A22, the sports company behind the attempts to kickstart the European Super League (ESL), have released survey figures suggesting that nearly three-quarters of European football fans back the idea.
The controversial Super League collapsed in April 2021 when all six English clubs withdrew from the competition, 72 hours after the launch.
Fan protests led to significant backtracking from the English clubs that originally signed up to join the likes of FC Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid in the new league.
Contents
Court ruling paves way for European Super League revival
A22 have attempted to rebrand the European Super League and make it a more attractive proposition after the original backlash in 2021.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) announced on December 21, 2023, that UEFA had broken EU law by blocking the formation of the ESL. This was a huge boost for A22, who have now been tasked with reviving the competition in light of the CJEU ruling.
Competition format
A22 are proposing a three-division competition consisting of 64 teams that includes promotion and relegation.
Following the news of the CJEU ruling, A22 have attempted to gather positive fan opinions on the prospect of the competition to justify its official formation.
OpinionWay Survey for A22 results
The survey was commissioned by A22 and carried out by the research company OpinionWay. The results found that 72 per cent of European football fans support a Super League, while 65 per cent of UK fans are also advocates of the competition.
📊 A new survey reveals that 72% of European Football Fans support the #EuropeanSuperLeague. The study conducted by @opinionway for A22 Sports shows broad backing across all age groups. #BetterForFootball pic.twitter.com/HJpFXFwMD7
— A22 Sports (@A22Sports) March 4, 2024
Bernd Reichart, chief executive of A22, said: “We have evidence that the desire for a European Super League as a much more exciting alternative to the current European club football competition is stronger than ever.”
It is worth noting that the OpinionWay study only asked 6,458 football fans aged 15 and over. Just over 800 fans in France, Germany, Spain, UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal were surveyed. The survey was conducted through online self-administered questionnaires. Fans surveyed were defined as “people reporting to be fairly or very interested in football.”