
Court proceedings deemed offside: English High Court stays court proceedings against former Chelsea FC club director in favour of arbitration
In Alrubie v Chelsea Football Club Ltd & Anor [2025] EWHC 541 (Comm), Marina Granovskaia ("Ms. Granovskaia"), a former director and employee of Chelsea Football Club ("C…

| Chris Bond
The dangers of AI: How deepfakes and inaccurate content are impacting the sports industry
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a part of our daily lives. It is a huge topic of conversation and technology m…

| Valérie Horyna
A New Standard in Esports: Dispute Resolution for Riot Games’ Esports (EMEA)
Esports has evolved into an industry, which creates an ever growing demand for structured governance. Riot Games, the p…

| Chris Bond
The importance of procedural rigour: ESIC find team Astralis’ emergency substitution brought tournament into disrepute
While a ‘substitution’ is an unremarkable event in many sports, the ‘emergency substitution request’ made by team Astra…

| Louis Weston
Top 10 Tips for Sports Organisations & Tournament Organisers on Implementing Anti-Corruption Policies
The aim of this article to give an answer to the apparently simple question: How should a sports governing body (“SGB”)…

| Saksham Samarth
Can Sporting Succession Exist Without Club Dissolution? Lessons from a recent CAS decision (CAS 2023/A/9809)
This article examines the recent award by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) in the case of CAS 2023/A/9809 Kar…

| Chris Bond
How the UK’s rugby and football concussion litigation is impacting the sports insurance market
In recent years, high profile cases and developments in technology and scientific research have shone a spotlight on th…

| Ben Lasserson, Simon Leaf, Chanelle Catin, Peter Smith
The battle continues - Implications of the latest decision in Manchester City's challenge to the Premier League's APT rules
The Arbitral Tribunal has now issued its Second Partial Final Award[1] in the high-profile competition law battle betwe…

| Chris Bond
When should a CAS award be final on issues of EU law? The AG’s Opinion in Seraing v FIFA
The Advocate General (AG) has delivered an opinion in the long running case of Royal Football Club Seraing v FIFA and o…

| Pippa Manby, William Birch
Politics, Tennis & the Ukraine War - Suspension of membership appealed (Belarus Tennis Federation v ITF)
This article analyses an award dated 9 February 2024[1] in CAS 2022/A/8914 Belarus Tennis Federation v International Te…

| Elouisa Crichton, Kate Coppack, Sarah Britton
Right to withhold pay vs ready, willing and able to work – lessons from Mendy v. Manchester City Employment Tribunal Decision
This article analyses the decision by the Employment Tribunal in the case of Mendy v. Manchester City Football Club (24…

| Georgi Gradev, Marton Kiss
Jurisdiction in CAS appeals: Why procedural compliance and naming the right party matters?
This article shows why people bringing sports disputes to arbitration need to be precise with identifying the parties (…

| Chris Bond
Future-proofing esports: a look ahead to the key legal issues facing the esports industry
The evolving ecosystem of esports is not only a hub for groundbreaking technology and entertainment, but also a burgeon…

| Chris Bond
Who’s the greatest No. 8? The importance of creativity in athlete brand building & trademark registration
When you think of the No. 8 on a sports jersey, which professional athlete comes to mind first – Kobe Bryant? Cal Ripke…

| Parvati Bhat, Prerna Dadu
How athlete personality/image rights are applied in India (Part 2)
Part 1 of this article discussed the treatment of personality rights in different jurisdictions internationally and in…

| Parvati Bhat, Prerna Dadu
How athlete personality/image rights are applied in India (Part 1)
In 2023-24, Indian courts have issued several landmark decisions shaping the protection of personality rights (also ref…

| Spencer Turner
Jannik Sinner doping case: Lessons from first instance decision
An independent tribunal (“Tribunal”) convened by Sports Resolutions has considered that the men’s world number one tenn…

| Chris Bond
F1 at a crossroads? FIA and Liberty Media’s battle for pole position on commercial rights
Liberty Media, the current commercial rights holder of Formula One (F1), and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automob…

| Chris Bond
What’s happening with Dani Olmo? A legal analysis of the registration dispute between FC Barcelona, LaLiga and RFEF
I am certain that more than one FC Barcelona fan—including this author—was on the verge of choking on their New Year’s…

| Blaž Tomažin Bolcar
Basketball Arbitral Tribunal Arbitration Rules 2025: What’s changed?
The Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (“BAT”) has streamlined its dispute resolution process with small, yet very effective…

