Ernest North’s Post

French TOP14 side Toulon have been fined €500,000 for failing to disclose the transfer fee paid to Northampton for Dan Biggar when he was signed in November 2022. Although the club has not breached the TOP14 salary cap, it has been found to have breached the reporting obligations related to the cap. Toulon have indicated that they will appeal and, without knowing the underlying facts, you would imagine that reducing the size of the fine will be the club’s primary objective. Given that the fine exceeds the value of the transfer fee apparently not disclosed, it might well be challenged on grounds of proportionality (although the nature of the failure to disclose will of course be relevant to any sanction).

more-proof-that-scottish-football-is-a-joke! Do we need any more proof that Scottish football is a joke - well, it's always good to know just how bad it is. Today, on the Radio we had Derek Adams (RossCountyMgr) criticized again for telling us Scottish football was terrible. Yet another so-called expert came up with the well-thought-out conclusion that Derek's comments were "rubbish" - given the comment was months ago it's clearly hurting. Yes, no back up to this statement but another repeat of "rubbish" should work - well, after all, they are experts. But, after some discussion by these highly skilled Scottish football commentators they actually came to the conclusion that Scottish football is indeed, VERY POOR! So, Mr Adams is correct but hammered for his candour - This is just so Scottish Football. Thereafter, we were assured it was the "DRAMA" of Scottish football that made it exciting. Therefore, poor football but with drama is acceptable. Is this the drama of many alleged dodgy referees; sectarian "banter"; overpaid players; terrible recruitment; grounds largely with no atmosphere; too many tiny clubs; favoritism towards Glasgow clubs by officials; poor quality football?? Just ask Chairmen, Directors, Captains, Managers, Coaches, Players, Fans & they'll tell you exactly what it's like. Crikey, even the Ross County Chairman said Adams had a point! Scottish football is a non-event and is quite frequently about as ugly as football gets. All IMHO allegedly. https://lnkd.in/eziK56Ax

There's an increasingly large dividing line between who should represent Europe's professional football clubs in matters with UEFA, FIFA, other football stakeholders as well as the European Union and European Commission. Since 2008 that body has been the European Club Association (ECA), which now claims (or is at least targeting) 500 members. Until recently it has done so without challenge, but earlier this year a rival body, Union of European Clubs (UEC), was established. It has around 120 members. Only around a third of ECA members have full voting rights at its general assembly, whereas UEC says that all of Europe's 1500 professional clubs should have a say on matters that effect them, and so it was founded on a one member-one vote platform. This stuff really matters, because a club representative body is at the head of the negotiating table when it comes to how the billions of UEFA and FIFA competition revenues are split. This week the battle for hearts and minds in European club football spilled over. Katarina Pijetlovic, UEC General Secretary, told Off The Pitch that ECA was an undemocratic “plutocracy” that maintains “the sporting and market supremacy of its elite members” in order to “safeguard their private commercial interests.” The UEC is publishing a document later this week, which outlines the historical biases and conflicts of interest that it accuses ECA of perpetuating. ECA hit back, describing the UEC as “increasingly extremist individuals”, and claiming that the new organisation is “focused on destabilising not just ECA but also UEFA and the entire governance framework of European Club Football.” Who is right?

Glad to have the 4 points back, but this remains a desperately unfair outcome. Kudos to the team representing Everton Football Club for carving out two errors of law in the approach by the original Commission (no breach of Rule B.15, as Everton FC acted in good faith & the Commission failed to take into account available benchmarks when assessing sanctions), it is always difficult on appeal - but this entire process was flawed and the rules are not fit for purpose (they've already changed). The Premier League punished Everton for daring to build a new stadium and regenerate the Docks on the Mersey: the Appeal Board had to dismiss the appeal on the stadium interest payments - so that was taken into account as expenditure - despite there being zero sporting advantage - & there is no mitigation allowed in light of the sanctions imposed on Russian interests which led to Everton losing out on a lucrative naming rights contract with significant allowable revenue. Perhaps we should just stop watching the football and wait for the lawyers to decide which team gets what points... fat chance of that, I will be at Goodison on Saturday. #everton #premierleague

We're currently discussing this matter on a different platform, and I believe it's important to continue the conversation here as stakeholders in African football. We want to understand why CAF officials made the decision they did during the recent Match on Sunday, Enyimba FC vs Al- Ahly Benghazi Just to give some context: on Sunday, Enyimba's coach, Finidi George, and his assistant Yemi Olanrewaju were reportedly not allowed on the bench by CAF officials because they have UEFA budges instead of the CAF. This is unusual to us because many coaches in Africa have top-level UEFA and FA licenses, and they're actively coaching teams here. This is especially true for those who studied or played abroad and then came back to contribute and share their expertise. Interestingly, there are also International coaches leading teams in important African leagues who don't have CAF licenses but do have UEFA or FA Badges from their home countries. So, the main question is whether the rule about needing CAF licenses as a coach to be allowed on the bench is only for African coaches, regardless of whether they studied abroad and have UEFA/FA Licences, Is this a new rule by CAF for all coaches, African and International, who currently or want to work in African football? Or was this an isolated incident that needs an investigation into why CAF officials made this alleged decision? It's important to note that CAF courses might not be easily available everywhere on the continent. Considering this, it would be good to know and find a clear understanding of the situation and possibly have a clear path if this is indeed a new rule that has been implemented and as Stakeholders, we need to be aware off.

