The Portuguese Competition Authority (AdC) ordered the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP) to immediately suspend the no-poach agreement, an agreement to allegedly not recruit or hire other clubs’ football players of the First and Second Leagues, who unilaterally terminate their employment contract. The agreement had invoked issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The AdC further decides that the LPFP will communicate to all its member clubs the suspension of the decision of April 8 and will issue a press release giving notice of the same fact.

For each day of delay in adopting the interim measure determined by the AdC, the LPFP is ordered to pay EUR 6,000.00 euros.

Previously, on April 8, LPFP issued statements that refer to a resolution adopted by agreement between First and Second Leagues clubs, as LPFP members. The agreement had the participation of LPFP’s president and allegedly defined that the clubs will not hire players who unilaterally terminate their employment contract due to issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The AdC justified this measure with the potential serious and irreparable impact of a horizontal restriction that could distort the normal functioning of the market and may have a negative impact on the economy and consumers.