PARIS, France (AFP) — Super League promoters on Tuesday revealed they have asked Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and UEFA for “official recognition” of their proposed competition, renamed the “Unify League”, leaning on a ruling from Europe’s top court.

A22 Sports Management said it sent the proposal after discussions with various leagues, clubs and other stakeholders, revising its qualification system to base participation on annual domestic performances.

It has submitted plans for competitions featuring 96 teams divided into four leagues, running from September to April, followed by a knockout phase starting with the quarter-finals.

Promoters also said matches would be shown live for free via a streaming platform.

European football was hit with a bombshell in early 2021, when 12 of its biggest clubs announced they had signed up to the planned Super League, triggering a furious backlash from fans and a stark warning from UEFA that clubs and players who took parts would be barred from competitions like the World Cup.

Within 48 hours nine of the 12 rebel clubs — including six from the English Premier League — backed down and the project collapsed.

Last year the European Court of Justice ruled that UEFA had broken European Union (EU) law by abusing its “dominant position” in European football to stifle an upstart breakaway league of elite clubs.

In May a Spanish court said FIFA and UEFA had “prevented free competition” by opposing the Super League.

UEFA insisted the ruling did not explicitly support the creation of the Super League and said it had since brought in new rules to ensure it complied with EU law.