Another classic of EU sports jurisprudence: Legal implications of olympique lyonnais sasp v olivier bernard and newcastle UFC (C-325/08)

European Law Review

Volumn 35, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 857-868

  Pijetlovic, Katarina ^a  

^a TALLINN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY   (Estonia)

Author keywords

Compensation; Contracts of employment; EU law; Football; France; Freedom of movement for workers; Justification; Propotionality; Vocational training

Indexed keywords

EID: 79551680237     PISSN: 03075400     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Review

References (57)

1. Walrave v Association Union Cycliste Internationale (36/74) [1974] E.C.R. 1405
2. [1975] 1 C.M.L.R. 320 at [4].
3. Walrave (36/74) [1974] E.C.R. 1405 at [8] and [9].
4. Dona v Mantero (13/76) [1976] E.C.R. 1333
5. [1976] 2 C.M.L.R. 578.
6. Dona v Mantero (13/76) [1976] E.C.R. 1333 at [14]-[15]. Union Royale Beige Societes de Football Association (ASBL) v Bosman (C-415/93) [ 1995] E.C.R. 1-4921
7. [1996] 1 C.M.L.R. 645.
8. Bosman (C-415/93) [1995] E.C.R. 1-4921 at [104]. Kraus v Land Baden-Wurttemberg (C-19/92) [1993] E.C.R. I-1663 at [32] and Gebhard v Consiglio dell 'Ordine degli Awocati e Procuratori di Milano (C-55/94) [ 1995] E.C.R. 1-4165
9. [1996] 1 C.M.L.R. 603 at [37].
10. Bosnian (C-415/93) [1995] E.C.R. 1-4921 at [106].
11. Bosnian (C-415/93) [1995] E.C.R. 1-4921 at [128].
12. See also R. Parrish and S. Miettinen, The Sporting Exception in European Union Law (The Hague: T.M.C. Asser Press, 2008).
13. Report from the Commission to the European Council with a view to safeguarding current sports structures and maintaining the social function of sport within the Community framework, The Helsinki Report on Sport, Brussels, December 10,1999 COM(1999) 644 final.
14. Declaration on the specific characteristics of sport and its social function in Europe, of which account should be taken in implementing common policies 13948/00, Annex to the Presidency Conclusions, Nice European Council Meeting, December 2000.
15. Seem.10.
16. White Paper on Sport, Brussels, July 11,2007 COM(2007) 391 final.
17. Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union arts 2(5) and 6(e).
18. Bosnian (C-415/93) [1995] E.C.R. 1-4921 at [30].
19. Bosnian (C-415/93) [1995] E.C.R. 1-4921 at [30]
20. Paragraph 30 of the Advocate General's opinion in Bernard (C-325/08) March 16, 2010 says that "the specific characteristics of sport in general, and football in particular, do not seem to me to be of paramount importance when considering whether there is a prohibited restriction on freedom of movement". "Bernard(C-325/08) March 16, 2010 at [39].
21. Bernard (C-325/0S) March 16,2010 at [40].
22. Lehtonen v Federation Roy ale Beige des Societes de Basket-ball ASBL (FRBSB) (176/96) [2000] E.C.R. 1-2681.
23. DeutscherHandballbundeVvKolpak(C-&mQ) [2003] E.C.R. 1-4135.
24. Simutenkov v Ministerio de Educaciony Cultura, Real Federacion Espanola de Futbol (C-265/03) [2005] E.C.R. 1-2579.
25. The traditional measure-classification stage in the analysis is nonetheless still evident in the Court's analytical structure in several cases
26. See C. Barnard, The Substantive Law of the EU, 2nd edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), pp.279-2821.
27. See, for example, Criminal proceedings against Ditlev Bluhme [ 1998] E.C.R. 1-8033 (biodiversity)
28. Commissionv Belgium (Walloon Waste) (C-2/90) [1992] E.C.R. 1-4431 (environmental protection)
29. KrausvLand Baden-Wurttemberg (C-19/92) [1993] E.C.R. 1-1663 (protection of public against misleading use of academic titles).
30. Bosman (C-415/93) [1995] E.C.R. 1-4921 at [109].
31. As required by the objective accepted as legitimate at [39] of Bernard {-32510%) March 16,2010 and [108] of Bosman (C-415/93) [1995] E.C.R. 1-4921.
