This book is an introduction to sports law, in particular international (worldwide) and European sports law. After addressing the core concept of "sport specificity" (that is whether private sporting rules and regulations can be justified notwithstanding they are not in conformity with public law), the author dwells on specific themes (capita selecta): the character of sports law, the specificity of sporting rules and regulations, comparative sports law, competition law and sport, the collective selling of TV rights, sports betting, social dialogue in sport, sport and nationality, professional football transfers; anti-doping law in sport, transnational football hooliganism in Europe, and international sports boycotts.

In this book association football ("soccer") is the sport that is by far most on the agenda. It is the largest and most popular sport all over the globe. The elite football in Europe is a commercialized and professionalized industry, which makes it a perfect subject of study from an EU Law perspective.

This book is essential reading for sports lawyers, academics, students and researchers and in general for all those with an interest in sport and the continually evolving interface and interaction that exists between sport and the law, as well as the different ways in which they influence one another.

Prof. Dr. Robert Siekmann is Director of the ASSER International Sports Law Centre, The Hague and Professor of International and European Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The book appears in the ASSER International Sports Law Series, under the editorship of Prof. Dr. Robert Siekmann, Dr. Janwillem Soek and Marco van der Harst LL.M.

Zusammenfassung
The book is an introduction to sports law, in particular International (worldwide) and European (EU) sports law. The chapters are all put in the perspective of the innovative sports law doctrine that is developed and presented in the opening chapter on what sports law is. After a general coverage of the core concept of sport specificity (that is whether private sporting rules and regulations can be justified notwithstanding they are not in conformity with public law), the book covers the following specific main themes of International and European Sports Law (capita selecta): comparative sports law; competition law and sport; the collective selling of TV rights; sports betting; Social Dialogue in sport; sport and nationality; professional football transfer rules; anti-doping law in sport; transnational football hooliganism in Europe; international sports boycotts. In this book association football (soccer) is the sport that is by far most on the agenda. It is the largest sport in the world and most popular all over the globe. The elite football in Europe is a day-to-day commercialized and professionalized industry, which makes it a perfect subject of study from an EU Law perspective.

Inhalt
What is Sports Law? Lex Sportiva and Lex Ludica: A Reassessment of Content and Terminology.- Towards a Typology of (International) Comparative Sports Law (Research).- The Specificity of Sport: Sporting Exceptions in EU Law.- EU Competition Law and Professional Sport: the Collective Selling of TV Rights in Europe and the Dutch Equestrian Case - How The Meca Medina 'Test' for Organisational Sporting Rules Is Applied.- Sports Betting in the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice: a Study into the Application of the Stare Decisis Principle, or: the Application of the 'Reversal Method' of Content Analysis and The Essence of the ECJ Case Law on Sports Betting.- History / Football Politics / Social Dialogue in Sport: Study into the Possible Participation of EPFL and G-14 in a Social Dialogue in the European Professional Football Sector.- Sport and Nationality: Accelerated Naturalisation for National Representative Purposes and Discrimination Issues in Individual and Team Competitions under EU Law.- International Professional Football Law: Webster, Matuzalem and De Sanctis - the CAS Transfer 'Buy-Out' Rulings.- Anti-Doping Law in Sport: the Hybrid Character of WADA and the Human Rights of Athletes in Doping Cases (Proportionality Principle).- Legal Aspects of Combating Transnational Football Hooliganism in Europe.- International Sports Boycotts: Sport, Law and Politics.