A lawyer involved in the landmark Bosman ruling 18 years ago "asked a court on Thursday to overturn a UEFA attempt to limit the spending of top European soccer clubs in a second challenge to its 'break-even' rule." UEFA "will bring in Financial Fair Play regulations next season." Jean-Louis Dupont, representing Belgian player agent Daniel Striani, "asked a Brussels court to examine the rule and believes it will have to seek the opinion of the European Court of Justice on the matter." Dupont "is arguing that the FFP contravenes EU competition law and the right to free movement of workers, services and capital" (REUTERS, 6/20). ... Brazil's government has revised its calculations about the cost of the work necessary to host the 2014 World Cup. In February, costs were estimated at $12.3M, but according to data released Thursday, costs are now expected to reach $13M. The work, which is progressing in the 12 host cities, ranges from stadium construction to road projects to improve the quality of public transportation (LA AFICION, 6/19). ... UEFA President Michel Platini "has revealed that there is nothing that the football can do about Monaco's spending, until they qualify for competitions in Europe." He said, "For now, Monaco are not in any UEFA competitions, so they are not in our thoughts. When that happens, we’ll talk" (DAILY POST NIGERIA, 6/19). ... A relieved Platini "has heaped praise on Israel" following the European U21 championships that ended with Spain beating Italy 4-2 to retain the title. He said, "The stadiums were wonderful and well organized, the pitches excellent and the atmosphere in the stadiums was great with many families and young children attending. That is exactly the type of tournament that I like to see" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 6/20). ... China's "embarrassing" home defeat to Thailand in a football friendly match over the weekend "has sparked speculation that the Chinese national team deliberately threw the game" (WANT CHINA TIMES, 6/20).
