SPORT GOVERNANCE AND EU LAW: THE TIMES THEY ARE (FINALLY !) A-CHANGIN’

Authors

  • Jean-Louis Dupont Attorney-at-Law; Dupont-Hissel, Spain

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30925/slpdj.2.1.1

Keywords:

EU Law Applied to Sport, CJEU Recent Case Law , Ongoing EU Law Cases , Principle of Effective Jurisdictional Protection in Sport

Abstract

The Times They Are A-Changin': At last, change is a reality for sport governance in Europe, due to the resolute approach of the CJEU in recent high-profile "sport" cases. This article highlights key points from the three judgments of 21 December, 2023 and underlines some of the cardinal points of ongoing cases related to EU law applied to sport, and, particularly in sport governance. In short, through the orthodox enforcement of competition law and fundamental freedoms (and likely also fundamental rights in the near future), the CJEU imposes a strong democratic control on sports regulators. National courts - recentred of the game by the ISU ruling and guided by the  Antwerp ruling - have the task of making this control fully effective. In short, no more "sports washing."

References

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Judgement of 21 December 2023, European Superleague Company (C-333/21), ECLI:EU:C:2023:1011.

Judgement of 21 December 2023, Royal Antwerp Football Club (C-680/21), ECLI:EU:C:2023:1010.

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Wathelet, Melchior. “There Has Indeed Been Sport at the Court of Justice of the European Union… And There Will Be More to Come”, Football Legal, 31 May, 2024. https://www.football-legal.com/content/there-has-indeed-been-sport-at-the-court-of-justice-of-the-european-union-and-there-will-be-more-to-come-1-by-melchior-wathelet.

Weatherill, Stephen. “The impact of the rulings of 21 December 2023 on the structure of EU sports law”, International Sports Law Journal 23, no. 4 (2023): 409–415, 410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40318-024-00265-w.

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Published

2024-08-02

How to Cite

Dupont, J.-L. (2024). SPORT GOVERNANCE AND EU LAW: THE TIMES THEY ARE (FINALLY !) A-CHANGIN’. Sports Law, Policy & Diplomacy Journal, 2(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.30925/slpdj.2.1.1

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Section

Articles