Portuguese football clubs persuade EU judges their no-poach deal could be justified (update*)
By Nicholas Hirst ( April 30, 2026, 08:21 GMT | Insight) -- Portuguese football clubs have a positive ruling from the EU's top court over whether a Covid-era agreement to restrict player transfers breached antitrust law. Judges said the arrangement could be justified given its goal of stabilizing the sport in the specific context of the pandemic, even though it pursued an "objectively anticompetitive aim." The Portuguese competition authority welcomed the "clear confirmation that so-called 'no-poach' agreements constitute restrictions of competition."Portuguese football clubs have a positive ruling from the EU's top court over whether a Covid-era agreement to restrict player transfers breached antitrust law. ...
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