Press Release: FIFPro legal action against FIFA transfer system

FIFPro, the world's union for footballers, lodged a complaint with the Competition DG of the European Commission on 18 September 2015 against FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP). The union considered these rules 'as being anti-competitive, unjustified and illegal'.

The statement called for the transfer system to be 'abolished'. If such a complaint was successful, it could have deep implications in football business by driving down the price of players.

ESO: Background information: Vestager opens soccer ‘slavery’ probe http://www.europeansources.info/record/vestager-opens-soccer-slavery-probe/

EurActiv, 18.09.15: Footballers ask Commission to abolish transfer system http://www.euractiv.com/sections/social-europe-jobs/footballers-ask-commission-abolish-transfer-system-317774

Politico, 20.09.15: Soccer’s union goes for goal http://www.politico.eu/article/soccers-union-goes-for-goal/

FIFA: Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), 2015 http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/administration/02/55/56/41/regulationsonthestatusandtransferofplayersapril2015e_neutral.pdf

ECA: ECA Study on the Transfer System in Europe, 2014 http://www.ecaeurope.com/Research/Study%20on%20the%20Transfer%20System%20in%20Europe/ECA%20Study%20on%20Transfer%20System%20in%20Europe_WEB%20version.pdf

Website: European Club Association http://www.ecaeurope.com/

Wikipedia: Bosman ruling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosman_ruling

The Wall Street Journal, 02.07.14: Bosman Still Struggling With Ruling That Rewards Soccer's Free Agents http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-jean-marc-bosman-ruling-benefited-soccers-free-agents-but-the-man-himself-is-still-struggling-1404327335

BBC News, 14.10.05: 10 years since Bosman http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4528732.stm

---