2 6 June 2004

News:

The European Union has included in its new constitution an undertaking that the Union ‘shall contribute to the promotion of European Sporting issues’.

The Football League has introduced the first ‘Fit and Proper Persons’ test for Club Directors in the history of English professional football. The decision was unanimously taken by clubs at The League’s AGM.

Football clubs and other sports organisations who are looking to benefit from the libralisation of UK gambling laws will be relieved that the UK Gambling Bill is set to be on the Statute Book in 2005. Newcastle United is just one of a number of clubs who have signed deals with major US casino operators to develop entertainment complexes which are contingent on the legislation being passed.

Features:

In this issue there is unashamedly a heavy bias toward football as Euro 2004 moves through the knockout stages to its ultimate conclusion. With a Euro 75 million price tag on Wayne Rooney’s head, the substantial amounts of money now invested in or taken from sport by its stakeholders, raises the stakes for the way it operates. Participants, sponsors, supporters and governing bodies arguably have a higher expectation of sport and what it will deliver. In turn, the significance of sport on a national and international level has drawn the attention of lawmakers and politicians who seek to influence it.

With the European Championships heading toward their climax, thousands of supporters from across Europe have descended on Portugal to watch the matches played out across the country. Their ability to buy tickets and get access to see their team play is not a straightforward task. Nick De Marco of Blackstone Chambers, explores in more detail the legal background to ticketing at Euro 2004 and the implications for future sporting events.

Much has been written regarding the way in which football does business. As the media touts possible bids for England’s Euro 2004 hero, Wayne Rooney, the ramifications of the challenges by the Inland Revenue to the football creditor rule are taken on board and excitement mounts ahead of a new season, Joe Maclean of Grant Thornton considers how UEFA’s licensing system is likely to further change Europe’s leading sport.

This article examines the failure by Lord Coe to obtain an interim injunction against two Sunday tabloids on the basis of the “Campbell privacy test” and finds that the two cases were different in fundamental respects

Until recently, Exeter City FC’s were perhaps best known for being the first ever foreign side to play Brazil, celebrated at its centenary by a match against the Brazilian World Cup side of 1994. Thrown into financial turmoil in Spring 2003, the Club lost its place in the Nationwide Football League and then attempted to reach a resolution of its difficulties through a corporate voluntary arrangement. Stephen Allinson of Clarke Willmott, takes up the story.

Databases with information about fixtures, teams and participants are significant assets for sporting organisations. This article examines the recent opinion of the Advocate General for the European Court, Stix-Hack, in the long running dispute between the British Horse Racing Board and the William Hill Organisation Ltd1.