UEFA will be ordered to compensate the three European Super League rebels with tens of millions of pounds if it attempts to impose a Champions League ban in punishment for pursuing the breakaway competition.
The European governing body’s ability to sanction Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus has become entangled in legal restrictions.
UEFA is furious that the three clubs have refused to recant their commitment to the new league, but it’s ability to take action against them is now increasingly limited by a Spanish court.
The Madrid institution is determined to uphold the rights of clubs to form a breakaway league, citing competition law in two legal orders from Judge Manuel Ruiz de Lara.
First, the court forced UEFA to suspend its disciplinary investigation into Barca, Juve and Madrid and in a second order reported by Sportsmail on Friday, Judge Ruiz de Lara has told the body it must ‘refrain from excluding the founding clubs of the ESL from competitions organised by UEFA’ or face ‘serious financial and criminal sanctions’.
Sportsmail now understands the judge has indicated the clubs will be entitled to 20 per cent of their lost revenues from the Champions League in compensation each month, if UEFA ignore his demands and they are excluded from the competition.
Typically, a well-established club, such as the rebels, would expect to make well over £100 million if they reached the final stage of the lucrative competition..
The three teams were among the 12 ‘founding clubs’ in the Super League project, which burst into life on April 18.
However, while the other nine sides, which includes England’s Big Six, quickly abandoned the scheme within 48 hours, the three heavyweights have stuck it out and refused to back down.
Infuriated, UEFA launched a disciplinary investigation into the clubs, which could result in a two-year ban from the Champions League.
But last month the governing body announced it was suspending the action after the Spanish court’s first order, demanding that UEFA did nothing to intimidate the Super League clubs, issued on April 20, finally landed in Nyon, Switzerland.
The Judge’s second order accuses UEFA of not complying with the first one and sets out a list of demands to demonstrate it is now compliant.
In the order, the judge insists that sanctions against the nine repentant clubs, which includes Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal, agreed with them by UEFA and the Premier League should be cancelled.