European Sports Law

Investigates the birth of EU sports law and policy by examining the impact of the Bosman ruling and other European Court of Justice decisions, the relationship between sport and EU competition law, the organization of sport, and the relationship between sport and the EU Treaty.

The book is an introduction to sports law, in particular International (worldwide) and European (EU) sports law. The chapters are all put in the perspective of the innovative sports law doctrine that is developed and presented in the opening chapter on what sports law is. After a general coverage of the core concept of “sport specificity” (that is whether private sporting rules and regulations can be justified notwithstanding they are not in conformity with public law), the book covers the following specific main themes of International and European Sports Law (capita selecta): comparative sports law; competition law and sport; the collective selling of TV rights; sports betting; Social Dialogue in sport; sport and nationality; professional football transfer rules; anti-doping law in sport; transnational football hooliganism in Europe; international sports boycotts. In this book association football (“soccer”) is the sport that is by far most on the agenda. It is the largest sport in the world and most popular all over the globe. The elite football in Europe is a day-to-day commercialized and professionalized industry, which makes it a perfect subject of study from an EU Law perspective.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this practical analysis of sports law in the European Union deals with the regulation of sports activity by both public authorities and private sports organizations. The growing internationalization of sports inevitably increases the weight of global regulation, yet each country maintains its own distinct regime of sports law and its own national and local sports organizations. Sports law at a national or organizational level thus gains a growing relevance in comparative law. The book describes and discusses both state-created rules and autonomous self-regulation regarding the variety of economic, social, commercial, cultural, and political aspects of sports activities. Self- regulation manifests itself in the form of by-laws, and encompasses organizational provisions, disciplinary rules, and rules of play. However, the trend towards more professionalism in sports and the growing economic, social and cultural relevance of sports have prompted an increasing reliance on legal rules adopted by public authorities. This form of regulation appears in a variety of legal areas, including criminal law, labour law, commercial law, tax law, competition law, and tort law, and may vary following a particular type or sector of sport. It is in this dual and overlapping context that such much-publicized aspects as doping, sponsoring and media, and responsibility for injuries are legally measured. This monograph fills a gap in the legal literature by giving academics, practitioners, sports organizations, and policy makers access to sports law at this specific level. Lawyers representing parties with interests in the European Union will welcome this very useful guide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of comparative sports law.

Principles & Practice in EU Sports Law provides an overview of EU Sports Law. In particular it assesses sporting bodies' claims for legal autonomy from the 'ordinary law' of states and international organisations. Sporting bodies insist on using their expertise to create a set of globally applicable rules which should not be deviated from irrespective of the territory on which they are applied. The application of the lex sportiva, which refers to the conventions that define a sport's operation, is analysed, as well as how this is used in claims for sporting autonomy. The lex sportiva may generate conflicts with a state or international institution such as the European Union, and the motives behind sporting bodies' claims in favour of the lex sportiva's autonomy may be motivated by concern to uphold its integrity or to preserve commercial gain. Stephen Weatherill's text underlines the tense relationship between lex sportiva and national and regional jurisdictions which is exemplified with specific focus on the EU. The development of EU sports law and its controversies are detailed, reinforced by the example of relevant legal principles in the context of the practice of sports law. The intellectual heart of the text endeavours to make a normative assessment of the strength of claims in favour of sporting autonomy, and the comparison between different jurisdictions and sports is evident. Furthermore the enduring dilemma facing sports lawyers running throughout the text is whether sport should be regarded as special, and in turn how (far) its special character should be granted legal recognition.

Katarina Pijetlovic is the first author to address the issue of breakaway leagues in football and their treatment under EU law. In this book she guides the reader through EU sports law, the specificities of the sporting industry and the problems and power struggles in European football governance in the context of the breakaway threats by elite clubs. In order to analyse the legality of UEFA clauses that restrict the formation of such breakaway structures, the author first provides a progressive interpretation of the applicable EU sports law and an in-depth analytical review of EU sports cases decided under internal market and competition provisions, including a novel perspective on the UEFA home-grown rule and the Bosman case. Thereafter, she sets out an original theory of convergence between TFEU provisions on competition and the internal market in the light of sporting exceptions. Finally, in applying the legal principles thus outlined Katarina Pijetlovic explores the legality of the restrictive UEFA clauses and the case for the formation of alternative leagues in European football under EU sports law. A number of surprising outcomes emerge from this analytical process. Conversely, she also tests the largely neglected issue of the legality of forming a breakaway league by the European elite football clubs. The systematic way in which the reader is guided through EU sports law and the legal issues under consideration makes the book accessible for EU lawyers as well as non-EU sports lawyers, on both an academic and a practitioner’s level. Katarina Pijetlovic holds licentiate and doctoral degrees in EU sports law from the University of Helsinki. The book appears in the ASSER International Sports Law Series, under the editorship of Dr. David McArdle, Prof. Ben Van Rompuy and Marco van der Harst LL.M.

Publisher description

European Sports Law: Collected Papers 2nd edition contains the collected works (1989-2012) of Stephen Weatherill, Jacques Delors Professor of European Community Law, Somerville College, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, with an extensive introduction on the background and rationale for the selected papers. Stephen Weatherill is a leading academic and author on the subject of European Union law and professional sport. His work is of the highest academic standard and practice-oriented at the same time, which has a strong impact on major court cases and the development of international sports law in general. The updated 2nd edition is a vademecum for those involved with international sport and the challenges European law and sport provide and is an indispensable tool for administrators, managers, researchers, academics, marketers, broadcasters, advisers and practitioners. The book appears in the ASSER International Sports Law Series (ISSN: 1874-6926), under the editorship of Dr. David McArdle, Dr. Ben Van Rompuy and Marco van der Harst LL.M.

The EU’s influence on sport has traditionally focused on the socio-economic and cultural impact. This Research Handbook on EU Sports Law explores the development of the 'European dimension' in sport, and the concomitant legal issues including, competition law, state aid and free movement of persons. The application of such areas of EU law to sport and the influence of EU law on key policy issues such as, doping, match-fixing and governance, are detailed in this comprehensive collection. The topical chapters by experts in their field, also touch upon the future evolution of EU sports law.