The Antitrust has launched an investigation against the Italian Football Federation for alleged abuse of a dominant position in the organization of recreational-amateur competitions in the youth sector.
This was announced by the Authority, recalling that the FIGC is the main operator in the sector thanks to the special and exclusive powers of regulation and coordination in the activity of soccer conferred by CONI. According to the Authority, the Federation "seems to have tried to limit the organization of amateur tournaments by youth sports promotion bodies".
In the first place, the Authority challenges the FIGC with the deed dated 3 March with which a significant number of amateur sports associations (Asd) and related managers, affiliated to the Federation, were referred to the interregional federal prosecutor's office for not having requested the prior authorization to participate in tournaments organized in Campania in the 2021-2022 season by some sports promotion bodies (Eps) .
Furthermore, according to the Antitrust, the FIGC would have included - in the official press releases for the youth and school sector - some provisions that impose the EPS-FIGC agreement (2021-2022 season) and the prior authorization for the organization of youth tournaments amateur (2022-23 season), «which do not seem to find a basis in the Eps Regulation approved by Coni. In particular, the provisions appear to illegitimately limit the organizational freedom of the EPS, who thus have fewer opportunities to program recreational-amateur youth events".
Today, the Authority's officials carried out inspections in the national and Campania offices of the FIGC and the FIGC-School Youth Sector with the help of the special Antitrust Unit of the Guardia di Finanza.
