25/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 24 January, the Commission decided to close the procedure against France relating to its legislation preventing football and other professional sports clubs from being listed on stock markets. This prohibition, officially lifted at the end of December 2006, mainly affected football clubs. While recognising the pertinence of the French authorities' arguments that protection of savers and the promotion of a certain degree of equality in sports competitions were relevant objectives of general interest, the Commission considered that a total ban on raising capital from the public was disproportionate and therefore incompatible with the rules of the EC Treaty on the free movement of capital. (mb)