The book is an introduction to sports law, in particular International
(worldwide) and European (EU) sports law. The chapters are all put in
the perspective of the innovative sports law doctrine that is developed
and presented in the opening chapter on what sports law is. After a
general coverage of the core concept of "sport specificity" (that is
whether private sporting rules and regulations can be justified
notwithstanding they are not in conformity with public law), the book
covers the following specific main themes of International and European
Sports Law (capita selecta): comparative sports law; competition law and
sport; the collective selling of TV rights; sports betting; Social
Dialogue in sport; sport and nationality; professional football transfer
rules; anti-doping law in sport; transnational football hooliganism in
Europe; international sports boycotts. In this book association football
("soccer") is the sport that is by far most on the agenda. It is the
largest sport in the world and most popular all over the globe. The
elite football in Europe is a day-to-day commercialized and
professionalized industry, which makes it a perfect subject of study
from an EU Law perspective.