Madrid judge hears arguments for and against Super League

A Madrid judge heard arguments for and against the Super League on Thursday, less than three months after the European Union's top court said UEFA and FIFA acted unlawfully to block the rebel competition.

The Madrid court had asked the European Union to weigh in on whether the soccer governing bodies breached European law by allegedly abusing their market dominance. The European court said they did.

The Spanish judge heard new arguments by the parties promoting and opposing the competition, and was expected to make a ruling in a few weeks.

Among those in the Madrid court on Thursday were lawyers for the Super League, UEFA and A22 Sports Management, the Madrid-based company trying to promote the competition.

There were no representatives of Real Madrid or Barcelona, the only clubs still left in the breakaway project that was launched in 2021 and quickly collapsed after protests by fans across Europe.

Promoters of the new competition lost a legal battle on Wednesday when the EU Intellectual Property Office said it cannot be registered under the Super League trademark because it is “conceptually identical” to the Super Liga in Denmark.