Arbitration in Sports and Competition as a Matter of Public Policy: Legality Requirements from the European Decision in the Royal Football Club Seraing Case

This article examines the evolving interface between sports arbitration and competition law through the lens of the Court of Justice of the European Union’s ruling in Royal Football Club Seraing v. FIFA, UEFA and URBSFA. The analysis highlights how mandatory arbitration clauses in sports regulations, while not inherently illegitimate, may intersect with abuse of dominance concerns, as illustrated by recent antitrust disputes in skating and tennis. It then assesses the decision’s practical co