The power to end the football season: lessons from the decision in South Shields FC v The FA
The distinguished arbitral panel, chaired by Lord Dyson with Charles Flint QC and Andrew Green QC, recently delivered its award in the case of South Shields Football Club 1888 Limited v The Football Association Limited.[1] The decision, which considered The FA’s powers to bring the 2019/20 football season to an end for Steps 3 to 7 of the National League System, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, is one of the first to examine the scope of regulatory decision-making in the field of sport in the wake of the current global health crisis. Nick De Marco QC discusses the case, examining:
- Background
- The challenge
- The decision
- Wider implications of the decision
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- Tags: Coronavirus | COVID-19 | Dispute Resolution | England | Football | Regulation | The FA
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Written by
Nick De Marco KC
Nick De Marco KC is ranked as one of the top lawyers in sports law. He acts for international and domestic sports-governing bodies, federations, players, clubs, sponsors, broadcasters and agents across all sports in both commercial and regulatory disputes.
He is recognised as the foremost expert in football regulatory issues by all the leading UK legal directories. In addition to acting in numerous high-profile football disputes, he has a busy practice in many other international sports including boxing, motorsports, tennis, gymnastics, cricket, rugby and athletics.
He regularly lectures and writes on sports law, is author and editor of ‘Football and the Law’ (Bloomsbury 2018 & 2022) and ‘Challenging Sports Governing Bodies’ (Bloomsbury, 2016), contributor to ‘Lewis & Taylor: Sport and the Law’ (Bloomsbury, 2021) member of the Editorial Board of Law In Sport & Football Legal and the Advisory Board of the Middle East Sports Law Platform and host of The Sports Law Podcast.
