By Rose Onda
The 12 European clubs that have decided to form a Super League, have informed FIFA and UEFA that they are already pursuing legal action, to bar them from taking action intended to thwart the launch of the breakaway competition.
This was contained in a letter obtained on Monday by The Associated Press.
The letter was sent to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his UEFA counterpart Aleksander Ceferin.
UEFA had warned the Super League clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United, that they would be barred from domestic competitions like La Liga in Spain and the Premier League in England, as well as international competitions.
“We are concerned that FIFA and UEFA may respond to this invitation letter by seeking to take punitive measures to exclude any participating club or player from their respective competitions.
“Your formal statement does, however, compel us to take protective steps to secure ourselves against such an adverse reaction, which would not only jeopardize the funding commitment under the Grant but, significantly, would be unlawful.
“For this reason, SLCo (Super League Company) has filed a motion before the relevant courts in order to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the Competition in accordance with applicable laws.
“It is our duty, as SLCos board members, to ensure that all reasonable actions available to protect the interests of the Competition and our stakeholders are duly taken, given the irreparable damage that would be suffered if, for any reason, we were deprived of the opportunity to form promptly the Competition and distribute the proceeds of the Grant,” the Super League clubs wrote to Infantino and Ceferin.
