"If you want some accessible but informative insight into football then I suggest you couldn't do better than the Political Economy of Football website, which is not only intelligible but comes with the added bonus of being written by Addicks fan Wyn Grant." Ben Hayes - Charlton Athletic programme
Portsmouth Supporters’ Trust (PST) would like to settle their dispute with Balram Chainrai’s Portpin group over the control of Fratton Park out of court. The PST need to secure control of the ground to complete their takeover of the club.
However, with the court hearing due next week, there has been no contact between the two teams of lawyers and this does not bode well in terms of an out-of-court settlement.
Premier League clubs are considering a salary cap and sports lawyer Daniel Geey offers a detailed appraisal of the proposals on his blog, including the implications for individual clubs.
Geey notes that one of the main drivers for this proposal is the desire on the part of clubs not to see increased television revenues go straight into the pockets of players. Arsene Wenger has recently noted that high wages are now more of a problem than transfer fees.
Rangers have won their tax case at a tax tribunal over their payments to players through Employee Benefit Trusts which Revenue & Customs argued were illegal. The tribunal ruled that they should be treated as loans for tax purposes, although they reached this decision by a two to one majority verdict. Revenue & Customs has said that it is disappointed by the decision and may appeal.
The interface between football and the law is of increasing importance, but the complex issues that are raised can often be difficult for a non-lawyer to comprehend. The latest issue of the authoritative On The Ball magazine contains articles on such topics as the latest Premier League broadcasting deal, financial fair play and the contested football creditors’ rule.
Like it or not football is increasingly becoming entangled with the law. The number of lawyers specialising in sports law is growing all the time. The implementation of Uefa’s financial fair play scheme is likely to be challenged in the courts.
Hence it is very helpful to have an authoritative website run by a lawyer and dealing with some of these issues, e.g., there is an article on the recent penalties imposed by Uefa on some clubs.
West Ham’s bid for a tenancy at the Olympic Stadium could be held up by a state aid probe by the European Commission. Competition commissioner Alexander Italinier has given notice of an investigation into the public financing of stadiums used by professional clubs.
Peter Ridsdale has been a controversial figure in English football. Indeed, the Financial Times describes him this morning as a ‘serial football club chairman’. He is in the news again because he has been barred by the Insolvency Service from serving for seven-and-a-half years as a company director.
West Yorkshire Police have lost a court case over who should pay for policing around the Leeds United ground at Elland Road. They are expected to have to repay £1m to the club. However, the case has ramifications well beyond Leeds as it calls into question guidance issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) to the individual forces about who should pay for what at games.
The Premier League’s television rights are its most valuable asset and it will take any steps it can to defend them. However, it may have gone too far in using an agent who was not a regulated solicitor in dozens of cases.
Such individuals should not carry out certain functions and a court has ruled that in receiving payment from the Premier League to represent them in a private prosecution Media Protection Services was acting as a solicitor when it was not recognised as such.
The Premier League’s determination to protect its intellectual property rights and those of its broadcasters is demonstrated by its involvement in the public prosecution of a man accused of importing cut-price satellite decoder cards.