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Article: Foul! (European Court in Luxembourg rules that soccer teams cannot require a transfer fee once a player's contract has expired and that the number of foreign players cannot be limited)(Business)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 23, 1995
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IF ANYBODY ever doubted that soccer was really just another normal industry with companies, workers and customers, Carl Otto Lenz has tackled them from behind. On September 20th Mr Lenz, an official of the European Court in Luxembourg, said that it is a breach of the Treaty of Rome for teams to ask to be paid a transfer fee before allowing a player to move to another club once his contract has expired. Also illegal is a rule limiting the number of foreign players in any side to three. Sports with similar rules, such as basketball, volleyball and rugby league, will also be affected. This being a game of two halves, the proposed ruling could yet be overturned by the full court ...