Latest news with #Relevent
New York Times
10-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Relevent Sports, U.S. Soccer settle antitrust lawsuit, ending years-long legal battle
Relevent Sports has settled its antitrust lawsuit with the U.S. Soccer Federation, likely clearing the way for the sports promoter to host foreign league matches on American soil. Attorneys for the sports promoter on Wednesday filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to dismiss the suit against U.S. Soccer 'with prejudice,' meaning Relevent Sports gives up its right to refile the same claim or lawsuit against the federation in the future. Advertisement 'We appreciate U.S. Soccer's collaboration in reaching this settlement,' Relevent CEO Danny Sillman said in a statement Thursday. 'Ultimately, we all share the same goal: growing the sport throughout America. We're excited to continue supporting clubs from Europe and around the world to expand the sport's reach and impact across the U.S.' An attorney for Relevent Sports did not elaborate on any specifics of the agreement. Last year, Relevant also reached a separate agreement with FIFA, world soccer's governing body, to drop it as a co-defendant in the matter. The settlement puts an end to a years-long legal fight between the New York-based sports promoter and U.S. Soccer. Relevent, co-founded and owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross, first filed its lawsuit against the federation in 2019. Their suit alleged, in part, that the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) conspired with FIFA to keep Relevent from competing against Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the marketing arm of Major League Soccer with deep financial ties to USSF. Relevent competes with SUM in promoting similar events. A USSF spokesperson said in a statement Thursday: 'We are pleased to put this matter behind us as we remain focused on growing the game and harnessing the momentum of U.S. Soccer ahead of next year's World Cup.' The legal dispute dates to 2018, when Relevent first tried to organize a regular-season La Liga match in the United States. It would have been a historic first for international club soccer, as regular-season matches in the sport are only ever played within the borders of a league's home country. In American professional sports, though, it's far more common for domestic leagues, like the NFL, to host regular-season games in other countries. In August 2018, Relevent said it would host a regular-season La Liga match between Barcelona and Girona in Miami. But, in October, global soccer's governing body, FIFA, announced a policy barring domestic leagues from playing their regular-season games outside of their home territories. Barcelona then withdrew from its commitment. Advertisement Then, in March 2019, Relevent tried again by submitting an application to USSF, which is a member of FIFA, to sanction an official league match between two Ecuadorian teams in the United States. However, USSF denied the sanction, citing FIFA policy. By September, Relevent sued USSF on antitrust grounds. Attorneys added FIFA as a co-defendant the following year. The dispute crawled through the courts, and through the pandemic, even reaching the Supreme Court in April 2024. It seemed likely, though, that the lawsuit could be settled, especially after a FIFA attorney told a federal judge last year that the governing body was considering changing its rules that would allow domestic league matches to be played abroad. This revelation came weeks after Relevent and FIFA reached their own settlement to drop FIFA as a co-defendant. The terms of their settlement were never disclosed. However, not long after that milestone, FIFA approved a working group that would look into rule changes, signaling it was reconsidering its long-held stance on the matter. In the months since, foreign leagues have once again begun showing their interest in hosting official matches in the United States, including La Liga.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Relevent settle anti-trust lawsuit with US Soccer
Reece James lifts the Summer Series trophy after after Chelsea beat Premier League rivals Fulham in Landover, Maryland, in 2023 (Patrick Smith) Relevent sports, the marketing company with growing influence in global soccer, has settled its antitrust legal case with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) increasing the chances of foreign league games being held in the USA. Advertisement The company has been battling soccer authorities for several years for the right to bring foreign competitions such as Spain's La Liga, to the US market. A filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday noted: "Plaintiff Relevent Sports, LLC voluntarily dismisses the above-captioned matter, with prejudice, as to Defendant United States Soccer Federation, Inc." Relevent CEO Danny Sillman said in a statement: "We appreciate U.S. Soccer's collaboration in reaching this settlement. Ultimately, we