BRUSSELS: Jean-Louis Dupont, the Belgian  lawyer who helped win the landmark Bosman Verdict, has lodged a complaint with the European Commission  over UEFA’s Financial Fair Play.

FFP, designed to ensure clubs break even over a rolling three-year period, do not come into full effect until the 2013-14 season but Dupont claims that the rules breach European competition law.

He said: “A club owner is prohibited from overspending even if such overspending aims at growing the club.”

In December 1995, Belgian midfielder Jean-Marc Bosman, 31, successfully challenged football’s transfer rules at the European Court, on the basis of restraint of trade.

The Bosman ruling  allowed players over 24 to move clubs without a transfer fee at the end of their contracts, and also ended national league limits on foreign players from other European Union countries.

Dupont, who was part of the legal team that won that ruling and also led the case that forced UEFA and world governing body FIFA to compensate clubs for players injured on international duty, is now representing Belgian players’ agent Daniel Striani.

He has objected that FFP will restrict the incomes of both players and agents, reduce transfer activity and ensure that Europe’s larger clubs remain dominant.

He added that even if the ban on overspending was ruled legal, he would have further grounds to appeal because UEFA could achieve its aims by a less restrictive measure such as forcing clubs to makes guarantees on any spending beyond projected income.

The European Commission confirmed it had received a complaint but would make no further comment on the case.

Financial fair play

1, The Club Financial Control Body was set up in June 2012 to oversee the application of the UEFA Club Licensing System and Financial Fair Play Regulations

2, Clubs cannot repeatedly spend more than their generated revenues, and clubs will be obliged to meet all their transfer and employee payment commitments at all times

3, Higher-risk clubs that fail certain indicators will also be required to provide budgets detailing their strategic plans; and

4, Clubs participating in UEFA club competitions have had their transfer and employee payables monitored since the summer of 2011. The break-even assessment covering the financial years ending 2012 and 2013 will be assessed during 2013-14

 

################