FIFA’s football agent regulations and European competition law

Abstract We assess the relationship between professional sport and European Union competition law using the example of the FIFA Football Agent Regulations (FFAR), a set of rules enacted by FIFA, the world football governing body, to regulate the activities of football agents. The FFAR have been challenged under competition law before national courts and in arbitration proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The European Court of Justice has been asked to rule on the matter. The FFAR are the result of an anti-competitive decision by an association of undertakings. In particular, there is no exception for such agreements under the so-called Meca-Medina test. This analysis is supported by the European Court of Justice’s 2023 rulings in sports cases, in particular the European Superleague.