Urbsfa (Asbl) V Bosman [1995]

The ECJ was required to give a preliminary ruling on a reference under the Treaty of Rome 1957 Art.177 by the Belgian Court of Appeal, after B, a Belgian footballer, sought an order restraining his club and the Belgian football association (URBSFA) from preventing his transfer to another club in France.

The question was whether Art.48 of the Treaty precluded the application of rules governing the transfer system by football associations by which, on the expiry of a professional footballer's contract, his employment by a new club in another Member State was subject to payment of a sum of money and, also, whether rules restricting…