XLIII Competition Law Scholars Forum Workshop (CLaSF)

Competition Law in a Sporting Context

Thursday 24 April 2025

University of Porto, Faculty of Law

Rua dos Bragas, 223 – Porto

Programme

09:30 – 09:50 Registration and coffee

09:50 – 10.00
Welcome and Introduction:
Paulo de Tarso Domingues (Dean of the Faculty of Law of University of Porto), Barry Rodger (CLaSF, University of Strathclyde) and Jose Reis (University of Porto)

10-10.30 Keynote

Rosalia Ortega Pradilllo, Rosalia Ortega Sports Law, Presidente Instituto Iberoamericano de Derecho Deportivo
The Diarra Case and the Potential End of Release Clauses

10:30–11:30 Transfer Regulations and Player Mobility in Football, Chair: TBC

Javier Perez, Regula Law
The theories of anticompetitive harm of FIFA’s former transfer regulations: the path to redress and deterrence against a no poach buyer cartel

Miquel Aznar Company, Universitat de Valencia
Player Mobility Regulation and Competition Law: Towards a More Competitive Market?

11:30 – 12:00 Coffee Break

12.00 – 13.00 ‘The Beautiful Game’?, Chair TBC

Maria Sanchez Magdalena, FILS, Barcelona
Foreign Investment in European Football: The Impact of the FSR

Jose Reis, Porto University
No-poach, crisis cartels and the sporting exception: the strange case of the Portuguese football COVID19 deal

13:00 – 14:30 Lunch

14:30 –15:30 Competition law Regulation of Rugby: worth a Try?, Chair TBC

 Beverley Williamson, McCann Fitzgerald LLP
Professional Rugby Union: Time to stop tinkering around the edges of a cartel

 Richard Bunworth, UCD, Dublin
The Irish Rugby Football Union’s Eligibility Restrictions in Light of the Diarra Case

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break

16:00–17:15 Widening the Lens: Sports Authorities and Organizations and the Role for Competition Law, Chair TBC

Andreas Stephan and Peter Dawson, George Centre for Competition Policy, UEA, Norwich
Exploring the Implications of Recent Competition Law Challenges in the Sports Industry 

Barry Rodger, Strathclyde University
‘Sports’ in which Scottish People excel …to what extent are sports’ governing organisations Snookered by Competition Law

 Angus MacCulloch, Lancaster University
Article 101, Public Harms and Specificity of Sport

17:15 – 17:30 Closing comments

 18:00 Drinks

20:00 Speakers’ Dinner