3 12 December 2005

News:

The High Court ruling on 21 December that the British Horseracing Board (BHB) abused its dominant market position in its conduct towards At The Races (ATR) has far reaching implications for the use of competition law as well as more directly on the funding of the BHB.

The European Commission may take France to the European Court of Justice if it fails to modify its laws which prohibit football and other sports clubs from being listed on the stock markets.

Italy will stand by its laws which make doping in sport a criminal offence despite concerns that athletes will stay away from the Winter Olympics in Turin rather than risk criminal sanctions.

Features:

The next big case to have serious implications on the governance of international football is set to start in March 2006 in Belgium. It concerns Abdelmajid Oulmers who plays football for the undistinguished Belgian first division club, Charleroi FC. Solicitor Mel Goldberg and barrister Simon Pentol explain the background alongside the legal framework and the ramifications of legal proceedings with the potential to elevate the claimant to "Bosmanlike" status.

From a multi-sport event taking place over a two-week period in various venues, to a single event taking place in a large arena on a Saturday afternoon, the varied nature of sporting events can attract hundreds of participants and thousands of spectators. With individual safety being paramount, Anthony Turner, solicitor at Farrer & Co, considers the duties that an event organiser may owe in negligence to third parties and suggests ways in which potential liability can be minimised.

Professional footballers in Italy agreed a new contract with the Clubs' organisations in October 2005. Luca Ferrari and Vittoria Rigo at Studio Associato LCA analyse the complex agreement, which was the result of several years negotiations.

In what are difficult financial times for football's lower league clubs, Wrexham FC have received a rare and noted victory against those attempting to exploit the club's financial peril for personal gain. Matt McKenzie, a solicitor at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain examines the case.

Ian Blackshaw describes the possibilities for settling sports-related disputes, including business ones, through the mediation service offered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport based in Lausanne Switzerland.