By Dr. Ilias Bantekas On 9 July 2026, the CJEU delivered its judgment in ROGON GmbH Co and Others v Deutscher Fußhallbund (DFB).[1] The claim was brought by ROGON, a football consultancy firm against the German Football Association (DFB). The dispute concerned the DFB’s Reglement für Spielervermittlung (Regulations Governing the activities of players’ agents, otherwise known as RfSV), which imposed, among others, a registration/licensing obligation for agents; prohibition of sharing transfer fees between agents and players; fee disclosure and bans on multi-party representation.[2] Despite the fact that the RfSV is only addressed to DFB members, it clearly produces an indirect […]
Sports
2 posts
By Brendan M. Ryan Introduction Sport is more than athletic performance. It is a stage for speech, strategy, and social signaling. In Ireland, this expressive dimension is captured in the concept of “craic” – playful, witty, and sometimes provocative speech embedded in social or sporting contexts. In North America, a parallel exists in “trash talk,” exemplified by Ultimate Fighting Champion Conor McGregor. Like fan chants, athlete speech is critical to the emotional architecture of sport. Both forms of expression shape momentum and contribute to the spectacle that defines modern sport. Yet the law often treats these two forms of expression […]