Legal and economic aspects of transfer of players in football in the European Union

Abstract

The main aim of this research is to analyze the legal and economic issues between the current football transfer system and European Union laws. In order to do so, the author looked at the history and development behind the transfer system, the sports specificity, the key cases and their interpretation by courts in different instances, and the statistics regarding implementation of various regulations and their impact on players and clubs. The obtained results demonstrated that there are major issues in the current transfer system, specifically, that it hinders the freedom of movement for football players and it can also be challenged under EU competition law. Additionally, the findings indicated that the football market is very polarized and continues to grow at an outstanding rate. In the conclusion, the author also provides a few suggestions that could improve the current system and maintain a more balanced football market