In the wake of the announcement by the English Premier League (EPL) of the “largest sports media rights deal ever concluded in the UK”[1] at the end of last year, this article considers key takeaways, as well as how this latest EPL deal compares to previous deals and those of other major international sports leagues.… Continue Reading
Following on from the growing popularity and success of the Women’s Super League and the great form of the England’s Women’s Team, there is a real sense of anticipation and excitement ahead of the UEFA Women’s European Championship finals, to be kicked off this Wednesday by England’s Lionesses versus Austria. In late April, the UK … Continue Reading
Introduction Andre Onana, the first team goalkeeper for AFC Ajax (“Ajax”) and the Cameroon national team played his first competitive match for over nine 9 months on 13 November 2021, when he started for Cameroon in a 4:0 victory over Malawi in a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 African Qualifier. Prior to this match, Onana had … Continue Reading
With less than one week to go until the Premier League resumes, English football fans are going to have the opportunity to watch every game for the first time ever. On 3 April 2020 UEFA announced that it had accepted a request from the Premier League to suspend the 3pm blackout rule which has prevented … Continue Reading
Over the course of the last two months professional football across Europe has ground to a halt. In an attempt to lend some shape and certainty to the European football landscape, UEFA announced in April that all its European members had until 25 May to make a decision about their respective leagues. Some leagues have … Continue Reading
Ajax’s run to the 2019 UEFA Champions’ League semi-final – European football’s premier club-cup competition – provided a welcome dose of nostalgia for those who remember the glory-days of Johan Cruyff in the 1970s and the Champions’ League winning team of 1995. However, in recent years, football clubs with rich histories such as Ajax, Feyenoord, … Continue Reading
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has renewed his call for a luxury tax system in football. Sports Shorts previously covered the role luxury tax has played in the NBA and the extent to which this could be applied in the game of football in Europe, following similar comments by Ceferin in 2017. In summary, a luxury … Continue Reading
UEFA has announced that it has commenced disciplinary proceedings against Montenegro after English players were on the receiving end of racist chants from spectators in Montenegro. England players, including Raheem Sterling who scored the final goal in England’s 5-1 victory, were subjected to racist abuse from the stands. Gareth Southgate firmly rebuked such conduct from … Continue Reading
UEFA recently announced that it will be launching its own over the top (“OTT”) streaming platform within the next few months. When the provisionally named ‘UEFA TV’ goes live in time for the 2019/20 season, it will allow fans outside of Europe and North America to view Euro 2020 and future editions of the UEFA … Continue Reading
Eleven Sports, the global sports provider, has contravened UEFA rules, which prohibit live coverage of football in the UK between 14:45 and 17:15 on Saturdays by broadcasting Barcelona’s La Liga fixture against Athletic Bilbao. This period on a Saturday afternoon is commonly referred to as the football “blackout” as the UK does not broadcast any matches during … Continue Reading
In recent weeks, the media has reacted rather dramatically to the decision handed down by the Brussel’s Court of Appeal on 28 August 2018, in a case brought by Belgian football club RFC Seraing (Seraing). The precise impact of the decision remains to be seen although it is unlikely that this represents the fall of … Continue Reading
On 27 June 2018, UEFA’s Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (“CFCB”) issued a decision to exclude AC Milan from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in for the next two seasons. This meant that AC Milan would be prevented from competing in the Europa League … Continue Reading
UEFA, the governing body for European football, has issued a stark warning to European clubs not to breach its licensing rules and regulations. The UEFA Club Financial Control Body Adjudicatory Chamber (the “Adjudicatory Chamber”) imposed a €235,000 fine on FC Sion as well as a two year ban on competing in UEFA competitions for breaching … Continue Reading
UEFA is investigating the conduct of Liverpool fans over the two-legs of Liverpool’s Champions League quarterfinal fixture. UEFA has charged Liverpool under Article 16(2) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, which provides: However, all associations and clubs are liable for the following inappropriate behaviour on the part of their supporters and may be subject to disciplinary … Continue Reading
UEFA has today announced a raft of new changes to the regulations of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League for the start of the 2018/2019 season. Following February’s UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Bratislava and the decisions taken by the International Football Association Board (“IFAB”) on 3 March 2018 in Zurich, the following … Continue Reading
UEFA has announced that it will implement a number of changes to its UEFA Champions League competition, commencing from next season. The summary of the key changes are listed and explored further below: More teams will qualify directly for the group stage of the competition: 26 next season compared to 22 this season. The top … Continue Reading
Having won its group in the Champions League this season, Manchester United meet Sevilla in the last 16 stage of the Champions League. This round will be made up of two legs: the first match will be played at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium whilst the return leg will be played at Old Trafford. However, … Continue Reading
UEFA today announced that former Manchester United player Patrice Evra has been charged with violent conduct and suspended for at least one game after he was sent-off for kicking a fan in the head before Marseille’s Europa League match against Vitoria Guimaraes. Evra is not the first French ex-Manchester United footballer to go in with … Continue Reading
It was reported on Tuesday 24 October 2017 that an arbitration panel has dismissed Queens Park Rangers’ claim that the English Football League’s 2012 Financial Fair Play Regulations (the “2012 Regulations”) were unlawful and that the sanction imposed by the Football League on QPR for its breach of those Regulations was disproportionate. A brief background … Continue Reading
On 8 June 2017, Sports Shorts considered the issue of whether RB Leipzig and FC Red Bull Salzburg would both be permitted to participate in the UEFA Champions League 2017/2018 season. Both clubs qualified from their respective leagues on merit but, given that both clubs are in one way or another funded by Red Bull, … Continue Reading
The summer can prove a fallow time for football fans. With the exception of the FIFA Confederations Cup, which commences on 17 June 2017, fans have little to keep themselves entertained on the football front this summer. Many will delve deep into the gossip pages of their favourite websites. Which players will be bought? Which … Continue Reading
Last week, Sports Shorts considered media reports that Premiership Rugby restricted a proposed investment by Mohed Altrad’s investment in Gloucester RFC to just 20% and the desire of stakeholders in European Rugby Union to ensure and maintain confidence in the integrity of its competitions. In this second instalment, Sports Shorts will consider how common ownership … Continue Reading
Last week, Sports Shorts considered the genesis of home grown player requirements within European football and the current requirements that are in place in both the English Football League (“EFL”) and the English Premier League (“EPL”). In this second instalment, Sports Shorts considers whether or not the requirement to name home grown players in match … Continue Reading
On 28 March 2017, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) confirmed in a media release that it had issued a consent award in the arbitration procedure between the Serbian football club FK Partizan and UEFA. That procedure related to the finding of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (“CFCB”) that … Continue Reading
