BELGIUM: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Belgian court refers case taken against soccer's governing body FIFA by first division club Charleroi and the G14, to the European Court of Justice

Record ID: 859284

  • Title: BELGIUM: SOCCER / FOOTBALL - Belgian court refers case taken against soccer's governing body FIFA by first division club Charleroi and the G14, to the European Court of Justice
  • Date: 16th May 2006
  • Summary: CLOSE UP: ABBAS BAYAT, G14 GENERAL MANAGER
  • Embargoed: 31st May 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • City:
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAQZ8C3PRVSRT2MIOL3TL9SI5K
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  • Story Text: A Belgian court referred on Monday (May 15) a case taken against soccer's governing body FIFA by first division club Charleroi and the G14, representing 18 of Europe's richest clubs, to Europe's highest court.
    Charleroi and the G14 will have to take their landmark case, in which they are seeking compensation for a player, Majid Oulmers, injured while playing for his country Morocco, to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
    Jean-Philippe Lebeau, president of the commercial tribunal in the city of Charleroi, south of Brussels, said that the European Court of Justice is the only court had more competence to decide this case.
    The court added that Charleroi and the G14 do have a case, but that it was not competent to make a final decision. The G14 claimed the ruling as a victory. FIFA's lawyer would not comment on the outcome in court.
    "Today the local court decided to refer the matter to Luxembourg, to The ECJ (European Court of Justice). The court did so after acknowledging that those rules (of FIFA) are submitted to ECJ," G14 lawyer, Jean-Louis Dupont said.
    He explained that G14 claim has always been that FIFA's rules were subject to EU laws. He added that their argument has now been proved correct.
    All sides must deliver their opinions to the ECJ, most likely after the summer, before a hearing in the Autumn. A final decision will probably take about a year according to the lawyers.
    G14 manager Abbas Bayat said that their action will benefit to national federations.
    "The objective is not to destroy FIFA. The objective is in fact to empower the federations more than FIFA, and to also empower all the country to participate in the success of foot, the commercial success of football, the value it has today in all the world," said Abbas Bayat, G14 general manager.
    Significantly, this ruling now forces the European Commission, the EU's executive arm to finally give its opinion. The Commission is the guardian of the EU treaties and so far it has remained on the fence, monitoring the case.
    Just prior to the ruling, it was announced the man leading an independent review in to how football is run across the EU will deliver his final report to British Prime Minister Tony Blair and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso next week.
    Essentially the review focused on whether the beautiful game should be accountable to EU laws or whether it should be treated as a special case. UEFA and most national associations see football as a "social movement" while many clubs, in particular the more richer ones, want more power and see football as a business.
    EU sports ministers are to discuss the review during a meeting on the fringes of the UEFA Champions League final in Paris on Wednesday.
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