By Matt Hardy
Premier League football club Leicester City are to be fined £880,000 by the Competition and markets Authority (CMA) over collusion with JD Sports.
The statement of objections issued by the CMA sets out provisional assessments of the case.
The Premier League club and retail outlet admitted to breaking competition law over three seasons.
The report states that the two organisations “colluded to restrict competition in the sales of Leicester City-branded clothing, including replica kit in the UK”.
CMA executive director of enforcement Michael Grenfell said: “Strong and unimpeded competition between retailers is essential to consumers’ ability to shop around for the best deals.
“Football fans are well-known for their loyalty towards their teams. In this case we have provisionally found that Leicester City FC and JD Sports colluded to share out markets and fix prices – with the result that fans may have ended up paying more than they would otherwise have done.
“Both parties have now admitted their involvement, allowing us to bring the investigation to a swift conclusion.
“The fine that Leicester City FC and its parent companies have agreed to pay sends a clear message to them and other businesses that anti-competitive collusion will not be tolerated.”
In September 2022, JS Sports confirmed that they would not appeal a £1.5m fine for price fixing shirts for Scottish club Rangers.
Leicester City were last season relegated from the Premier League having won the English domestic league in 2015-16.
