The Sporting Exception in European Union Law
Series: ASSER International Sports Law Series

Should sport, unlike any other business, have a special legal status within the EU? This book explores whether the legal framework of the EU affords special treatment to sporting activity. It considers whether the EU can, and currently does, recognise the ‘specificity of sport’ and applies the current legal framework to broadcasting issues, rules affecting player mobility in Europe and current issues in sports governance.

The authors provide an overview of the present state of the legal framework, based on an analysis of major European Court of Justice judgments, including Walrave (1974), Donà (1976), Bosman (1995), Deliège (2000), Lehtonen (2000), Kolpak (2003), Piau (2005) and Meca-Medina (2006). They consider current issues in EU sports law, including the Oulmers case, home-grown players, players’ agents, the Services Directive, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the 2006 Independent European Sports Review, the 2007 Commission White Paper on Sport, the Reform Treaty and prospects for social dialogue. The book also provides advanced commentary on major sports-related competition decisions of the European Commission and explores questions arising from the present framework which the Union’s fledgling sports policy will need to consider in the future.

This work is a resource for all those with a professional, regulatory and academic interest and stake in this developing and important subject. It can also be used on both undergraduate and postgraduate sports law and EU law programmes.

Dr Richard Parrish is Reader in Law and Director of the Centre for Sports Law Research at Edge Hill University in the United Kingdom. Mr Samuli Miettinen is Senior Lecturer in Law and Co-ordinator at the Centre for Sports Law Research, Edge Hill University.

This book appears in the ASSER International Sports Law Series, under the editorship of Dr Robert Siekmann and Dr Janwillem Soek.