FIFA Ban on Foreign Match Play in US Faces Renewed Challenge (1)

FIFA and US Soccer face renewed antitrust litigation challenging their policy of banning foreign teams from playing official matches on American soil after a federal appeals decision Tuesday.

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit revived the lawsuit by soccer promoter Relevant Sports LLC, finding it plausible that governing bodies regulating “the beautiful game” colluded to divide the global market for high-level soccer matches by restricting where they can be played.

Judge Raymond J. Lohier Jr., writing for the court, rejected the argument that US Soccer only enforced the rule because it’s a FIFA member organization bound ...