What is the Unify League and how is it different to the European Super League? | OneFootball

Reports of a new European inter-continental competition called the ‘Unify League’ are causing a stir on social media, with many fans being reminded of the vastly unpopular European Super League (ESL).

The ESL was proposed in 2021 and was almost instantly shut down. All six of the traditional ‘big’ English clubs signed up and had to pull out due to intense fan pressure.

The Unify League is being proposed as a competition by the company A22 Sports, the company behind the ESL. With 96 teams from 55 countries, split into four leagues, this project would feature clubs and players from across the globe.

The four leagues would be called ‘Star’, ‘Gold’, ‘Blue’ and ‘Union’ and there would be 16 teams in both the Star and Gold leagues. There would be 32 teams in both the Blue and Union leagues.

What is the difference?

A key difference between this league and the ESL is that this league would only be accessed through qualification and on merit. The ESL instantly fell down because there was no qualification or disqualification. There was no competition involved and it was simply a ploy to benefit the richest clubs.

A fascinating element of the Unify League is that it would be completely free-to-air.

An app would be set up, similar to Netflix or Amazon, where fans could watch any game, completely for free with adverts. Or a fee could be paid to remove adverts entirely.

Whether or not this league is allowed to progress remains to be seen but A22 have certainly caused a stir.

Why did the European Super League fall down?

Simply put, the ESL collapsed because of fan pressure to shut it down.

Premier League fan bases in particular protested in their numbers to remind their respective owners that any association with the ESL would not be tolerated by the supporters.

When it was shut down, Real Madrid and Barcelona complained to the European Court of Justice (CJEU), who ruled that UEFA and FIFA were not making it clear what their competitors could or couldn’t do, and were indeed trying to enforce a monopoly.

This allowed A22 to go away, make the league more competitive, and make it free to air. Now UEFA and FIFA may have another problem on their hands.