Uefa has presented a legal motion for the recusal of Manuel Ruiz de Lara, the judge of the Court of Madrid who thwarted the attempt to sanction Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus for their involvement in the Superlega project. After the annulment of the disciplinary proceedings against the three “rebel” clubs, the governing body of European football announced, in a note, that it had “presented a motion for the recusal of the judge presiding over the proceedings in progress, in what it believes that there are significant irregularities in these proceedings’. “In line with Spanish law and in the fundamental interest of justice – it says – Uefa hopes that the judge in question will immediately step aside, awaiting full and correct consideration of this motion”.
Uefa has also filed an appeal with the Madrid Court of Appeal. The Nyon body stated that “it will continue to take all necessary measures, in strict compliance with national and EU law, in order to defend its own interests and, above all, those of its members and all interested parties of the football”. Uefa’s hope is that a ruling by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg will support its attempts to exclude Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus from the Champions League.