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EU: Former competition chief asked to ‘apologize’ for UEFA bias

By  |  January 22, 2015

The European Union’s ombudsman is probing whether the bloc’s former competition chief Joaquin Almunia was biased when he threw out a complaint about the legality of regional soccer authority UEFA’s new financial restrictions on clubs.

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    Striani argued the Financial Fair Play rules implemented by Almunia infringe EU competition law and the right to free movement of workers, service and capital. These regulations prevent professional football clubs spending more than they earn in the pursuit of success, which resulted in losses of 1.7 billion euros in 2011.

    The case was opened on Jan. 15 after Striani claimed the European Commission “should acknowledge the existence of this conflict of interest and apologize,” according to a filing on the internal EU watchdog’s website./p>

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