Leicester City fined for UK anti-competitive arrangement with JD Sports

The Competition and Markets Authority said the club, which was relegated from the Premier League in May, would be fined up to 880,000 pounds ($1.12 million).

FILE PHOTO: Youri Tielemans and James Maddison of Leicester City look dejected after their defeat to West Ham in the Premier League at The King Power Stadium on May 28, 2023. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Britain’s competition regulator fined Leicester City on Wednesday after it found that the football club and retailer JD Sports colluded to restrict competition in the sales of branded sports kit, including replica shirts.

The Competition and Markets Authority said the club, which was relegated from the Premier League in May, would be fined up to 880,000 pounds ($1.12 million).

“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,” the CMA said of the club which won the Premier League in the 2015-16 season.

JD Sports said in a separate statement that it had notified the regulator of the football club’s conduct in 2021, which allowed the major sports retailer to gain immunity from the CMA against any fines.

The retailer added none of its current or former directors or senior management were involved in the offence, which took place in 2018-2021, and it had co-operated fully with the probe.