The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) abused its dominant position in the market for the organization of competitive youth football competitions to exclude Sports Promotion Bodies and limit their activities in the area of amateur football competitions. The Competition and Market Authority sanctioned the Italian Football Federation for a total amount of more than 4 million euros (4,203,447.54 euros). As stated in its notice, "the Authority has in fact ascertained that the FIGC, at least since July 1, 2015, has implemented a complex exclusionary strategy to strengthen its dominant position in the organization of youth soccer competitions of a competitive nature and to extend it also to the market of recreational-amateur activity, in which it operates in competition with the Sports Promotion Bodies (EPS). The abusive strategy was realized first and foremost through the FIGC's failure to enter into the agreements required by the Coni EPS Regulations (2014) for the conduct of competitive activities. This allowed the Federation to preclude EPSs from accessing the market for the organization of competitive events, thus guaranteeing itself a substantial monopoly position. Then, the FIGC has used its regulatory power in an instrumental way, illegitimately considering as competitive the amateur activity carried out by the Sports Promotion Bodies with athletes between 12 and 17 years old. Moreover, it imposed for athletes up to 12 years old (by definition not included in competitive activity) the agreement between the Federation and the EPS and the pre-authorization of the event, thus limiting the freedom of Amateur Sports Associations affiliated with the FIGC and their athletes with dual membership to participate in tournaments organized by the EPS. In this way, the ability of the Sports Promotion Bodies to exert sufficient competitive pressure on the Federation has been reduced, hindering and/or weakening competition in the market for the organization of recreational-amateur events”.
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