📢 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 ⚽ The historic Football Governance Bill was introduced in Parliament on Tuesday 19 March 2024, the beginning of the process before it is made law. The legislation is part of the UK Government's plans to establish an Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and will grant powers to an IFR to oversee the top 5 divisions of men's football in England. The calls for an IFR gathered momentum after the demise of Bury FC in 2019 and in response to the short-lived proposal in 2021 of a European Super League. The main objectives stated in section 6 of the Bill are to: (i) protect and promote the financial soundness of regulated clubs; (ii) protect and promote the systemic financial resilience of English football; and (iii) safeguard the heritage of English football. The announcement by Parliament on Tuesday was timely – it was just a day after the English Premier League announced an immediate 4-point penalty against Nottingham Forest Football Club for breaching profit and sustainability rules. This scenario has become all too familiar in recent years, particularly this season. It remains to be seen how an IFR would operate in practice, what the scope of its jurisdiction ultimately is and just how effective it would be. Follow the link below to track its progress through Parliament and access a PDF copy of the Bill (health warning: it is 130 pages long!) 📖⬇ Ward Hadaway Philip Edmondson #football #epl #englishpremierleague #efl #englishfootballleague #footballlaw #sportslaw #footballgovernancebill #independentfootballregulator #IFR https://lnkd.in/eHzfygHh

This weeks publication of finances in European football shows not only the gulf in football across the tiers within the U.K. but also in Europe. England has almost double the revenue of its nearest competitor but when you see that money in Italy, Germany and Spain is shared across literally a handful of clubs it goes to show that the spread of wealth in the EPL is actually fairer than one would believe with a considerable number of EPL teams in the good twenty clubs. The difference in revenue from gate receipts vs commercial means is also startling and now is the time to address continued rising ticket prices within the U.K.

For everyone who wasn’t at the script page-turn meeting, this is the template that all of the England sponsors, and all of the players’ agents have signed off on (see previous tournaments): 1) Rubbish in the qualifying round - scrape through, somehow, at the top of a mediocre group. 2) Rubbish in first knockout game but somehow beat the rank outsiders they’re playing after extra time. 3) Brilliant in the next game - a flair performance showcasing at least one exciting young breakthrough player. A comfortable win. (Note: preparing for millions of people who watch football once every two years telling everyone “it’s coming home!”) 4) Lose on penalties in the semi-final that they deserved to win following a second half in which a referee openly trolls every English viewer (not least by being French or something like that - tba). However, all bets are off (geddit?) if there is a change of government on Friday morning. As Harold Wilson pointed out, England have only ever won a major tournament under a Labour government and Sir Keir may be able to retain the services of the genie who has been busy since the moment the PM confided the election date to his most trusted advisers. Remember where you heard it first.

Update from Spain 🇪🇸 📍Recent developments in Spain have added another layer of complexity for football agents and their clients around the world regarding the new FIFA Football Agent Regulations (FFAR) The Commercial Court in Madrid has issued an interim injunction instructing FIFA and the Spanish national association to temporarily suspend the enforcement of the service fee limits specified in the FFAR and Spanish national regulations. ✍️ 📍This temporary injunction in Spain, pending the resolution of the legal challenge within the country, highlights the ongoing discussions surrounding the FFAR and National Football Agents Regulations (NFAR). However, there is still no any step from the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) even the new FFAR has fully become in force on 1 October 2023. 📍In addition, Spain, along with Germany, has chosen not to apply the servicr fee limits while the European Court of Justice (ECJ) reference is still being considered. This underscores the pressing need for a unified European solution to the FFAR dispute. This situation causing confusion for both agents and their clients worldwide. 🗺️ 📍Also, as practicing in Turkiye we also waiting development from the TFF side about the new national football agent regulation. 🇹🇷 #FFAR #sportslaw #sporhukuku #menajerlik #FIFA

Whose interests really matter in European football? 🤔 There's a tempest brewing between two football club unions, and it's casting revealing light on the future of European club football. Katarina Pijetlovic of the Union of European Clubs (UEC) takes a stance, calling out the European Club Association (ECA) for, in her words, safeguarding interests of the elite. Meanwhile, the ECA retorts, questioning UEC's mission and credibility. 🔥 Highlights: - Accusations of a "plutocracy" by UEC against ECA. - ECA claims UEC harbors "increasingly extremist individuals" and may destabilize European football governance. - A thought-provoking UEC document is on the horizon, diving deep into biases and potential conflicts of interest. 📣 Engage with the discussion: Considering the ever-evolving landscape of European football and the interests of both small and elite clubs, whose voice do you believe is truly representative of the sport's future? Let's discuss! 📖 Discover more: Curious about the fiery claims and counter-claims in this explosive debate? 👇 #SportsBusiness #Football #SportsBiz #Finance #People #Data #Intelligence #Investment