CJEU, Case C-680/21, 21 December 2023, Royal Antwerp Football Club

Date of the decision: 2023-12-21

In a judgment handed down on 21 December 2023, the same day as the famous European Super League judgment, the Court of Justice of the European Union decided that the rules of UEFA and the Belgian Football Federation (URBSFA), which require a minimum number of "local players" to be included in a team, are contrary to competition rules and the free movement of workers.

Context

In 2005, UEFA adopted rules stipulating that professional football clubs participating in its international interclub football competitions must include a maximum number of 25 players on the match sheet, of whom a minimum of eight must be "home-grown players", defined as players who, regardless of their nationality, have been trained by their club or by a club affiliated to the same national football association for at least three years. Out of eight players, at least four must have been trained by the club which lists them. In 2011, the URBSFA introduced into its regulations rules relating to "home-grown players", defined as players who, regardless of their nationality, have been trained for at least three years by a Belgian club.

A professional player (Lior Refaelov) and a Belgian club (Royal Antwerp) are contesting those rules before a Belgian court. That Court decided to refer questions...

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