The ghost of the European Super League has risen again.
This time, Real Madrid-backed A22 Sports Management is attempting to breathe life into a rebranded version of the project, dubbed the “Unify League.” But just as quickly as the plans were unveiled, football’s governing bodies and supporters have been swift to hit back with ridicule, skepticism, and even outright dismissal.
The proposed competition, a 96-team league structured into four divisions, claims to address the “pressing challenges” facing modern football. According to A22, the Unify League would replace the Champions League, while Premier League clubs would remain part of their domestic competition. Unlike the closed-shop system that fueled outrage in 2021, A22 insists that the Unify League would be entirely merit-based, with teams qualifying annually based on their domestic performances.
However, for fans and stakeholders across Europe, this supposed meritocracy hasn’t been enough to erase the bitter taste left behind by the failed Super League of two years ago. Notably, the Premier League’s “Big Six” — Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham — are nowhere to be seen this time around. And for good reason: after the uproar in 2021, the clubs signed an Owners’ Charter to prevent future breakaway attempts without UEFA and FIFA approval.
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A Resilient Proposal or a Doomed Effort?
The Unify League would feature 96 men’s teams split into four leagues — Star, Gold, Blue, and Union. The top two leagues would consist of 16 clubs each, while the Blue and Union divisions would include 32 teams apiece. For the women’s game, A22 envisions two leagues — Star and Gold — each with 16 clubs, in a bid to showcase investment and growth in women’s football.
Matches would culminate in a knockout format, a structure familiar to fans of current European competitions. What’s different, however, is the broadcasting approach. A22 promises matches for free, supported by advertising revenue, alongside “affordable premium subscriptions” through a direct streaming platform.
Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22 Sports Management, defended the relaunch: “Our extensive engagement with key stakeholders revealed a number of pressing challenges facing the sport, including increasing subscription costs for fans, an overloaded player calendar, insufficient investment in women’s football, and dissatisfaction with the format and governance of the current pan-European competitions.”
Reichart’s pitch paints the Unify League as the savior of football’s fractured ecosystem, one that prioritizes fan experience, affordability, and player welfare. Yet for many observers, the message rings hollow.
The Critics Speak Out
The fiercest opposition came swiftly. La Liga president Javier Tebas, a long-time opponent of the Super League, lambasted the proposal in his signature no-nonsense style. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Tebas wrote: “Those from A22 are back with a new idea: they produce formats as if they were churros… without analyzing or studying the economic and sporting effects on the competitions.”
Tebas pulled no punches in highlighting how the proposed television model disproportionately benefits Europe’s elite clubs while endangering the economic stability of domestic leagues and smaller clubs. This concern strikes at the heart of the Super League debate: a league catering primarily to the elite risks undermining the competitive integrity of football across Europe.
UEFA, unsurprisingly, dismissed the relaunch without much ceremony, while the Premier League chose not to dignify it with a formal response — a telling indication of how little traction the proposal has among England’s top clubs.
Real Madrid and Barcelona: A Lonely Crusade
At present, Real Madrid and Barcelona remain the only two prominent backers of the Unify League. Both clubs have been vocal proponents of a European Super League from the beginning, with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez serving as the driving force. For Pérez, a revamped continental competition is not just about prestige; it’s about securing a sustainable financial future for Europe’s biggest clubs.
The European Court of Justice ruling last year, which determined that UEFA and FIFA violated competition law by blocking the Super League’s creation, gave A22 a glimmer of hope. But while the ruling might have removed legal roadblocks, the Unify League still faces a far greater obstacle: the court of public opinion.
Fans: The Unshakable Opposition
Football fans, who were instrumental in dismantling the original Super League in 2021, remain staunchly opposed to any iteration of the breakaway competition. In England, widespread protests from supporters’ groups forced the “Big Six” into an embarrassing U-turn, with fans storming stadiums, organizing demonstrations, and demanding accountability from club owners.
The Unify League may claim to address fan concerns — including rising ticket prices and inaccessible broadcasting — but trust is a currency that A22 currently lacks. Fans remain deeply skeptical, questioning whether this revamped model is genuinely merit-based or simply another thinly veiled attempt to prioritize Europe’s elite at the expense of smaller clubs and domestic leagues.
A Battle for Football’s Future
Despite the ridicule and opposition, A22 insists its proposal will revolutionize football for the better. Reichart’s call for “mutual respect, transparency, and constructive dialogue” is an appeal to UEFA and FIFA, but also to clubs and fans who remain unconvinced. The coming months will determine whether the Unify League gains momentum or follows its predecessor into irrelevance.
What’s clear, however, is that European football is at a crossroads. While the Champions League continues to thrive as UEFA’s flagship competition, ongoing frustrations around fixture congestion, financial disparities, and fan accessibility remain unresolved. Whether the Unify League is the answer to those problems or just another ill-conceived power grab is a question football’s global community will need to answer.
For now, though, the European Super League — no matter how many times it rebrands itself — remains an unwelcome guest at football’s table. As Tebas and countless others have made abundantly clear: the heart of football belongs to its fans, and they won’t be silenced.