Bosman ruling - Reflexions

Bosman ruling

The Bosman ruling was a dispute between the Belgian footballer Jean-Marc Bosman and his club, FC Liège, which required payment of a fee for his transfer to a French club once his contract had come to an end. The player brought the case before the court in Liège which referred the question to the Court of Justice of the European Union on the possibility for a club to claim a transfer fee for a player at the end of contract and the existence of quotas setting a maximum of three foreign players per club (which Mr Bosman argued was contrary to the free movement of workers between the Member States of the European Union pursuant to the Treaty of Rome). The Court ruled in favour of Jean-Marc Bosman by holding that the professional sport is an economic activity that cannot be hindered by the rules governing the transfer of players or limiting the number of players who are nationals of the European Union.