The URBSFA’s decision not to grant Excelsior Virton a professional licence appears prima facie to be incompatible with Belgian competition law

On 20 November 2020, the Belgian Competition Authority (Authority) decided, in a dispute between the Royal Belgian Football Association (URBSFA) and the professional football club Excelsior Virton (Virton), that the URBSFA’s decision not to grant Virton the necessary licence to compete in professional football appeared prima facie to be incompatible with competition law. As a result, the Authority imposed interim measures against the URBSFA.

The litigation began on 8 April 2020 when the URBSFA’s Licensing Committee refused to grant a professional licence to Virton, which prevented the club from competing in the Belgian first and second divisions during the 2020-2021 football season. On 10 May 2020, this decision was upheld by the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport (BAS).

In short, both the URBSFA and the BAS considered that...

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The URBSFA’s decision not to grant Excelsior Virton a professional licence appears prima facie to be incompatible with Belgian competition law

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