Abstract
In this introduction to the edited volume, The Legacy of Bosman. Revisiting the relationship between EU law and sport, we provide some background on the aim and methodology of the book. We start by outlining the reasons for exploring the legal and political transformations triggered by the Bosman judgment over the last 20 years and beyond. Most importantly, we argue for a shift in the way the ruling is commonly interpreted. The Bosman decision of the CJEU is widely perceived in the literature and in public opinion as a deregulatory intervention by the Court. This, in our view, is a misconception that necessitates a re-reading of the ruling. We suggest that the Bosman case is displaying a democratic ethos. The duty of justification it imposes on the transnational private regulations of sports governing bodies is of a genuine ‘counter-democratic’ nature. The last part of the introduction offers a short overview of the chapters included in the book.
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Notes
- 1.
Case C-415/93 Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association and others v. Bosman and others, ECLI:EU:C:1995:463.
- 2.
See the chapter by Derlén and Lindholm in this volume.
- 3.
Opinion of Advocate General Warner in Case 36/74 Walrave and Koch v. Union Cycliste Internationale, ECLI:EU:C:1974:111.
- 4.
Case C-13/76 Gaetano Donà v Mario Mantero, ECLI:EU:C:1976:115.
- 5.
In general on this legal relationship, see Duval 2015b.
- 6.
See the chapters by Pjetlovic and Van Rompuy and Van Maren in this volume.
- 7.
Commission White Paper of 11 July 2007, COM (2007) 391 final - White Paper on Sport.
- 8.
See the chapter by Parrish in this volume.
- 9.
A point made recently by Antoine Vauchez in a draft paper on file with the author.
- 10.
It has been duly recognized as a ‘classic’ of EU law by Azoulai and Maduro 2010.
- 11.
See for an incomplete overview of the existing commentaries the annotations collected by the CJEU at http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2009-05/notes_89-04.pdf. Accessed 1 December 2015.
- 12.
For a caricature of this point of view see Manzella 2002.
- 13.
CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report Issue no. 9 of November 2015, Record low of club-trained players in Europe. http://www.football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/mr/mr09/en/. Accessed 1 December 2015.
- 14.
Case C-415/93 Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association and others v. Bosman and others, ECLI:EU:C:1995:463, para 123.
- 15.
For a detailed analysis of the fan behaviour to the internationalization/europeanization of squads see Ranc 2011.
- 16.
Ibid., p. 163.
- 17.
Commission Press Release of 28 May 2008, IP/08/807 UEFA rule on ‘home-grown players’: compatibility with the principle of free movement of persons. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-08-807_en.htm. Accessed 1 December 2015. Yet, the effectiveness of the measure remains controversial, see: University of Liverpool and Edge Hill University (2013) Study on the Assessment of UEFA’s Home-Grown Player Rule. Study for the European Commission EAC/07/2012. http://ec.europa.eu/sport/library/studies/final-rpt-april2013-homegrownplayer.pdf. Accessed 1 December 2015.
- 18.
Commission Press Release of 21 March 2012, State aid: Vice President Almunia and UEFA President Platini confirm Financial Fair-Play rules in professional football are in line with EU state aid policy. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-264_en.htm. Accessed 1 December 2015.
- 19.
Commission Press Release of 6 March 2001, IP/01/320 Commission President Prodi welcomes outcome of football transfers talks. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-01-320_en.htm. Accessed 1 December 2015.
- 20.
Case C-176/96 Jyri Lehtonen and Castors Canada Dry Namur-Braine ASBL v. Fédération royale belge des sociétés de basket-ball ASBL (FRBSB), ECLI:EU:C:2000:201.
- 21.
Case C-519/04 P David Meca-Medina and Igor Majcen v. Commission, ECLI:EU:C:2006:492.
- 22.
Case C-325/08, Olympique Lyonnais v Olivier Bernard and Newcastle United FC, ECLI:EU:C:2010:143.
- 23.
This claim is elaborated on in Duval 2015b.
- 24.
‘By ‘counter-democracy’ I mean not the opposite of democracy but rather a form of democracy that reinforces the usual electoral democracy as a kind of buttress, a democracy of indirect powers disseminated throughout society–in other words, a durable democracy of distrust, which complements the episodic democracy of the usual electoral-representative system.’ Rosanvallon 2008, p. 8.
- 25.
Opinion of Advocate General Lenz in Case C-415/93 Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association and others v. Bosman and others, ECLI:EU:C:1995:293, paras 218–234.
- 26.
Case C-519/04 P David Meca-Medina and Igor Majcen v. Commission, ECLI:EU:C:2006:492.
- 27.
As pointed out by one of the legal advisers of UEFA, see Zylberstein 2008.
- 28.
- 29.
On the strength of the exit option of multinationals see Beck 2005.
- 30.
- 31.
Case T-193/02, Laurent Piau v Commission, ECLI:EU:T:2005:22.
- 32.
See the chapter of Duval in this volume.
- 33.
See Notice of 13 June 2001 published pursuant to Article 19(3) of Council Regulation No 17), concerning Cases COMP/35.163—Notification of FIA Regulations, COMP/36.638—Notification by FIA/FOA of agreements relating to the FIA Formula One World Championship, COMP/36.776—GTR/FIA & others [2001] OJ C 169/5.
- 34.
See the Opinion 3/2008 by Alex Türk of 1 August 2008, on the World Anti-Doping Code Draft International Standard for the Protection of Privacy. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/article-29/documentation/opinion-recommendation/files/2008/wp156_en.pdf. Accessed 1 December 2015; See also Second Opinion 4/2009 by Alex Türk of 6 April 2009, on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information, on related provisions of the WADA Code and on other privacy issues in the context of the fight against doping in sport by WADA and (national) anti-doping organizations. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/article-29/documentation/opinion-recommendation/files/2009/wp162_en.pdf. Accessed 1 December 2015.
- 35.
Duval 2015a.
- 36.
On this case see Duval and Van Rompuy 2016.
- 37.
On the notion of reflexive law, see Teubner 1983.
- 38.
See in general the work of Stephen Weatherill on EU law and sport.
- 39.
Garcia and Weatherill 2012.
- 40.
The metaphor is borrowed from Teubner 2012.
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Duval, A., Van Rompuy, B. (2016). Introduction. In: Duval, A., Van Rompuy, B. (eds) The Legacy of Bosman. ASSER International Sports Law Series. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-120-3_1
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