One of the biggest divisions European sport has ever seen

What began as a success story has ended in one of the biggest divisions European sports has seen in recent years. The European League of Football (ELF), founded with great ambition in 2020, is facing closure after five seasons. Eleven of its franchises are leaving the league and forming a new organization: the European Football Alliance (EFA).

The new league is scheduled to launch in 2026. And it is not a small parallel project, but the result of a deep power struggle between officials, franchises, and the two men who once wanted to make European football great – Patrick Esume and Zeljko Karajica.

When Esume, a former professional football player and charismatic TV commentator, launched the ELF together with Hamburg entrepreneur Zeljko Karajica in the fall of 2020, the vision was clear: a professional league modeled on the US, with established structures and TV contracts. Indeed, the league enjoyed rapid growth: ProSiebenSat.1 broadcast games, and stadiums in Hamburg, Vienna, and Düsseldorf were sold out. But dissatisfaction grew.

More and more franchises, as clubs are called in football, criticized Karajica's leadership style. They criticized the lack of transparency in financial and organizational matters. In early 2024, dissatisfied franchises initially founded the Football Franchise Association (FFA), which eventually became the European Football Alliance (EFA) in July 2025.

Following the 2025 Championship Game in Stuttgart, eleven franchises—including the German flagships Rhein Fire, Frankfurt Galaxy, Berlin Thunder, and the newly crowned champions Stuttgart Surge—announced their withdrawal from the ELF. The Paris Musketeers, Vienna Vikings, Tirol Raiders, Wroclaw Panthers, Madrid Bravos, Prague Lions, and Copenhagen's Nordic Storm also joined them.

In their statement, the clubs announced that European fans, players, coaches, and investors "deserve a structure that ensures integrity, transparency, and sustainability." EFA spokesperson Mason Parker of the Prague Lions stated: "We know there is a demand for this sport in Europe, and the continent's best football teams are working together to deliver a professional product that will make our fans proud."

The ELF, in turn, emphasized that many teams are still contractually bound – the EFA cites "significant reasons" for the terminations. Behind the scenes, a legal dispute over licenses, TV rights, and name usage is brewing. While the ELF attempts to plan league operations for next season, the EFA continues its offensive.

Most recently, it announced that it had "poached almost all of the ELF's referees." Around 100 referees joined the new organization. "The referees emphasized that their decision was based on concerns regarding financial and organizational issues within the ELF," the statement reads. It's the latest swipe at the old league.

Patrick Esume is also at the center of the conflict. The former national player served as commissioner and figurehead of the ELF since its inception. However, he resigned in the summer of 2025 – officially due to "irreconcilable differences" with CEO Zeljko Karajica. Esume told WELT AM SONNTAG: "When tensions arise over various issues, it's not only important to talk to each other, but above all, how." According to information from this newspaper, Esume is said to have received a lavish salary. He himself says: "I wasn't among the top three earners in this project."

Recently, criticism also arose for his behavior during the hottest part of the season. At the end of August, Esume posted vacation photos from Mallorca while the ELF office was working nonstop during the final stretch of the season. According to information from WELT, the vacation was neither approved nor agreed upon, and this reportedly caused outrage internally.

And even the final in Stuttgart was absent—not due to illness, but of his own volition. While the league honored its champion, Esume was in the RTL studio commentating on the NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Esume, in response to a question from WELT, said: "During the championship weekend, the focus should be on the sport and its protagonists, not the drama surrounding the officials. Therefore, I was naturally present at the awards ceremony for the best players and coaches on Saturday evening to once again personally express my gratitude to the players and coaches. I deliberately did not attend the game itself. This moment belongs to the players, not to the politicians in the background or the media."

Esume's conclusion: "We should have questioned the management and the managing director's behavior much earlier – the numerous media reports regarding unpaid invoices, enforcement proceedings, and seizures were warning signs. Had we reacted sooner, we wouldn't be without teams, referees, and a product today."

The European Football Alliance plans to launch next year with at least ten teams. Talks with TV partners and sponsors are said to be underway, but everything is still uncertain. The new organization is striving to create a positive public image—transparency, sustainability, and stability. Legal disputes with the ELF are foreseeable, and the trust of many fans has been damaged. The battle for Europe's football league will continue to drag on.