The Antitrust Office imposes a fine of EUR 4.03 million on the Italian Football Federation.

On Monday, the Antitrust Office announced that a fine of over EUR 4.03 million had been imposed on the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for abusing its dominant market position. This penalty was imposed due to the federation’s exclusion of other sports promotion organizations from organizing amateur youth football competitions.

In response to the antitrust ruling, the Italian Football Federation has announced its intention to appeal the decision to the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio. The federation issued a statement in which it considered the penalty to be unjustified, unsupported by the facts of the case and legal precedent.

“FIGC considers the penalty unjustified, based on flawed documented arguments and legal reasoning,” the statement read. The federation compared its situation to that of equestrian sports federations that faced similar sanctions in previous proceedings. Those sanctions were subsequently annulled by the Council of State, an administrative court.

The situation highlights the ongoing tensions between major sports federations, such as the Italian Football Federation, and regulators over market practices and antitrust rules.

For example, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by FIFA and the United States Soccer Federation, effectively allowing a lawsuit challenging the organizations’ control over professional soccer matches in the United States to proceed. The lawsuit, filed by Relevent Sports Group, a soccer promotion company owned by billionaire Stephen Ross, accuses soccer’s governing bodies of violating antitrust laws by blocking foreign teams from playing official matches in the United States.

Related: US soccer monopoly challenged: Supreme Court agrees

Source: ANSA