Leicester are to be fined up to £880,000 after “colluding to restrict competition” alongside JD Sports in the sales of club clothing, including replica kit, according to the UK competition watchdog.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said the Sky Bet Championship side and JD Sports have admitted to anti-competitive behaviour, which include “price fixing conduct”.
The parties broke competition law between 2018 and 2021 with arrangements which limited competition in the sale of clothing, the CMA said it has provisionally found.
Leicester and its parent companies have agreed to pay a fine up to the watchdog’s maximum penalty of £880,000.
JD Sports will avoid a fine after reporting the illegal activity.
In August 2018, JD Sports said it would stop selling Leicester-branded clothing online for the 2018-19 season, and in January 2019, JD Sports agreed it would not “undercut” the club in terms of online sales for the following season by applying a delivery charge to all orders, the CMA said.
It said JD Sports continued the agreement to sell all Leicester clothing with the charge until at least January 2021.
Michael Grenfell, executive director of enforcement at the CMA, said: “Strong and unimpeded competition between retailers is essential to consumers’ ability to shop around for the best deals.
“Football fans are well-known for their loyalty towards their teams. In this case we have provisionally found that Leicester City FC and JD Sports colluded to share out markets and fix prices with the result that fans may have ended up paying more than they would otherwise have done.
“Both parties have now admitted their involvement, allowing us to bring the investigation to a swift conclusion.
“The fine that Leicester City FC and its parent companies have agreed to pay sends a clear message to them and other businesses that anti-competitive collusion will not be tolerated.”
In response, Leicester stressed that no current club directors or senior management were involved in the arrangements.
“These arrangements related to a limited number of bulk orders by JD Sports, which were accepted by the club’s retail sales team over the relevant period,” the club added.
“There was no intention on the part of the club to unlawfully restrict the resale of the goods supplied and no material financial advantage to be gained from doing so, given the limited amount of kit supplied to JD Sports.
“However, the club accepts the CMA’s findings and has taken steps to strengthen its training and compliance measures to ensure the club’s retail operations fully comply with competition law.”
JD Sports also highlighted that current or former directors or senior management of JD were involved in the offending conduct and that it signed a leniency agreement with the CMA last month.
The company added: “JD has taken a number of steps to strengthen its competition compliance programme and the board reaffirms its commitment to making the necessary resource available, internal and external, to ensure that this is embedded into its daily operations.”
It comes almost a year after JD Sports, rival Elite Sports and Rangers were handed fines over price fixing on replica kits.
Bournemouth 3-0 Brighton: Unal stars as Cherries continue upward surge
Enes Unal played a crucial role on his full Premier League debut as Bournemouth saw off Brighton 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium.
Having teed up Marcos Senesi’s early opener – the defender’s fourth goal of the season – Unal sent a bullet header into the top-left corner after the break to double Bournemouth’s advantage in Sunday’s south coast derby.
The introduction of Julio Enciso from the bench in the second half saw Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton enjoy more spark in the final third, but the result was put beyond all doubt when Justin Kluivert slammed home late on.
Tenth-placed Bournemouth are now four points clear of Brighton and with Chelsea above them, with their hopes of European football still intact.
The Cherries started brightly, with Unal bursting down the right-hand side before looking to find fellow centre-forward Dominic Solanke, but a goal-saving challenge from Lewis Dunk prevented a certain opener.
Bournemouth kept up the pressure and opened the scoring after just 13 minutes as Senesi pounced in the box from a corner to nod home from just a few yards out after Unal had won the flick-on at the near post.
Brighton grew into it after going behind and had an excellent chance to find an equaliser as Facundo Buonanotte danced through the challenges of the opposition defence inside the box, only to fail to beat Mark Travers.
Andoni Iraola’s side should have made it two after Alex Scott dispossessed Igor Julio before pulling it back to Unal, but the Turkish striker dragged his effort wide from just inside the penalty area.
Just a few minutes after the break, the Cherries could have doubled their lead as Kluivert burst into the box with Antoine Semenyo waiting unmarked at the back post, but the Dutch forward opted to shoot from a tight angle and could only find the side netting.
Their second did arrive in the 52nd minute – Unal marking his first league start in style when he powered in a header after meeting Dango Ouattara’s floated cross to the back post.
Enciso twice went close as Brighton searched for a way back into the contest, striking off target from the edge of the box before sending a stunning attempt just wide.
