(Football news) The controversial European Super League has made a dramatic return to the forefront with chief Bernd Reichart saying that entry will be based on merit and could feature up to 80 teams. Each team will be guaranteed a minimum of 14 matches and Reichart said that nearly 50 European clubs have already been consulted to revamp the league format. A22 have challenged UEFA and FIFA’s right to block the formation of the European Super League, saying that the governing bodies are abusing their dominant position under EU competition law.

Reichart wrote: “The foundations of European football are in danger of collapsing. It’s time for a change. It is the clubs that bear the entrepreneurial risk in football. But when important decisions are at stake, they are too often forced to sit idly by on the sidelines as the sporting and financial foundations crumble around them.

“Our talks have also made it clear that clubs often find it impossible to speak out publicly against a system that uses the threat of sanctions to thwart opposition. Our dialogue was open, honest, constructive and resulted in clear ideas about what changes are needed and how they could be implemented. There is a lot to do and we will continue our dialogue.”

The La Liga responded aggressively with a statement of their own that said “The Super League is the wolf in the story of Little Red Riding Hood. It is disguising itself as an open and meritocratic competition, but underneath there is still the same selfish, elitist and greed-driven project. Don’t let their tales fool you.”

The European Court of Justice will give its final verdict of the case later this year and the Advocate General rules allowing UEFA and FIFA to block the formation of new competitions was compatible with EU law. According to Reichart, the new European Super League will be an open competition with qualification achieved via performance at national level and with all its teams competing in their domestic leagues.

Reichart said that the European Super League could start as early as the 2024/25 season. He said “That might be the first reasonable and realistic call but there are so many variables that I can’t actually foresee. That is probably the first realistic call. There has been an important reassessment and the concept is spreading out about openness and taking the permanent membership off the table. I can say the three clubs have credibly reassessed and taken some learnings from the first approach. I am aware of what the English clubs stated a year and a half ago, but I hope the whole football community is appreciating the approach to continue to care and try to come up with solutions.”

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