| Georgi Gradev, Marton Kiss
Boundaries of freedom of speech in sport: Lessons from recent CAS Decision (Tymoshchuk v. UAF)
This article examines the recent award in the case of CAS 2023/A/9443 Anatoliy Tymoshchuk v. Ukrainian Association of F…

| Manan Agrawal
The impact of FIFA's suspension of cases before the FIFA Disciplinary Committee - Key Takeaways
On 25 November 2024, a letter was issued by the Chairperson of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to the FIFA Secretary Ge…

| Chris Bond
Olympic ambitions and legal transitions: India's sporting landscape in 2024
2024 in Indian sports law was a year dominated by India’s Olympic performance and its future aspirations. On the back o…

| Despina Mavromati
The Swiss Federal Tribunal’s key sports law judgments of 2024
This article summarises key judgments from the Swiss Federal Tribunal in 2024 in the field of sports law. The mai…

| Nick De Marco KC
Why sports tribunals should embrace public hearings
As a barrister acting in sports disputes for over 20 years, I have long argued for greater transparency, fairness and t…

| Stuart Sanders, Benjamin Gray
Part-time officials, full-time implications – Analysis of the HMRC v PGMOL cases
In September the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs v Profes…

| Jaime Cambreleng Contreras, Carol Etter
FC Barcelona v UEFA: Guidance from CAS decision on accounting treatment of sale of media rights under UEFA’s financial regulations
This article provides a detailed examination of the award rendered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) in the…

| André Pretorius, Helen Bignall, Max Kaufman, Marie Becker, Luke Wagner
Transforming Transfers? How the CJEU reconsidered FIFA’s Transfer Rules in the Diarra case
In a preliminary ruling[1] handed down on 4 October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued its…

| Joseph Carr
Lawyer for 40 UK gymnasts shares insights into the difficulties in addressing allegations of abuse
In this interview, Joseph Carr - an expert in abuse claims against sports organisations, schools and religious institut…

| Raymond Cox KC
How are legal costs recovered in Premier League disciplinary proceedings? Reviewing guidance of Appeal Board in the Everton case
The Premier League’s Appeal Board has provided highly relevant guidance on the approach to costs which may be ordered t…

| Manan Agrawal
The impact of the Diarra case on the football transfer system – Key takeaways
LawInSport, along with the Asser Instituut and the Association for the Study of Sport and the EU (Sport & EU)…

| Jonathan Coser and Carly Thorpe
How to avoid expensive construction disputes in sport: Lessons from key cases
The development of stadiums, more often than not, come with high publicity and a high budget. It's therefore inevitable…

| Stephen Flynn, Jessica van der Meer
A guide to the commercial arbitral institutions increasingly used for sports disputes
This article discusses the growing trend of sports disputes being referred to non-sports specific arbitral tribunals. I…

| Martin Ross, Mark Lebbon and Loren Alderuccio
A summary of CAS Ad Hoc decisions at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games
Behind the scenes of the spectacular Paris 2024 Olympic Games (Paris 2024), the Ad Hoc Division of the Court of Arbitra…

| Alice Keunen
‘Nobody asks the players’: Why FIFPRO are challenging FIFA’s international match calendar and expanded Club World Cup
On 16 September, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker expressed his opinion[1] – one he says is widely held by players –…

| Marc-Anthony de Boccard
How to challenge a CAS award at the Swiss Federal Supreme Court: A guide for athletes & sports organisations
In the world of sports, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is (typically) the ultimate authority for resolving di…

| Jordan Kochanski, Paddy Murphy
Competition Authorisation Rules: UEFA chooses Ireland as alternative seat for CAS arbitration
On 21 June 2024, UEFA, the governing body for European football, announced that it was amending its Authorisation Rules…

| Ian Laing, Elena La Ficara
How to value football players? Lessons from Newell’s Old Boys v AS Roma CAS Decision
This article discusses a recent CAS decision which highlighted different and competing methodologies that can be utilis…

| Ezzat Nsouli, Andrew King, Stevie Holbrook
Battle lines drawn: Florida State University’s continuing withdrawal lawsuit against Atlantic Coast Conference
On December 22, 2023, Florida State University (FSU) issued a lawsuit[1] against the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), c…

| Maciej Balazinski, Karolina Letniowska
Advocate General questions whether FIFA Regulations are compliant with EU Law: Legal & factual context (Part 1)
On 30 April 2024, Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) Maciej Szpunar delivered the…