Kluivert added further gloss to Bournemouth’s victory, however, driving in from the right and lashing in with his left foot to wrap up a comprehensive triumph.
Iraola’s European hopes firmly alive
The Cherries have now extended their unbeaten run at home to six games in the Premier League, with the Vitality Stadium becoming a bit of a fortress in recent months.
Bournemouth, who have now achieved their record points tally in the Premier League (48), are in with an outside chance of qualifying for Europe, with Andoni Iraola’s men moving back into the top half of table, just six points behind Manchester United in sixth.
Unal’s goal and assist might give Iraola something to think about in terms of team selection, too, as the Bournemouth boss looks to finish his maiden season in the competition on a high note, though a late injury for Semenyo, who had to be taken off on a stretcher, will perhaps dampen the mood somewhat.
De Zerbi’s debutants fail to deliver
De Zerbi handed full Premier League debuts to Mark O’Mahony and Odeluga Offiah, making seven changes overall as the Seagulls looked to bounce back from their heavy defeat to Manchester City last time out.
However, those alterations did not have the desired impact, and it is now just two wins from their last 16 Premier League games for the Seagulls, with De Zerbi’s side only beating Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United on the road this season.
Brighton have secured just two points from a possible 21 available in their previous seven fixtures, and a second season in Europe is surely beyond them now.
Everton Women 1-1 Arsenal Women: Hobson breaks WSL record to all but end Gunners' title hopes
Isabella Hobson came on from the bench to score a record-breaking goal as Everton Women drew 1-1 with Arsenal Women in the WSL.
Arsenal had been hoping to move level on points with second-place Chelsea on Sunday, and were on course to do just that when Alessia Russo scored from close range in the 80th minute.
That opener came after a glut of missed chances from the visitors, who were wasteful throughout at Walton Hall Park.
Russo should have put the game to bed in the third minute of stoppage time, only to blaze over with the goal gaping, and the Gunners were subsequently made to pay.
Arsenal failed to clear their lines from a corner, with Hobson able to rise up and plant a brilliant header into the back of the net, with the 16-year-old becoming the youngest-ever WSL goalscorer in the process.
The draw leaves Arsenal in third on 44 points, meaning their title hopes will be ended should Manchester City beat Bristol City later on Sunday.
Data Debrief: History for Hobson
Everton hero Hobson is the team's youngest goalscorer in 14 years, as the Toffees claimed their first WSL point against Arsenal since 2012.
Arsenal have scored in their last 10 games in the WSL, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 18 last season, but the Gunners could not keep things tight at the back and ultimately paid the price.
Luis Enrique insists PSG will 'celebrate' Ligue 1 title, despite wait for confirmation
Luis Enrique insists Paris Saint-Germain are "going to celebrate" winning the Ligue 1 title, despite their third successive domestic crown not quite being mathematically secure.
PSG missed the chance to seal the deal when they were held to a 3-3 draw by relegation-threatened Le Havre, who led 3-1 at one stage at Parc des Princes.
Despite seeing that opportunity go begging, Luis Enrique's side are 12 points clear of second-place Monaco, who have a game in hand, with three matches remaining.
But the Spaniard knows the job is "effectively" done, with his team needing just one more point and boasting a 29-goal advantage over Monaco.
"Today, we have effectively won the league, given the goal difference, so we are certainly champions - even if we don't get any more points," he told reporters at his post-match press conference. "We have a 29-goal advantage, and we are going to celebrate the title.
"It was a strange game in a footballing sense, because our opponents did so little in attack, yet they scored three goals. I don't think I have ever seen anything like that in my career as a coach.
"They are well drilled and defended well, I must admit, so I congratulate them on that. We deserved to win it from the beginning, but that is football.
"Our fans are incredible. We were losing 1-0, 3-1, and they kept supporting us. It is impossible for the players to stop fighting. We managed to draw later on and effectively win the league thanks to the supporters, and their positive attitude."
With the Trophee des Champions already in the bag, PSG are on course to win four trophies this season with Borussia Dortmund awaiting in the Champions League semi-finals, and a Coupe de France final against Lyon to look forward to.
Luis Enrique insists his players' main focus is on delivering that elusive Champions League crown, having narrowly missed out on the title four years ago following a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the final.
"We have won two of the four trophies already, and we are going to try and reach the Champions League final now," he added. "That is the goal, and that is what we are going to put all our commitment and effort into.
"I think the team is in the best form of the season, without any doubt."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
