UEFA Red-Cards Plans To Sue Champignons League Pizza Producer

UEFA has red-carded plans to take legal action against a pizzeria in a German town over its mushroom-topped ‘Champignons League’ pizza.

Pizza Wolke in the town of Giessen in the west-central German state of Hesse announced it was the target of legal action by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) on its Instagram page, where it has 11,400 followers, on 31st January.

The pizzeria captioned a redacted photo of the apparent legal document: “Pizza Cloud vs. UEFA. Long live the pizza Champi(g)nons League! I am honoured. As a child of football. An ad from UEFA? Seriously?

The letter received by Pizza Wolke denouncing a lawsuit from UEFA, because of a Champignons League pizza, in Gieben, Germany. (Newsflash)

“It just goes to show that me and my gang are absolutely on the right track. My gang and I have started a journey and we won’t stop until we’re in all the cupboards and eventually baked in all the ovens. One man. One pizza.

“Let’s see how far UEFA gets! Buy the world’s most awesome mushroom pizza, everyone!”

The text in the alleged legal document showed that the “Union of European Football Associations” had apparently filed a complaint against “Head & Herz Catering and Events GmbH”, which is the company behind Pizza Wolke and which also sells frozen pizzas, according to its website.

Shadi Souri, 31, owner of Pizza Wolke that was threatened with a lawsuit from UEFA, because of a Champignons League pizza, both pictured, in Gieben, Germany. (Newsflash)

A spokeswoman for the Giessen-based company told local media that the legal action was related to the football association’s naming rights to the Champions League, which is contested by top-division European clubs and calls itself the “world’s greatest club competition”.

However, in apparent climb-down on 1st February, the football body contacted the manufacturer to explain that some media outlets have been “making a meal of this story” and that they “can happily live alongside this delicious-sounding pizza”.

UEFA’s Media and Public Relations department said: “Clearly some people are making a meal of this story. Uefa obviously takes the protection of its intellectual property seriously but this instance seems to be a case of an over-zealous local trademark agent acting too hastily.

Shadi Souri, 31, owner of Pizza Wolke that was threatened with a lawsuit from UEFA, because of a Champignons League pizza, both pictured, in Gieben, Germany. (Newsflash)

“The UEFA Champions League can happily live alongside this delicious-sounding pizza.”