Nothing to See Here – the CCPC’s High level Analysis of the grocery market.
20th August 2025
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) recently published its “Updated High Level analysis of the Irish Grocery Retail Sector”. This report updates an earlier 2023 report and was prompted by widespread public concerns about sharp increases in grocery prices. Consumers are likely to find little comfort in the report’s conclusions. Read More.
Change in tactics pays off for PSG
June 1st 2025
Last night French soccer club Paris Saint Germain won the Champions League for the first time in their, admittedly brief, history. The club has been owned by the Qatari State Investment fund (QSI) since 2011 and they have pumped huge amounts of money into it with the aim of winning the top prize in European football, without success, until last night. Read More.
Has European Court Judgement Brought European Super League Closer?
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered its judgement in relation to proposals for the establishment of a European Super League (ESL) in soccer just before Christmas.[1] The judgement found that FIFA and UEFA rules, which prevented the establishment of the ESL, were in breach of EU competition law and freedom of establishment rules. Read More
An Unusual Historic State Aid Case.
14th December 2023.
From 1834 to 1848 the Australian penal colony in Port Arthur Tasmania was the location of a major shipyard. The yard had a decided advantage over its commercial rivals, the State provided it with convict labour for free. Read More.
Hosting Some Matches in Euro 2028 is Good News – Just Don’t Expect Any Economic Bonanza.
16th October 2023.
Last week UEFA announced that the Aviva stadium will host six matches in the 2028 European football championships. The Irish Times reported that when the issue was discussed by the Cabinet in April, Minister for Public Expenditure, Paschal Donohoe reportedly expressed concerns that the claimed economic benefit of hosting the matches might be overstated. He was probably right. Read More.
Call for agreed Minimum Player Transfer Fees.
21st July 2022.
Today’s Irish Times contains an interesting story which claims that there had been a call for League of Ireland soccer clubs “to enter a ‘collective agreement’ that establishes a base level on transfer fees.” A collective agreement between League of Ireland clubs to establish a base or minimum transfer fee for selling their players. What could possibly go wrong? Read More.
Are Rugby Teams’ Maximisers?
20th February 2022.
Ireland’s decision to take three points rather than go for seven in closing minutes against France – an economic viewpoint. Read More.
2021 – A busy year for mergers.
28th January 2022.
The CCPC Annual Merger Report for 2021 – some key takeaways. Read More.
US Court Dismisses Facebook Antitrust Case.
7th July 2021
Setback for FTC challenge of Instagram and What’s App acquisitions. Read More.
Why minimum Unit pricing of alcohol is a bad idea.
11th June 2021.
Boosting drink industry profits not the best way to reduce consumption. Read More.
Competition Law and the european super league.
4th May 2021
What Was The European Super League? * The Economics Of Professional Sports * Competition Law And Sports * Why Can’t I Watch All The Matches On One Channel? Read More.