Man City’s hopes that UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules are scuppered "will hinge on a court case" beginning in Belgium that could have widespread repercussions for European football, according to James Ducker of the LONDON TIMES. Jean-Louis Dupont, one of the lawyers who secured the landmark Bosman ruling, "will lead a legal challenge to the controversial FFP regulations that has been brought by Daniel Striani, a football agent," and supporters of Man City and Ligue 1 side Paris St. Germain. The case "is expected to be heard over two days at the Court of First Instance in Brussels, at which Dupont will argue that FFP infringes European Union competition law and the right to free movement of workers, services and capital and, as such, should be declared illegal." UEFA will have its own team of lawyers "present to defend FFP" (LONDON TIMES, 2/26). In London, Ian Herbert wrote UEFA insists that "it has support for FFP from the European Commission, which in October decided not to investigate Striani’s case further." Legal opinion suggests that "it may be more than a year before the case is resolved" (INDEPENDENT, 2/25).
IN THE CLEAR?: The PA reported Liverpool is "expected to be cleared of any financial fair play breaches on Friday" but Hull will be handed a small fine by UEFA. Liverpool is one of several clubs "who were absent from European competition last season who have been under investigation by the Club Financial Control Body." The CFCB "is expected to announce that investigations into Liverpool have ended without any sanctions to be brought against the club." Hull, who played in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League, has "agreed to settle for a small fine for FFP breaches" (PA, 2/26).
