Unify League: How it differs from European Super League, and will it succeed?

The group behind a proposed breakaway European football competition is back. They have a new name for their tournament, too, calling it the Unify League this time.

The latest idea for an elite competition for the biggest teams in Europe is being put forward by Madrid-based A22 Sports Management, who are seeking to change the face of the sport in their most lucrative market by creating a rival for the Champions League and other UEFA tournaments.

It comes nearly four years after the initial plan of a European Super League was ambitiously launched and then quickly quashed. It’s been a rocky journey, to say the least, and there’s still a long way to go before a breakaway league comes to fruition — if it ever does.

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What was the initial Super League idea, and why did it collapse?

Late one Sunday night in April 2021, a dozen of Europe’s biggest clubs rocked the football world by announcing plans to create a breakaway European Super League , which would have effectively replaced the Champions League — Europe’s elite club competition.

The 12 rebel teams were Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham. They proposed a 20-team elite tournament that was largely closed because 15 were protected from relegation. The plan collapsed within 48 hours after the six English clubs pulled out and issued apologies amid a backlash from their own fans and the government. Three others — AC Milan, Inter and Atlético — also quickly backed out.

How was the breakaway idea revived?

Well, it never quite went away. Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus carried on the fight behind the scenes, seemingly forlornly. Juventus withdrew midway through 2023 but the two Spanish powers held out, and scored a win in December of that year when the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that UEFA and world governing body FIFA acted contrary to EU competition law by blocking plans for the breakaway league.

Emboldened, A22 — formed to assist the creation and promotion of the Super League — immediately announced new proposed competitions for men and women, saying young fans are “turning away” from football. More details about these competitions came on Tuesday.

The latest incarnation is the Unify League. What is it?

A22 said on Tuesday that they have submitted proposals to UEFA and FIFA for official recognition of their proposed midweek competition, which would contain 96 men’s teams across four leagues — Star, Gold, Blue and Union — and 32 women’s teams in two leagues — Star and Gold. Eight teams would qualify for the knockout stage in each league.

All teams involved in the Unify League are being guaranteed a minimum of 14 matches per season. Qualification will not be automatic but “based on annual performance” in the domestic European leagues, A22 said. A key part of the new format would be free streaming of games on a branded “Unify” platform to, in A22’s words, “directly connect clubs to their global fan bases” and “improve the viewing experience at home by eliminating the need for multiple subscriptions.”

There would also be a premium subscription offered without adverts. If the plans get the green light, it in theory gives Europe’s clubs a choice: Stay with the existing European competitions run by UEFA or join a breakaway competition.

What has been the response? 

No team has publicly backed the Unify League, strengthening the existing skepticism about the project. A22 said their plans had come after discussions with clubs, leagues and “other parties” but didn’t go into more details. Not even Barcelona or Madrid — the remaining holdouts from the original Super League — have commented, though the Spanish league has.

As expected, the league’s reaction was scathing, saying the project “threatens the governance of European football” and would “destroy the economy of national leagues.” “The project continues to lack support from clubs, federations, players, fans, national governments and European institutions,” La Liga said. There was no official response from any other major league, or from UEFA or FIFA.

Could it succeed? 

It still seems a non-starter at this stage — and the outcry caused by the original rebellion would likely make most clubs retain the status quo. That is especially the case in England, with the popular and lucrative Premier League having said last year it “continues to reject any such concept” of a Super League.

Part of the Premier League’s owners’ charter states that clubs “will not engage in the creation of new competition formats outside of the Premier League’s Rules” and a proposed UK government bill would block English teams from trying to join a breakaway league. Financial details about the Unify League remain sketchy – for example, who is funding this? – and the latest plans come at a time when there has been a redrawing of the power dynamic in European football.

UEFA has a revamped, more lucrative and more open Champions League, FIFA has its big new club competition in the Club World Cup, with financial backing from Saudi Arabia. Put simply, there’s not the widespread discontent in football as there was four years ago.

However, A22 are confident the rebranded competition complies with UEFA’s required authorisation rules because of the revised feature that annual qualification is based on domestic league performance. John Hahn, co-founder of A22, said he had “not been expecting the public support of clubs at this time.” “Logically,” he said, “that will come following the official recognition of the Unify League.”