32. The objective required that the restrictive rule encourages clubs to train and recruit young players, and not that it did not discourage clubs from doing so. The aim of "not discouraging" presents a lower bar in terms of finding the restrictive rule suitable for the attainment of the objective than the aim of "encouraging". Therefore, the restrictiverule (training compensation) used to attain the objective as re-worded and modified in Bernard will more likely be found suitable in the former (i.e. not discouraging) but not in the latter.
33. S. Weatherill, "The Olivier Bernard case: how, if at all, to fix compensation for training young players?" 2010 International Sports Law Journal 1-2, 5.
34. J. Lindholm "Case C-325/08, Olympique Lyonnais SASP v. Olivier Bernard and Newcastle United UFC, Judgment of the Court of Justice (Grand Chamber) of 16 March 2010, not yet reported" 2010 C.M.L. Rev. 47,1192.
35. Discussed in the next section of this article.
36. FIFPro is the Federation Internationale Des Associations De Footballeurs Professionnels.
37. FIFPro report on the Joint FIFA/UEFA Negotiation Document (International Transfer of Players), available at www.uefa.com http://www.uefa.com [Accessed October 12,2010].
38. See [50]-[51] of her Opinion.
39. See [57] of her Opinion.
40. S. Weatherill, "The Olivier Bernard case: how, if at all, to fix compensation for training young players?" 2010 International Sports Law Journal 5.
41. S. Van den Bogaert, Practical Regulation of the Mobility of Sportsmen in the EU Post Bosman (The Hague: Kluwer, 2005), pp.256-257.
42. It takes an average of 10 players to produce one professional. See European Commission, Education of Young Sportspersons, Final Report, August 2004, p.49
43. R. Blanpain Legal Status of Sportsmen and Sportswomen under International, European and Belgian National and Regional Law (The Hague: Kluwer, 2003), p.52.
44. See [52] of her Opinion.
45. See Weatherill, "The Olivier Bernard case: how, if at all, to fix compensation for training young players?" 2010 International Sports Law Journal 4.
46. Bernard (C-325/08) March 16, 2010 at [49].
47. Bernard (C-325/08) March 16, 2010 at [50] (emphasis added).
48. FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players available at http://www.jifa.corn/mm/document/qffederation/administration/01/27/64/30/ statusandtransfereinhalt2010.pdf '[Accessed October 13, 2010].
49. FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players, art.20.
50. Annex 4, FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players.
51. Annex 4, FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players. Union of European Football Associations. Confederation for Europe.
52. FIFA circular letter nr.1223. Available at: http://\vww.fifa.com/mm/ document/affederation/administration/01/27 http:///vww.fifa.com/mm/document/ affederation/administration/01/27/6l/28/circularno J223- regulationsonthestatmandtramfewfplayers- categorisationofclubsandregistrationperiods.pdf [Accessed October 13,2010].
53. Annex 4, FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players.
54. In other words, UEFA as a confederative body sets sums for all Europen national football associations, and other regional governing bodies set the sums in their respective regions.
55. See on this point also S. Van den Bogaert, Practical Regulation of the Mobility of Sportsmen in the EU Post Bosman (The Hague: Kluwer, 2005), pp.256-257
56. J.C. Drolet, "Extra Time: are the new FIFA Transfer Rules doomed?" Ch.10 in S. Gardiner, R. Parrish and R. Siekmann, EU Sport Law and Policy (The Hague: TMC Asser Press, 2009).
57. See art. 10 TFEU and Directive 2000/78 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation ([2000] OJ L303/16).