Beyond the Super League: How the Madrid Ruling and Competition Law Are Reshaping Sports Governance
Although the European Super League (ESL) looked like it had been relegated to the history books[1], fresh life has been kicked back into the debate following the Madrid Provincial Court's October 2025 judgment[2] which marks a further milestone in the ESL competition law litigation. By dismissing the appeals of UEFA, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and La Liga (LALIGA) in full and with costs, the court confirms what the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) established in December 2023: that the governing bodies' prior-authorisation framework breaches EU competition law. Notably, FIFA played no part in the appeal, having been declared in default at first instance, leaving the competition law findings against it entirely unchallenged.
This dismissal’s real significance lies far beyond the fate of any breakaway competition. The ruling following the earlier decision of the Court of Justice in Luxembourg represents an important moment in the application of competition law to sports governance, reaffirming that sporting bodies cannot rely on tradition, autonomy or the “specificity of sport” to shield themselves from scrutiny around fairness, proportionality and good governance. Rather than a story about the resurrection of the ESL, the judgment underscores a structural shift: clubs and commercial operators now possess a clearer legal pathway to challenge regulatory frameworks that restrict market access or entrench dominance.
This article examines the judgment and its implications. It sets out the procedural background and the CJEU's preliminary ruling before analysing the Commercial Court's first-instance findings and the Provincial Court's disposal of each appellant's grounds on appeal. It then considers the practical consequences, including the possibility of a follow-on damages claim and the wider significance of the ruling for sports governance in the EU and the UK.
The article looks at:
To continue reading or watching login or register here
Already a member? Sign in
Get access to all of the expert analysis and commentary at LawInSport including articles, webinars, conference videos and podcast transcripts. Find out more here.
- Tags: Antitrust_Competition & EU | Court of Justice of European Union | Football | Treaty of Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
Related Articles
- The European Super League & The Legal Fallout: Experts' Views - E106
- A Summary Of The Advocate General Opinion In The European Super League Case
- European Super League: Why the AG Opinion May Not Dissuade Other Breakaways (Which Could Be Problematic)
- The European Sports Model As A Vindication For UEFA? Why The ECJ Is Likely To Deviate From Advocate General’s Opinion In The European Super League Case
- European Super League: only the tip of the iceberg?
- Will we ever see a European Super League? A recap of the ESL, ISU, and Royal Antwerp cases pending CJEUs decisions
- UEFA as a neutral regulator of football tournaments? What is to come from the CJEU’s Superleague judgment?
- Competition Law’s Newest Frontier in British Basketball: Analysing the Dispute with Super League Basketball
- What Is the Real Impact of the CJEU’s Seraing Judgment on the Future of Sports Arbitration?
- Two Advocates General, two different answers: What the conflicting NADA Austria opinions mean for anti-doping transparency
- When Safety Rules Collide with Competition Law - The UCI Gear Ratio Decision
- Sport & Competition Law – Annual Review 2025/26
Written by
Mark Crane
Mark is a partner in the Competition and Regulatory team at Addleshaw Goddard. Mark advises on a wide range of competition law issues, cases and investigations across a range of sectors. Marks practice has spanned cases in front of UK and European regulators and courts.
Mark has significant experience of advising sporting clients including advising on challenges to the award of exclusive broadcasting rights in football and tennis, the award of (and challenges to) subsidises / state aid for stadia, abuse of dominance in relation to access to sporting venues and rules of sporting competitions, the application of competition law to sports kit and sponsorship arrangements and the application of competition law to football financial rules.
Mark also advises football clubs on regulation by the Independent Football Regulator, including representing owners and clubs before the IFR.
Camran Shahid
Camran is a Trainee Solicitor at Addleshaw Goddard. He has developed broad commercial and disputes experience through seats in Construction, Infrastructure Projects & Energy, Commercial and Commercial Disputes, working on complex, multi‑party projects and drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements: including licensing, consultancy, supplier goods and services terms, T&Cs and compliance documentation. This includes work with multiple Premier League football clubs and sporting governing bodies on commercial matters/agreements and has assisted on a high-profile litigation involving a Premier League club.
Ana Pariente Castro
Ana Pariente Castro is a Trainee Solicitor at Addleshaw Goddard whose training includes seats in Financial Disputes, Corporate, Competition and Corporate Debt. Her academic and professional interests in competition law and the sports sector began during her LLM at the University of Edinburgh, where she specialised in competition law and produced a dissertation examining whether the proposed European Super League model was inherently anticompetitive under Article 101 TFEU.
