The rebel European Super League has been told it needs to find a new name after Denmark's top football competition won a trademark decision.
The European Union's Intellectual Property Office ruled recently that the Super League can't register as a trademark in the EU because it is too similar to Denmark's Superliga, the top Danish football championship. The Super League could still appeal the EUIPO's decision.
The Superliga, which registered its own trademark in 2013, challenged the Super League's own attempt to do so. It was part of a tide of resistance the startup competition for top clubs faced on multiple fronts since its first aborted attempt to launch in April 2021.
Superliga Chief Executive Claus Thomsen said in a statement today the Danish competition has "always been against the big clubs' desire for a new European league."
"Football should not be a closed party for clubs that do not dare to participate in an open competition, so of course we are extra happy about this victory outside the pitch," he said.
A representative for the Super League declined to comment on the EUIPO's decision.
The Super League had been given a boost in December last year when the EU's top court said that football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA had been "abusing a dominant position" relating to new competitors in the market, such as the proposed Super League.
Undaunted by the court case, France has rallied EU support to try tie “annual performance in domestic competitions and all European competitions” like the Champions League, in a move to undercut the Super League.