Are financial fair play regulations lawful?

I have always thought it likely that sooner or later someone would launch a legal challenge to Uefa’s financial fair play regulations.   A really big club could afford such a challenge if they thought their future was at stake, but an alternative argument is that the regulations constitute an illegal entry barrier to smaller clubs.   Any rules of this kind have to be compatible with EU competition law, even though the European Commission h

I have always thought it likely that sooner or later someone would launch a legal challenge to Uefa’s financial fair play regulations.   A really big club could afford such a challenge if they thought their future was at stake, but an alternative argument is that the regulations constitute an illegal entry barrier to smaller clubs.   Any rules of this kind have to be compatible with EU competition law, even though the European Commission has endorsed them.


One lawyer has suggested that they are open to challenge.   Our own legal writer, Duncan McHardy, has a different view and will be offering a reasoned response in a few days’ time.