The Application of EU Competition Law to Sports - Between Autonomy and Abuse: How EU Competition Law Constrains the Power of Sports Governing Bodies
(2025) HARN63 20251Department of Business Law
- Abstract
- This thesis explores the application of European Union competition law —
specifically Article 102 TFEU — to the regulatory conduct of dominant sports
governing bodies such as UEFA, FIFA, and ISU. As sport has evolved into a major
economic sector, the dual role of these organizations as both regulators and
commercial actors has raised significant legal questions concerning abuse of
dominance and market access.
The study adopts a doctrinal legal methodology, examining key legal texts,
institutional practices, and landmark judgments including Meca-Medina, ISU, and
Super League. It investigates how courts and regulators delineate the boundary
between legitimate sporting autonomy and anti-competitive behavior, with
particular... (More) - This thesis explores the application of European Union competition law —
specifically Article 102 TFEU — to the regulatory conduct of dominant sports
governing bodies such as UEFA, FIFA, and ISU. As sport has evolved into a major
economic sector, the dual role of these organizations as both regulators and
commercial actors has raised significant legal questions concerning abuse of
dominance and market access.
The study adopts a doctrinal legal methodology, examining key legal texts,
institutional practices, and landmark judgments including Meca-Medina, ISU, and
Super League. It investigates how courts and regulators delineate the boundary
between legitimate sporting autonomy and anti-competitive behavior, with
particular attention to principles of proportionality, necessity, and transparency.
Additionally, the thesis incorporates a comparative perspective with U.S. antitrust
law, highlighting structural and conceptual differences in how dominant actors in
sport are regulated. While both legal systems aim to preserve competitive markets,
the EU framework places greater emphasis on safeguarding market fairness and
preventing conflicts of interest where regulatory and commercial roles intersect.
The findings underscore that while sport retains its unique character within EU law,
it is not exempt from competition rules. Instead, the specificity of sport must be
balanced against the imperative to maintain open and non-discriminatory markets.
By clarifying the conditions under which self-regulation may constitute abuse of
dominance, this thesis contributes to the broader discourse on the evolving legal
governance of professional sport in Europe. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9196161
- author
- Hodovanets, Olesia LU
- supervisor
-
- Maria Fritz LU
- organization
- course
- HARN63 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- EU competition law, Article 102 TFEU, sports governance, abuse of dominance, sporting autonomy, ISU, Super League, U.S. antitrust law.
- language
- English
- id
- 9196161
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-10 13:10:09
- date last changed
- 2025-06-10 13:10:09
@misc{9196161, abstract = {{This thesis explores the application of European Union competition law — specifically Article 102 TFEU — to the regulatory conduct of dominant sports governing bodies such as UEFA, FIFA, and ISU. As sport has evolved into a major economic sector, the dual role of these organizations as both regulators and commercial actors has raised significant legal questions concerning abuse of dominance and market access. The study adopts a doctrinal legal methodology, examining key legal texts, institutional practices, and landmark judgments including Meca-Medina, ISU, and Super League. It investigates how courts and regulators delineate the boundary between legitimate sporting autonomy and anti-competitive behavior, with particular attention to principles of proportionality, necessity, and transparency. Additionally, the thesis incorporates a comparative perspective with U.S. antitrust law, highlighting structural and conceptual differences in how dominant actors in sport are regulated. While both legal systems aim to preserve competitive markets, the EU framework places greater emphasis on safeguarding market fairness and preventing conflicts of interest where regulatory and commercial roles intersect. The findings underscore that while sport retains its unique character within EU law, it is not exempt from competition rules. Instead, the specificity of sport must be balanced against the imperative to maintain open and non-discriminatory markets. By clarifying the conditions under which self-regulation may constitute abuse of dominance, this thesis contributes to the broader discourse on the evolving legal governance of professional sport in Europe.}}, author = {{Hodovanets, Olesia}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{The Application of EU Competition Law to Sports - Between Autonomy and Abuse: How EU Competition Law Constrains the Power of Sports Governing Bodies}}, year = {{2025}}, }