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Cases T-385/07, T-55/08 and T68/08 FIFA and UEFA v Commission

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Part of the book series: ASSER International Sports Law Series ((ASSER))

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Abstract

Under EU law Member States have the right to designate sporting and cultural events said to be of major importance for broadcast on free-to-air TV channels. Member States have to notify the European Commission of their list of designated events and the Commission then verifies the compatibility of the Member State’s list with the relevant provisions of EU law. The United Kingdom under the umbrella of its Broadcasting Act 1996 designated the entire tournament stages of the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Football Championships as a “listed event” and thus mandating that every match therein be broadcast on free-to-air TV channels. The EU Commission verified the UK’s list. FIFA and UEFA sought to challenge the Commission’s decision arguing that there were certain procedural irregularities in the manner in which it had been reached but, more relevantly, in contrast to the approach of other Member States, where only “prime” or “gala” or “knockout” matches were listed, the UK approach unfairly and illegitimately resulted in all matches at the named tournaments being protected as listed events. FIFA and UEFA’s challenge was unsuccessful, as was a parallel challenge made against the Commission’s verification of Belgium’s approach to the TV broadcasting designation of sporting or cultural events of only major importance.

Katrien Lefever, affiliated researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and ICT, Faculty of Law, KU Leuven, Belgium and a company lawyer at VMMa (English: Flemish Media Company), the parent company of the first Flemish commercial television station. An Vermeersch, Visiting Professor of Sports Law and Legal Advisor at the cabinet of the Flemish Minister for Sports. The authors are writing in a personal capacity only and their opinion is not necessarily that of their employers.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See generally Iosifidis and Smith 2011.

  2. 2.

    Directive 89/552/EEC, The Television without Frontiers Directive [1989] OJ L 298/23.

  3. 3.

    Directive 97/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council [1997] OJ L 202/60.

  4. 4.

    Directive 2010/13EU, Audiovisual Media Services Directive [2010] OJ L 95/1.

  5. 5.

    Article 1, section 1(6) of the Order of the Flemish Government of 28 May 2004 establishing the list of events of major importance to society, Belgian State Gazette, 19 August 2004 (“Order of the Flemish Government establishing the list of events of major importance to society”).

  6. 6.

    Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) Act 1999 (Designation of Major Events) Order 2003, S.I. 99/2003.

  7. 7.

    Weatherill 2004, 134.

  8. 8.

    In the UK, the Broadcasting Act 1996 as amended by the Television Broadcasting Regulations 2000 and the Communications Act 2003, requires the independent regulator for the UK communications industry (“Ofcom”) to draw up, and from time to time review, a code giving guidance on certain matters relating to the televising of sports and other events of national interest which have been listed by the UK Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport. The current code is available online at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/broadcast/other-codes/ofcom_code_on_sport.pdf.

  9. 9.

    Article 1, section 1(2) of the Order of the Flemish Government establishing the list of events of major importance to society.

  10. 10.

    Section 5(a) of the Interstate Treaty on Broadcasting of 31 August 1991, last amended by the Twelfth Interstate Treaty for Amending the Interstate Treaties of 18 December 2008, German Federal Law Gazette 27 March 2009.

  11. 11.

    Section 1(2) of the Ordinance on events of substantial social interest, Austrian Federal Law Gazette II No 305/2001.

  12. 12.

    Article 2 of Decision No 8/1999 of 9 March 1999, Italian Official Gazette No 119 of 24 May 1999, as amended by Decision No 172/1999 of 28 July 1999, Italian Official Gazette No 192 of 17 August 1999.

  13. 13.

    Scheuer and Schoenthal 2008, 414.

  14. 14.

    Section 98(2)(b) of the Broadcasting Act 1996.

  15. 15.

    Article 2 of the Order of the Flemish Government establishing the list of events of major importance to society.

  16. 16.

    So, for instance, in the UK, and for the purpose of fulfilling the statutory duty under section 104 of the Broadcasting Act, the Ofcom list is produced after consultation with broadcasters, sports bodies, the holders of sports rights and other interested parties.

  17. 17.

    Article 14(1) of the AVMS Directive.

  18. 18.

    Article 14(2) of the AVMS Directive.

  19. 19.

    See further Case T-33/01 Infront WM AG v Commission of the European Communities [2005] ECR II-5897 and Case C-125/06 P Commission v Infront WM AG [2008] ECR I-1457.

  20. 20.

    National measures taken pursuant to Article 14(1) of the AVMS Directive, verified by the Commission for their compatibility with EU law, and published in the Official Journal of the European Union, in accordance with Article 14(2) of the Directive can be found online at http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/reg/tvwf/implementation/events_list/index_en.htm.

  21. 21.

    Articles 5.1–5.3 of the Media Act of 29 December 2008, State Gazette of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 2008/583 and Articles 18–21 of the Media Decree of 29 December 2008, State Gazette of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 2008-585.

  22. 22.

