Uefa, European soccer’s governing body, has welcomed a European parliament resolution that called for action to protect sport in the region from the threat of breakaway competitions.
The European parliament’s EU Sport Policy particularly noted the attempted European Super League by 12 major clubs.
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The controversial league rose and fell inside three days in April this year after opposition from the vast majority of the sport’s stakeholders, although Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona and Italy’s Juventus remain committed to the project and are engulfed in a legal battle with Uefa with proceedings playing out in a Madrid court.
The trio of clubs have accused Uefa and Fifa of violating European Union competition law by blocking the concept.
In May, the Madrid court referred the case to the European Court of Justice, with the aim of determining whether the statutes of Uefa and Fifa, which grants the former body exclusive rights to organise pan-European soccer, are compatible with EU law.
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The resolution passed by the European parliament, with 597 votes to 36 and 55 abstentions, called for a "European sports model" with a "strong commitment to integrating the principles of solidarity, sustainability, inclusiveness for all, open competition, sporting merit and fairness."
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By GlobalDataIt was led by former Polish international player Tomasz Frankowski who is now co-chair of the European Parliament Sports Group.
The non-binding resolution, which will be passed to the European Council and European Commission along with national governments, said the parliament "strongly opposes breakaway competitions that undermine such principles and endanger the stability of the overall sports ecosystem."
Frankowski called on the commission to appoint a separate coordinator for sports and said the priority should be "to promote the European model of sport and protect it from threats such as a Super League."
Reacting to the resolution, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said: “The European parliament’s message on behalf of EU citizens is clear: Europe and Europeans fundamentally oppose breakaway projects like the failed European Super League that threaten the values of European sport.
“European football is not a market meant to serve only elite interests and financial gains – it is a European success story that serves all of society. We will continue to work with the EU to strengthen and protect the European sports model in European football.”
Uefa said it will “work together with national soccer associations and major European soccer stakeholders – fans, players, clubs and leagues – to realise the resolution’s objectives and implement its recommendations.”