all share the same goal: growing the sport throughout America. "We're excited to continue supporting clubs from Europe and around the world to expand the sport's reach and impact across the U.S." Advertisement A spokesperson for US Soccer said: "We are pleased to put this matter behind us as we remain focused on growing the game and harnessing the momentum of U.S. Soccer ahead of next year's World Cup." Relevent reached a settlement last April with global governing body FIFA who were originally co-defendants in the case. The New York based company, which is controlled by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, had been trying to bring foreign league games, including those from Spain's La Liga, to US soil. FIFA's rules had barred domestic leagues from playing competitive games outside of their own national borders but after the settling of the case, FIFA said it was setting up a 'working group' to examine its policy. Advertisement In October, FIFA said that the group would issue its recommendations in the "coming months'. Relevent recently won the media and sponsorship rights to UEFA's premier product - the Champions League and their other men's club competitions. The company has a long term deal to represent Spain's La Liga in North America and had tried to bring a Barcelona league game to Miami. Relevent also has a marketing deal with the English Football League (EFL) and with the Premier League for their 'Summer Series' games. sev/pb
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Relevent, US Soccer settlement clears way for European league games in US
Relevent is responsible for the Premier League's Summer Series in the USA. Photograph: Scott Taetsch/The long-running legal saga between the US Soccer Federation and US-based sports event promoter Relevent Sports is at its end, after Relevent filed on 9 April to dismiss the case from federal court, where it had been argued since 2019. Advertisement The case represented the last remaining legal hurdle to allowing worldwide domestic soccer leagues to play regular-season games within the United States, and its dismissal with prejudice means the path is now cleared for those games to take place should the leagues, clubs and fans allow it. Related: Fifa has used US soccer as a cash cow – and gives very little back | Leander Schaerlaeckens The two sides had been in discussions to dismiss the case since Relevent agreed to a settlement without prejudice with Fifa, who were at one point co-defendants in the suit that alleged antitrust violations. Relevent's contention, broadly, was that US Soccer's refusal to sanction foreign domestic league games in the United States, and Fifa's policy barring domestic league games from taking place outside their home territory, amounted to violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The terms of the settlement between US Soccer and Relevent are not yet known. Advertisement 'We are pleased to put this matter behind us as we remain focused on growing the game and harnessing the momentum of US Soccer ahead of next year's World Cup,' US Soccer said in a statement to the Guardian. A relevent spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment, but CEO Danny Stillman told ESPN in a statement that 'we appreciate US Soccer's collaboration in reaching this settlement. Ultimately, we all share the same goal: growing the sport throughout America. We're excited to continue supporting clubs from Europe and around the world to expand the sport's reach and impact across the US.' Relevent's suit against Fifa and US Soccer has its roots in a 2018 attempt by the promoter to hold a La Liga game, Barcelona v Girona, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which like Relevent is owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. When Fifa announced its policy barring domestic leagues from holding games abroad later that year, Barcelona withdrew from its commitment. Relevent later attempted to hold an Ecuadorian league game in the US, and when US Soccer denied sanctioning for the match due to Fifa policy, Relevent filed suit against US Soccer and later added Fifa as a defendant. The suit was initially dimissed in July 2021 before being revived on appeal in 2023. Relevent and Fifa agreed to drop the worldwide governing body from the suit a year ago. A month later, Fifa announced a 'working group' intended to issue recommendations regarding the organization's international match policy. Uefa announced earlier this year that it had tapped Relevent to be its worldwide commercial sales partner until 2033, making it responsible for the media rights and other business aspects of the Champions League and other Uefa club competitions. Relevent also holds long-term commercial rights deals with the German Bundesliga and EFL (both signed in 2024) and Spain's La Liga (signed in 2018). The company is also responsible for organizing and promoting the Premier League's Summer Series that brings teams to the USA in the offseason for friendlies.
