groups, guaranteeing 14 matches per season for each team, and then following the knockout format, with access to the second level. is done through performance in national competitions.
In financial terms, a minimum total pie of 400 million euros is guaranteed in the first three years, which is more than double the amount currently paid out in UEFA competitions.
An important innovation regarding the UEFA competitions is the fact that the matches will be broadcast live and on a digital streaming platform, which will be called Unify, access to which will be free and which, according to A22 Sports, aims to “democratize access to to experience football on a scale never seen before.”
“We believe our proposal will create the most exciting football competition in Europe, and generate a better and more sustainable ecosystem for men’s and women’s football. This will strengthen historic clubs that currently struggle to compete with guarantees at international level, while at the same time bringing strength to the entire football pyramid,” said Bernd Reichart, CEO of the Superliga.
Source: DN