| Maciej Balazinski, Karolina Letniowska
Advocate General questions whether FIFA Regulations are compliant with EU Law: RSTP & football transfer system in review (Part 2)
In the last article, the authors examined the factual and legal context of the Opinion issued by the Advocate General o…

| Maciej Balazinski, Karolina Letniowska
Advocate General questions whether FIFA Regulations are compliant with EU Law: Are they restrictive of competition? (Part 3)
In the previous articles, the authors have set forth the factual and legal context of the Opinion issued by the Advocat…

| Maciej Balazinski, Karolina Letniowska
Advocate General questions whether FIFA Regulations are compliant with EU Law: Violation of freedom of movement of workers? (Part 4)
So far, the authors have touched upon the factual and legal context of the Opinion issued by the Advocate General in ca…

| Maciej Balazinski, Karolina Letniowska
Advocate General questions whether FIFA Regulations are compliant with EU Law: Key takeaways (Part 5)
Let’s wrap up! So far the authors have addressed the factual and legal context of the Opinion issued by the Advocate Ge…

| Maciej Balazinski, Karolina Letniowska
Advocate General questions whether FIFA Regulations are compliant with EU Law
On 30 April 2024, Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) Maciej Szpunar delivered the…

| Chris Bond
Balancing act: CAS challenges and the 'field of play' doctrine in Olympic gymnastics (Chiles & Maneca-Voinea cases)
On 14 August, an ad hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) handed down its written decision[1] in rel…

| Zachary Sananes, Matthew Caples
English contract law and football: Lessons from Appeal Board’s decision in the Leicester City case
An independent Appeal Board has found that the Premier League’s PSR do not apply to Leicester City FC for any breaches…

| Nick De Marco KC
Premier League v Leicester City FC appeal: What is the right approach to interpreting sports rules?
On 30 August 2024 an independent Premier League (“PL”) Appeal Board allowed Leicester City FC’s (“LCFC”) appeal, findin…

| Christina Pippas
How to deal with UK pension assets if divorcing abroad: A guide for international athletes
It is increasingly common for families involved in international sports to live and work abroad. One issue that this gi…

| Chirayato Banerjee
Navigating dispute resolution for technical directors in football
This article analyses a recent decision of the FIFA Player Status Committee which held that it is not competent to hear…

| Christopher Quinlan KC
A silk’s story: what it’s like to experience and officiate at the Paris 2024 Olympics
This article recounts the author’s personal experience of helping officiate at the rugby sevens competition at the Pari…

| Christopher Monaghan
Guidance on PSR Rules from Premier League’s Independent Commission in Leicester City’s case
The Premier League’s Independent Commission has provided highly relevant guidance that will be useful to clubs in the f…

| Carlos Carnero, María Chicote
Tax on transfers to Spanish clubs: Supreme Court ruling in Neymar & James Rodríguez cases
Spanish Supreme Court has answered to the appeals filed by the Brazilian football club Santos Futebol Clube[1] and the…

| Federico Venturi Ferriolo, Lorenzo Caprara
The evolution of betting and match-fixing regulation in Italian football – key regulations and cases
This article provides an overview and analysis of how sports betting and match-fixing is regulated in Italy. It d…

| Ennio Bovolenta
Olympic drone drama: How FIFA sanctioned the Canadian women’s football team for spying
This article explains how FIFA investigated and sanctioned the Canadian women’s football team for using drone technolog…

| Antanas Paulauskas
Drafting basketball player-agent contracts and avoiding disputes: Key principles from BAT awards (Part 2)
This article explains the Basketball Arbitration Tribunal’s (BAT) key principles on drafting agency agreements and avoi…

| Antanas Paulauskas
Drafting basketball player-agent contracts and avoiding disputes: Key principles from BAT awards (Part 1)
This article explains the Basketball Arbitration Tribunal’s (BAT) key principles on drafting agency agreements and avoi…

| Joseph Bryan, Joel Wallace, Alexander Bryant
‘Golden Mitigation’ in football: Lessons from the Nottingham Forest's Profitability & Sustainability Regulations Appeal decision
This article analyses the legal reasoning in the recent decision of an independent Appeal Board in Nottingham Forest Fo…

| Aahna Mehrotra, Pratyush Pandey
More than just a number: how India is trying to tackle age fraud in sports
At the MAK Pataudi Memorial Lecture 2015-16, former Indian cricket captain, Rahul Dravid, spoke on the need to combat t…

