Case C‑224/23 P

Penya Barça Lyon: Plus que des supporters (PBL)
and
Issam Abdelmouine

v

European Commission

Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 5 September 2024

(Appeal – State aid – Complaint concerning State aid that enabled a football club to hire a player previously employed by another club – Complaint lodged by one of the socios of the latter club, set up as a not-for-profit association – European Commission decision finding that no ‘interested party’ entitled to lodge a complaint is present – Regulation (EU) 2015/1589 – Article 1(h) – Notions of ‘interested party’ and ‘person whose interests might be affected by the granting of aid’)

  1. Appeal – Grounds – Incorrect assessment of the facts and evidence – Inadmissibility – Review by the Court of Justice of the assessment of the facts and evidence – Possible only where the facts or evidence have been distorted – Requirement that the distortion be obvious from the documents in the file

    (Art. 256(1) TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.)

    (see paragraphs 28-31, 66, 67, 86, 87)

  2. Aid granted by a Member State – Examination by the Commission – Administrative procedure – Party concerned within the meaning of Article 108(2) TFEU – Aid to a football club – Natural person who is a member of that football club as well as a supporters association of that club – Need for that person to demonstrate the specific impact of the aid on his or her situation

    (Art. 108(2) TFEU; Council Regulation 2015/1589, Art. 1(h))

    (see paragraphs 53-63)

  3. Appeal – Grounds – Incorrect assessment of the facts and evidence – Inadmissibility – Review by the Court of Justice of the assessment of the facts and evidence – Possible only where the facts or evidence have been distorted – Review by the Court of the legal classification given to the facts of the dispute – Whether permissible

    (Art. 256(1) TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.)

    (see paragraphs 68-72)

  4. Appeal – Grounds – Error of law relied on not identified – Ground lacking precision – Inadmissibility

    (Art. 256(1), second subpara., TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.; Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice, Art. 168(1)(d))

    (see paragraphs 91-97)

See the text of the decision.