Sports Law in the European Union

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this monograph navigates the EU’s legal and political influence on the so-called European model of sport. It explores the sports related jurisprudence of the Court of Justice and the decisional practice of the European Commission and in doing so it adds further weight to claims that a discrete body of law exists, identifiable as EU sports law.

The book analyses the impact of EU law on how sport is organised, played and funded. This assessment includes in-depth analysis of key cases that have constructed the doctrinal underpinnings of EU sports law including: Walrave, Donà, Bosman, Deliège, Lehtonen, Piau, Kolpak, Meca-Medina, MOTOE, Bernard, Murphy, TopFit, ISU and more.

The claim advanced in this monograph is that the European model of sport, a contested concept, is changing. International sports federations are blurring traditional regulatory functions with new commercial and governance preoccupations and this can give rise to conflicts of interest, poor governance choices and ultimately litigation.       

The monograph argues that the organisational and philosophical basis of the European model of sport can co-exist with the requirements of EU law, but the EU’s acceptance of the autonomy and specificity of sport is conditional. Sports bodies must be scrupulous in ensuring that sporting rules pursue, in a proportionate manner, legitimate sporting objectives and that governance styles do not act as cover for naked self-interest.    

This book is recommended for sports lawyers, sports regulators, governing bodies, public authorities and scholars.