The Guardian
10-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Relevent, US Soccer settlement clears way for European league games in US
The long-running legal saga between the US Soccer Federation and US-based sports event promoter Relevent Sports is at its end, after Relevent filed on 9 April to dismiss the case from federal court, where it had been argued since 2019. The case represented the last remaining legal hurdle to allowing worldwide domestic soccer leagues to play regular-season games within the United States, and its dismissal with prejudice means the path is now cleared for those games to take place should the leagues, clubs and fans allow it. The two sides had been in discussions to dismiss the case since Relevent agreed to a settlement without prejudice with Fifa, who were at one point co-defendants in the suit that alleged antitrust violations. Relevent's contention, broadly, was that US Soccer's refusal to sanction foreign domestic league games in the United States, and Fifa's policy barring domestic league games from taking place outside their home territory, amounted to violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The terms of the settlement between US Soccer and Relevent are not yet known. 'We are pleased to put this matter behind us as we remain focused on growing the game and harnessing the momentum of US Soccer ahead of next year's World Cup,' US Soccer said in a statement to the Guardian. A relevent spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment, but CEO Danny Stillman told ESPN in a statement that 'we appreciate US Soccer's collaboration in reaching this settlement. Ultimately, we all share the same goal: growing the sport throughout America. We're excited to continue supporting clubs from Europe and around the world to expand the sport's reach and impact across the US.' Relevent's suit against Fifa and US Soccer has its roots in a 2018 attempt by the promoter to hold a La Liga game, Barcelona v Girona, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which like Relevent is owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. When Fifa announced its policy barring domestic leagues from holding games abroad later that year, Barcelona withdrew from its commitment. Relevent later attempted to hold an Ecuadorian league game in the US, and when US Soccer denied sanctioning for the match due to Fifa policy, Relevent filed suit against US Soccer and later added Fifa as a defendant. The suit was initially dimissed in July 2021 before being revived on appeal in 2023. Relevent and Fifa agreed to drop the worldwide governing body from the suit a year ago. A month later, Fifa announced a 'working group' intended to issue recommendations regarding the organization's international match policy. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion Uefa announced earlier this year that it had tapped Relevent to be its worldwide commercial sales partner until 2033, making it responsible for the media rights and other business aspects of the Champions League and other Uefa club competitions. Relevent also holds long-term commercial rights deals with the German Bundesliga and EFL (both signed in 2024) and Spain's La Liga (signed in 2018). The company is also responsible for organizing and promoting the Premier League's Summer Series that brings teams to the USA in the offseason for friendlies.
Reuters
09-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US Soccer settles sports promoter Relevent's antitrust lawsuit
April 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Soccer Federation has settled an antitrust lawsuit by a soccer events promoter that accused it of illegally banning foreign clubs and leagues from holding official matches in the United States. The settlement with Relevent Sports was disclosed in a Wednesday filing with the U.S. district court in Manhattan. The filing did not reveal terms of the accord. here. U.S. Soccer, which has denied any wrongdoing in the litigation, said in a statement that it remained "focused on growing the game." A lawyer for Relevent, Jeffrey Kessler of law firm Winston & Strawn, declined to comment. Relevent filed the lawsuit in 2019, accusing U.S. Soccer of conspiring with FIFA, the sport's international governing body, to bar official foreign matches in the United States. U.S. Soccer has argued that it played no role as a FIFA member in forming the 2018 policy at the heart of the case, under which foreign teams can hold only 'friendly' matches in the United States that do not count for standings. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2023 revived Relevent's lawsuit, which a judge had dismissed in 2021. U.S. Soccer unsuccessfully challenged the appeals court order at the U.S. Supreme Court last year. At the high court, U.S. Soccer argued that the appeals court improperly ruled that the organization could be held liable as a member of FIFA for agreeing to the rules of its association. The justices last year declined U.S. Soccer's petition challenging the appeals court order. FIFA last year settled with Relevent, but the terms were not disclosed. The case is Relevent Sports LLC v. United States Soccer Federation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 1:19-cv-08359-JAV. For Relevent: Jeffrey Kessler and Jonathan Amoona of Winston & Strawn For U.S. Soccer: Lawrence Buterman and Christopher Yates of Latham & Watkins US Supreme Court won't hear U.S. Soccer case over hosting foreign matches FIFA resolves lawsuit by sports promoter owned by billionaire Ross
