Premier League clubs have quickly distanced themselves from being involved in any attempt to revive the European Super League.
Here the PA news agency takes a closer look at how events this week could shape top-level football in the future.
Why is everyone talking about the Super League again?
The European Court of Justice determined on Thursday that UEFA rules used to block the formation of the original Super League in 2021 were contrary to EU law. Backers of the Super League immediately declared victory and set out plans for new men’s and women’s competitions.
Did the court approve the Super League then?
No. It simply said the rules UEFA used to block the league’s formation in 2021 were unlawful, and said governing bodies must apply transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate criteria when considering whether or not to authorise new competitions.
What have clubs said?
The Premier League’s Big Six – who were all signed up to the original Super League project in 2021 before withdrawing amid fan protests – have pledged their commitment to UEFA competitions. So far only Real Madrid and Barcelona, plus Napoli, have publicly spoken out in favour of the Super League. The court may have given Super League the right to be listened to by UEFA, but without widespread club support the idea is a non-starter. One leagues source PA has spoken to has already declared “the Super League is dead”.
So nothing for UEFA or FIFA to worry about then?
There is plenty for them to chew on here. The court has told them in no uncertain terms that failure to set out a proper framework for how competitors can seek to enter the market amounts to an abuse of a dominant position under competition law. UEFA says the rules it introduced in 2022 on authorisation of new competitions are compliant with European law. A22’s lawyers disagree – it will be interesting in future to see whether the new UEFA rules are challenged by A22 or someone else.
While the European Club Association is supporting UEFA in the face of the Super League threat, there is no doubt the ruling further shifts the balance of power in football to the ECA and its clubs. Concessions to Europe’s big clubs have already been secured since the first Super League scandal in 2021 – an expansion of the Champions League and the creation of a joint venture between the ECA and UEFA on commercial matters.
Maheta Molango, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, says the ruling should be a “wake-up call” to FIFA and UEFA. In his view, the ruling is about how those bodies wield the powers they hold responsibly and fairly. The PFA and domestic leagues worldwide have criticised FIFA over what they say is a lack of consultation on its expansion of the men’s World Cup and the Club World Cup.
Bristol City Women 0-4 Man City Women: Hosts relegated as Fowler double inspires WSL leaders
Mary Fowler scored twice to set WSL leaders Manchester City on their way to a 4-0 rout of Bristol City, who suffered relegation as a result, on Sunday.
With Arsenal having drawn with Everton earlier in the day, Man City knew a victory would be enough to take the title race down to two teams.
That victory duly arrived in emphatic fashion, with all four of Man City's goals arriving in the second half.
Fowler's fantastic strike opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, with the Australia international doubling her tally soon after, paving the way for an Amy Rodgers own goal and Alex Greenwood's late header to seal a huge victory.
Arsenal are now out of the title race, with Chelsea - who have two games in hand on Gareth Taylor's team - the only side capable of catching Man City.
The Robins, meanwhile, will be playing in the second tier again next term.
Data Debrief: Bristol heading down with a whimper
Bristol City have failed to score in their last five games in the WSL, a run of 544 minutes without a goal.
They mustered just 0.09 expected goals (xG) to Man City's 3.4, with the visitors having now kept a clean sheet in nine of their 20 league games this season.
De Rossi demands more from 'tired' Roma ahead of crunch run
Daniele De Rossi acknowledged his Roma team may be tired, but he insisted they must not allow themselves to be embarrassed.
Roma fought back to draw 2-2 with last season's Serie A champions Napoli in a pulsating fixture on Sunday.
Tammy Abraham's late header secured a point for De Rossi's team, who took the lead through Paulo Dybala's penalty before going behind to goals from Matias Olivera and Victor Osimhen.
With Serie A set to have five teams in the Champions League next season, Roma occupy fifth spot with four matches remaining, but sixth-placed Atalanta are just two points behind with a game in hand.
There is also the small matter of a Europa League semi-final against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on the cards over the coming weeks, and De Rossi set the stall out.
"We drew, it is not a result to throw away, but it is not the result or the performance that we wanted," Roma coach Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.
"At times you can steal the ball off Napoli, but we then gave it back again too many times. Napoli had a lot of chances in the first half, we did better in the second, but we have to do better.
"Look, we are tired, but we cannot start thinking that we’re tired and that means we can be embarrassed in the final few weeks of the season."
Roma host Leverkusen on Thursday before taking on Juventus on May 5, with a crunch clash against Atalanta – who are also into the Europa League semi-finals – set to follow after the away leg against Xabi Alonso's team.
Key to a successful end to the campaign for Roma will be keeping Dybala fit. The Argentine has been involved in the joint-most goals (12) in Serie A since the turn of the year, scoring nine and setting up three, level with Juve's Dusan Vlahovic.
PSG's latest Ligue 1 title arrives as Monaco lose to Lyon
Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned as Ligue 1 champions after Lyon overcame Monaco 3-2 on Sunday.
A 4-1 midweek win over Lorient ensured that one more victory would be enough for Luis Enrique's team to get over the line, but PSG failed to get the job done themselves when they faced relegation-threatened Le Havre on Saturday.
That game was the 700th match of the QSI era at PSG, and the club's 1,900th in France's top flight.
However, PSG's wait to win their third straight title did not last long, as less than 24 hours later, Lyon – who will face the Parisians in the final of the Coupe de France at the end of May – came out on top in a topsy turvy encounter with second-placed Monaco.
Substitute Malick Fofana was the matchwinner for Lyon, and ultimately the player who handed the title to PSG.
Wissam Ben Yedder had put Monaco ahead in the opening minute, but quickfire goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Said Benrahma turned the match on its head before half-time.
Ben Yedder netted his second to restore parity on the hour mark, and thought he had sealed his hat-trick when he volleyed in from a free-kick, only to have strayed offside.
With only a win good enough for Monaco to stay in the fight, the visitors were then caught out in the 84th minute, with Fofana racing onto Lacazette's throughball and finishing calmly.
After a dismal start to the season, relegation looked a real possibility for Lyon, but they are now, with three games remaining, still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe.
PSG on the other hand now have 12 Ligue 1 titles to their name, with 10 of those coming under QSI's ownership. Aside from the COVID-impacted 2019-20 season, five of their last six league titles have been secured before the start of May.
It also means Luis Enrique remains in the running for a treble in his first season at the club, with PSG taking on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals next week.
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