A PYMNTS Company

EU: Man City fans add fuel to Financial Fair Play challenge

 |  September 24, 2014

An independent group in support of Manchester City has reportedly joined legal action that challenges the UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules currently in front of the European Commission and Belgian courts.

Reports say the MDFC Supporters Club claims that the financial fair play rule “is in fact a prohibition to invest that prevents ambitious owners to develop their clubs, that therefore shields the established European elite from being challenged.”

The lawsuit is spearheaded by Jean-Louis Dupont, who argues that the FFP rule “is, in terms of European competition law, an anticompetitive agreement since it prohibits a club owner to invest in his or her own money in strengthening its workforce, the players. It is therefore a restriction of investments, which is deemed to be a major ‘crime’ in competition law.”

The MCFC Supports Club says it has nearly 15,000 active members and that its board unanimously voted to join the legal actions that challenge the rule.

Brussels is expected to offer an initial decision on the challenge next April, according to reports.

Full content: Sport Act

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.