| Jack Anderson
Key sports law cases in Australia – Part 2: Social media & anti-doping
This article analyses the recent leading sports law cases from the National Sports Tribunal in Australia and explains t…

| Nick Poggenklaas
The battle over the employment status of professional athletes: Amy Pieters v. SD Worx
This article analyses an ongoing case which may have potential to change how relationships between athletes and their t…

| Maike Herrlein
No independent judge, no EU review: Anti-doping case dismissed by ECJ
The Court of Justice of the European Union has recently issued its decision in a case for a preliminary ruling initiate…

| Maike Herrlein
Reassessing data protection in anti-doping – key points of Advocate General Ćapeta’s opinion
On 7 May 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued its decision in Case C‑115/22 relating to the inadmiss…

| Simon Leaf, Oliver Millichap, Ben Lasserson, Chanelle Cattin
Manchester City's legal action & the Premier League’s regulations on Associated Party Transactions
It has been widely reported that Manchester City Football Club have brought a high-profile competition law claim agains…

| Shalabh Gupta, Amran Nawaz, Daniel Nazareth
Demystifying Andretti’s failed F1 bid & anti-dilution fees explained
On March 22, 2023, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (“FIA”) invited applications for a new team that would…

| Christopher Coltart KC, Karishma Gadhia and Charlotte Moss
Ensuring fair play in the sports courts – why we need disclosure guidelines in sports disciplinary proceedings
Like most sports, the governing guidelines for criminal litigation and investigations are all about fair play. That inc…

| Alastair Campbell
Key considerations for athletes for selection disputes
No matter the sport, the vast majority of professional athletes share a version of the same goal: to perform at their b…

| Michal Liszka
Navigating the use of image rights for Polish National Football Team Players
Image rights of footballers called up to the national team have been the point of many disputes in recent years, with h…

| Samuel Rabinowitz, Nick Daly
Leicester City's legal challenge: Unpacking the EFL and Premier League allegations
The 2023/24 football season is now over. In English football’s second tier, the Championship, a thrilling campaign ende…

| Jodi Balsam
Professional golf at a crossroads: what next for the PGA Tour & LIV Golf?
It’s been a year since the shocking announcement in June 2023 that the PGA Tour[1] and LIV Golf[2] had settled their an…

| Rustam Sethna
Sport Disputes And Disciplinary Proceedings – Annual Review 2023/24
Welcome to the disputes and disciplinary proceedings section of the LawInSport Annual Review 2023/24. If last year…

| Charlie Cornford and Phil Hutchinson
An analysis of Sandro Tonali's FA Betting Rules breach case & key takeaways for players
Following Sandro Tonali’s club transfer record-breaking move from AC Milan to Newcastle in July 2023, it was announced…

| Katie Grimstone
An introduction to sports horse agreements - the buying and selling of equine athletes
For those in the equine industry who get up close and personal with horses by way of owning, breeding or trading, legal…

| Jack Anderson
The Shijiazhuang 23 (Part 2) – Why didn't WADA challenge CHINADA’s decision? And should they have done?
This article has been prompted by recent media revelations that in January 2021, 23 elite Chinese swimmers tested posit…

| Jack Anderson
The Shijiazhuang 23 (Part 1) – The Investigation: New York Times, ARD & USADA vs CHINADA & WADA
This article has been prompted by recent media revelations that in January 2021, 23 elite Chinese swimmers tested posit…

| Marcel Dejonghe
The “Luxemburg VAR”: How the EU’s preliminary ruling procedure works
Under the EU treaties, a cooperation procedure has been established between member states pursuant to which national co…

| Mahammad Safarli
Are esports ‘sports’ enough? Bahrain dispute raises questions about CAS’ jurisdiction
According to a recent article, the Bahrain Esports Federation (“BESF”) has filed an appeal before the Court of Arbitrat…

| Despina Mavromati
Swiss Federal Tribunal rules on clause excluding FIFA & CAS jurisdiction through footballer’s employment contract
This article deals with a recent decision of the Swiss Federal Tribunal (“SFT”) relating to a dispute between a footbal…

| Kelvin Omuojine
The need for FIFA to ensure that football federations set up National Dispute Resolution Chambers
In January 2024, FIFA announced the introduction of a new regulatory framework for national dispute resolution chambers…

| Hubert Radke
Slam dunk justice: The BAT’s game-changing Payment Order Procedure for basketball disputes
On 17 January 2024, the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT) presented a new edition of its BAT Arbitration Rules (BAT Ru…