    On the principle of mutual recognition in broadcasting see further R v Independent Television Commission, ex parte TV Danmark 1 [2001] UKHL 42; [2001] 1 WLR 74 and Valcke et al. 2010, 296.

  23. 23.

    Commission decision of 16 October 2007 on the compatibility with Community law of measures taken by the United Kingdom pursuant to Article 3a(1) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities. [2007] OJ L 295/12; Commission decision of 25 June 2007 on the compatibility with Community law of measures taken by Belgium pursuant to Article 3a(1) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities. [2007] OJ L 180/24.

  24. 24.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011 and Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011.

  25. 25.

    Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011.

  26. 26.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 59; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 64; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 74.

  27. 27.

    UEFA labels these matches as “gala” matches, see Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 95.

  28. 28.

    UEFA labels these matches as “non-gala”, see Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 95.

  29. 29.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 59; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 64; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 116.

  30. 30.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 59; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 76; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, paras 53–54.

  31. 31.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, paras 79–81 and Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, paras 144–148.

  32. 32.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 60.

  33. 33.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 56; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 60; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 52.

  34. 34.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 61 and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 53.

  35. 35.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 72 and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 103.

  36. 36.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 69; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 71; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 103.

  37. 37.

    Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 102.

  38. 38.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 70; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 72; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 103.

  39. 39.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 120; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 102; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 136.

  40. 40.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 123; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, paras 103 and 105; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 127.

  41. 41.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 117; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 99; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, 124.

  42. 42.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 118; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 100; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 125.

  43. 43.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, paras 84–96; Case T-385/07 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, paras 150–158; and Case T-55/08 UEFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, paras 87–107.

  44. 44.

    Note the “pleas in law and main arguments” in the notification of the action brought on 5 February 2008, UEFA v. Commission, Case T-55/08, [2008] OJ C 107/28.

  45. 45.

    See also the “pleas in law and main arguments” in the notification of the action brought on 4 October 2007, FIFA v Commission, Case T-385/07 [2007] OJ C 315/41.

  46. 46.

    See, for instance, Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, para 165.

  47. 47.

    Case T-68/08 FIFA v European Commission 17 February 2011, paras 84–96 General Court, Case T-68/08, para 178.

  48. 48.

    See Craufurd Smith and Bottcher 2002, 126; Weatherill 2004, 136 and Gratton and Solberg 2007, 213.

  49. 49.

    General Court, Case T-68/08, paras 141–145; General Court, Case T-385/07, paras 137–141; General Court, Case T-55/08, paras 178–182.

  50. 50.

    Independent Advisory Panel to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 2009, para 76.

  51. 51.

    See generally Kesenne 2011.

  52. 52.

    See generally Zeffman 2009.

  53. 53.

    Sportsbusiness International 2011a.

  54. 54.

    Sportsbusiness International 2011b. Sky Sports will show every race, qualifying session and practice session live, while the BBC will air half the races live as well as the qualifying and practice sessions from those events.

  55. 55.

    Lewis and Taylor 2003, 325.

  56. 56.

    See generally Scheuer and Strothmann 2004.

  57. 57.

    Case C-283/11 Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Bundeskommunikationssenat lodged on 8 June 2011—Sky Österreich GmbH v Österreichischer Rundfunk [2011] OJ C269/25.

  58. 58.

    Case C-283/11 Sky Österreich GmbH v Österreichischer Rundfunk, Opinion of Advocate General Bot, 12 June 2012.

  59. 59.

    Handyside v the United Kingdom (1976) 1 EHRR 737, para 49; ECHR and Perna v Italy (2004) 39 EHRR 28, para 39.

  60. 60.

    See, for example, Saltzman 2000, 2 and Gratton and Solberg 2007, 208.

  61. 61.

    Barendt 2005, 25–26.

  62. 62.

    See generally Weinstein 2009, 23–62.

  63. 63.

    See further Lefever et al. 2010, 396–407.

  64. 64.

    Case C-325/08 Bernard [2010] ECR I-2177, para 40.

  65. 65.

    Case C-201/11 P Appeal brought on 27 April 2011 by UEFA [2011] OJ C 204/30; Case 204/11 P Appeal brought on 27 April 2011 by FIFA [2011] OJ C 232/12 and Case C-205/11 P Appeal brought on 27 April 2011 by FIFA [2011] OJ C 232/13.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Law, Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and ICT, Leuven, KU, Belgium

    Katrien Lefever

  2. Department of Penal Law and Criminology, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium

    An Vermeersch

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  1. Katrien Lefever
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  2. An Vermeersch
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Correspondence to Katrien Lefever .

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  1. , School of Law, Queen's University Belfast, University Square 27-30, Belfast, BT7 1NN, Antrim, United Kingdom

    Jack Anderson

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Lefever, K., Vermeersch, A. (2013). Cases T-385/07, T-55/08 and T68/08 FIFA and UEFA v Commission . In: Anderson, J. (eds) Leading Cases in Sports Law. ASSER International Sports Law Series. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague, The Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-6704-909-2_16

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