India’s antitrust regulator has ordered a probe against the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) for allegedly abusing its dominant position. In an order issued on Tuesday, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said that the BFI has refused to authorise or recognise events organised by third parties like Elite Pro Basketball (EPBPL) without providing justification or a transparent policy for such denial, which prima facie constitutes a refusal to deal under relevant section of the Competition Act.
The matter pertains to EPBPL approaching the basketball federation in 2022 to launch a professional 5×5 basketball league Elite Pro Basketball League (EPBL). Despite seeking BFI’s approval to conduct a new private basketball tournament (EPBL), the organiser (EPBPL) didn’t receive any response from BFI.
In July 2023, the BFI responded to the organiser’s requests, and called for a meeting to discuss a potential partnership between the two entities. However, EPBPL officials alleged that the meeting did not result in any positive outcome since extortionate amounts were sought in order for it to partner with BFI and receive any license to conduct leagues.
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EPBPL’s allegations
EPBPL also alleged that BFI warned players, referees and coaches, which are effectively controlled by the federation, to not partake in tournaments officially sanctioned by the BFI, and participation in unauthorised events like EPBPL will be met with stringent action.
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What did the order say?
“This prima facie appears to deny the players, the opportunity to participate in leagues of their own choice and coercing participants to exclusively engage with BFI-authorised tournaments which amounts to forcing exclusive distribution agreement, thereby prima facie contravening the provisions of Section 3(4)(c) of the Act,” the order said.
CCIhas directed the Director General (DG) to conduct a thorough probe in the matter to determine whether the actions of BFI have resulted in violation of certain sections of the Competition Act. The DG has been directed to submit the investigation report within 60 days |