| Patrick Ashby, Max Blinder-Acenal
Trading cards and trading blows – A review of the Panini v. Fanatics antitrust lawsuit
Panini, an established player in the sports trading card industry, and Fanatics, a fast-growing newcomer, have moved th…

| Philip Hutchinson, Harry Bambury
The FA v Kian Harratt - Context and Individuality in The FA’s Betting Rule Enforcement
This article discusses the need for a nuanced approach in betting cases in light of the decision of The Football Associ…

| Dr Despina Mavromati
First human rights challenge before Swiss Federal Tribunal after Semenya decision: Reiterates narrow scope of right of appeal
This article discusses a recent decision of the Swiss Federal Tribunal (“SFT”) appears to be the first instance of invo…

| Jeremy Drew, Joshua Charalambous, Ellie Chakarto
The battle for live sports data - IMG Arena score first in dispute with Perform
Such is the value of live sports data, that the English courts are very familiar with disputes concerning related right…

| Aidan Tierney
Pizza Bulls Trademark: Divergent Decisions in UK and EU Highlight Complexities of Global IP
Recently, there have been two different decisions in relation to applications brought by The National Basketball Associ…

| Dr Prof Moritz Lorenz
UEFA as a neutral regulator of football tournaments? What is to come from the CJEU’s Superleague judgment?
On 21 December 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) handed down its long awaited judgment in the E…

| Despina Mavromati
Swiss Federal Tribunal reiterates the importance of time limits to safeguard procedural fairness
This article discusses a recent decision of the Swiss Federal Tribunal (“SFT”) discussing the importance of adherence t…

| Nicholas Buckland, Abigail Wise, Ella Nawaro
A Guide To How Trade Marks Work In Formula One®
In the UK, a trade mark can be protected if it is capable of distinguishing the specific goods/services covered from th…

| Clare Sibson KC, Chloe Carpenter KC and Samuel Rabinowitz
Balancing parallel governing body and police investigations: When to press pause and when to push back
Whenever a governing body is confronted with facts that suggest serious misconduct has occurred in sport, there is a go…

| Lereesa Easterbrook, Magnus Wallsten
An analysis of the new CAS Guidelines on examining vulnerable witnesses and testifying parties
In December 2023, the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (“ICAS”) issued new Guidelines for the hearing of…

| Charlie Kendrick
What is the best way to resolve disputes in sport?
LawInSport recently held their Global Summit on 9th& 10th October 2023 in London discussing a variety of issues acr…

| Charlie Kendrick
What does the future of integrated approaches to sports integrity look like?
LawInSport recently held their Global Summit on 9th& 10th October 2023 in London discussing a variety of issues acr…

| Elena La Ficara
What could the Giraudo (Former Juventus CEO) case mean for the Italian justice system and sport?
The Calciopoli1 match fixing scandal, which shook Italian football in 2006, and the subsequent sporting proceedings aga…

| Chris Bond
Sports Law In 2024 – Key Issues to Watch in Europe
Here are the top sports law issues to watch out for in 2024 in Europe from the LawInSport Editorial and Advisory Board…

| Lydia Banerjee, Joseph Bryan
Navigating The FA Cup Player Eligibility Rules for 2023-24 and pitfalls to avoid for football clubs
Within the last few weeks an unusual event has happened not once but twice: clubs competing in the FA Cup have fielded…

| Despina Mavromati
The Swiss Federal Tribunal’s key sports law judgments of 2023
This article summarises key judgments from the Swiss Federal Tribunal in 2023 in the field of sports law. The principl…

| Nick De Marco
The end of the FIFA Agents Cap and the beginning of a less restrained standard of competition review in sport?
The FA has just published the long-awaited written reasons[1] in one of the most significant sports law cases for a whi…

| David Zeffman
Gambling ads, sport, and influencers - what does ‘strong appeal to under-18s’ mean? (The Jake Paul & Premier League managers cases)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has been relatively active in the gambling industry, with two new rulings pub…

| Jonathan Brown & Charli Curran
How football clubs should approach risk management when faced with sexual misconduct & assault allegations
In a post #MeToo era, the dramatic increase in the number of sexual misconduct and assault reports made public intensif…

| Stephen Townley
AI, IP and emerging litigation risks for sports brands
Sport and entertainment brands are uniquely sensitive to litigation, especially related to reputational issues. Strateg…

| Maciej Balazinski, Karolina Letniowska
How FIFA’s Agent Regulations approach contractual stability & just cause, compared to FIFA RSTP
For over 20 years, FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) have played a key role in internationa…