UEFA Financial Fairplay Regulations and European Union Antitrust Law Complications

Financial struggles among European football clubs were far too common in the last decade. Mismanagement and overspending in the Rangers FC forced the club to go into administration and ultimately liquidate in 2012. The Rangers consistently spent more on players than the club\u27s payroll could afford. The Union of European Football Associations observed the problem and approved Financial Fair Play Regulations (FFP) to fix these financial issues. FFP intends to introduce rationality and stabilize the financial environment of European club football. The structure of FFP makes the regulation illegal under the European Union\u27s competition law. The predicted effect of FFP on the player market and competition between teams clearly violates EU competition law. Valerie Kaplan explores the manners in which FFP violates EU competition law, and offers a way for UEFA to achieve the objectives of FFP without further violations