It is Ok to Break the Law for Soccer

The Israeli football (soccer) leagues playing on Shabbos continues.
Recently a labor court judge ruled that it is illegal for them to be playing on Shabbos (as part of the league). The case was brought before the court by religious athletes.
Since then the news and media have been debating non-stop whether the leagues should or will, or not, be given a special allowance by the Minister of Commerce to play on Shabbos. The league has also threatened to stop functioning altogether if it isnt given the special allowance.
One of the problems with this is that the Minister of Commerce is Aryeh Deri, a frum Jew who is not going to be so quick to sign on an allowance for desecration of Shabbos, especially when pikuach nefesh is not involved.
According to Ladaat, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has issued an order to allow the league to continue playing on Shabbos, despite the illegality of it. Weisntein explained that because the law has not been enforced until now, since the inception of the State, there is no reason to begin enforcing it now.
I'm not a lawyer, but I do not like the sounds of someone like the Attorney General saying a law does not need to be enforced just because it has not been until now.
Are the law books filled with laws that we can selectively choose which we want to keep and which we do not?
Besides for Weinstein, I would like to know if anyone knows why historically the league never asked for an allowance? Many operations have - I saw a list that included Bezeq, the Electric Company, and many others. Why did the league never ask for it?
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