- Football Legal # 23
- Football Legal # 22
- Football Legal # 21
- Football Legal # 20
- Football Legal # 19
- Football Legal # 18
- Football Legal # 17
- Football Legal # 16
- Football Legal # 15
- Football Legal # 14
- Football Legal # 13
- Football Legal # 12
- Football Legal # 11
- Football Legal # 10
- Football Legal # 9
- Football Legal # 8
- Football Legal # 7
- Football Legal # 6
- Football Legal # 5
- Football Legal # 4
- Football Legal # 3
- Football Legal # 2
- Football Legal # 1
Latest FL Journal Articles
28
Nov
2025
First Test at the CAS for FIFA’s Regulation of Multi-Club Ownership - By Saverio P. SPERA
TAS 2025/A/11314 Club de Fútbol Pachuca c. FIFA & TAS 2025/A/11315 Club León c. FIFA & TAS 2025/A/11316 Club León c. FIFA
Introduction
Multi-Club Ownership (MCO) appeared on the scene of international football more than 30 years ago and, since then, has been discussed from a sporting, economic and legal (EU Law included) perspective.[1] Over the last decade, the phenomenon has grown in intensity and scope in parallel with the exponential growth of football commerc...
28
Nov
2025
CAS 2023/A/10032 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC v. FIFA - By Emily Anne WILLIAMS
CAS 2023/A/10032 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC v. FIFA
This CAS award (Award) was rendered on 9 August 2024, and the Award, with the grounds, was notified on 19 June 2025.[1]
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (Wolves) filed an appeal against FIFA’s decision to reject the international transfer and registration of a minor player (Player) from Derry City FC (DCFC), a club affiliated with the Football Associ...
28
Nov
2025
State Aid and the Valencian Clubs: The Return of a European Saga - By Carlos MORENO CABALLERO & Tomás REY DELISANTE
The reopening of the cases involving Valencia CF, Hércules CF and Elche CF confirms that the State aid debate in football is far from over.
28
Nov
2025
28
Nov
2025
The Impact of the Diarra Decision in Germany - By Joachim RAIN
Introduction
Whilst everybody was very excited - and some also kind of worried - that the Diarra decision might have a dramatic impact on the transfer system and the stability of contracts in Germany, so far, no perceivable consequences for daily business can be observed yet. The following article will analyze the reasons and background for su...
28
Nov
2025
"The adjustments required will focus on specific aspects identified by the ECJ, rather than a wholesale overhaul of the transfer system" - Interview with Emilio GARCIA SILVERO
Interview with Emilio Garcia Silvero, FIFA Chief Legal and Compliance Officer
28
Nov
2025
Proving the Absence of Negligence: Lessons from CAS 2024/A/10550 - By Eloi GONZÁLEZ RIOL
CAS 2024/A/10550 AZ Alkmaar v. UEFA
CAS 2024/A/10550 AZ Alkmaar v. UEFA[1]
28
Nov
2025
Yet Another Serie A Collective Bargaining Agreement: What Has Changed? - By Andrea BOZZA & Vincenzo CALANDRELLI
Introduction
2 September 2025 was a typical ‘day after’ for the most important European football associations, following the usual frenzy of the summer transfer window.
The same date also marked the beginning of new provisions applicable to employment relationships between clubs (Clubs) affiliated to the Serie A Italian professional league (Le...
28
Nov
2025
The Pedro Rocha Case and What We Can Expect in the Future - By Carlos MORENO CABALLERO & Juan Diego VELARDE BARRIENTOS
Audiencia Nacional, Central Administrative Court no. 2, 29 September 2025, no. 128/2025
Audiencia Nacional, Central Administrative Court no. 2, 29 September 2025, no. 128/2025[1]
28
Nov
2025
Corporate Tools after the TPO Ban: How Brazil’s SAF Framework May Enable Lawful Financing for Player Acquisition and Result Distribution - By André RIBEIRO
Abstract
The prohibition of Third-Party Ownership (TPO) and Third-Party Influence (TPI) under Articles 18ter and 18bis of FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) dismantled an entire financing model that had long sustained Brazilian football. Despite its flaws, TPO provided risk-bearing capital for player acquisition in an...
28
Nov
2025
The Right of Football Clubs and Players to Benefit from an Effective Judicial Review of Arbitral Awards Issued Against Them by the Court of Arbitration for Sport - By Olivier MANDEL
In football, as in many other sports, the submission of disputes to arbitration, particularly those that may arise between a football club and FIFA, is imposed unilaterally by the FIFA Statutes. On 1 August 2025 (Case C-600/23), the CJEU issued an important ruling in which, without calling into question the mandatory use of arbitration, it...
28
Nov
2025
The Diarra Judgment and its Contractual Consequences: The Challenge for Article 17 RSTP to Balance Competing Interests - By Melanie SCHÄRER
Introduction
The dispute arising from Lassana Diarra’s early departure from Lokomotiv Moscow ultimately led to a judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that went far beyond the confines of sporting adjudication. What began as a classic club-player dispute within FIFA’s internal system became a test case of the compatibili...
28
Nov
2025
A-League club Western United FC licence suspended: An Overview of the Regulatory and Legal Challenges - By Peter PALEOLOGOS
In September 2025, Western United Football Club’s (Western United) club operation licence was suspended by the Australian A-League governing body, namely the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The effect of this suspension or hibernation by the APL decision, for Western United not to participate in the current A-League season, has sent shock...
28
Nov
2025
A System on Trial: The Failed Indian Super League Tender and the Legal Reckoning of Indian Football - By Deep RAY, Aniket ROUT and Tarun
Introduction
Indian football’s commercial and governance system, built on a 15-year-old deal and kept alive by protracted litigation, reached a critical juncture in November 2025. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), via its “Request for Proposal” (RFP), sought to sell the commercial rights for the Indian SuperLeague (ISL) for the next...
28
Nov
2025
Interview with Datuk Seri Windsor John, AFC General Secretary
Background
Born in 1961, Datuk Seri Windsor John has been a loyal servant of the beautiful game, having witnessed the entire spectrum as a player, coach and administrator.
He was appointed as the General Secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2015 and ever since has been energetically implementing the AFC President H.E. Shaikh...
28
Nov
2025
No Administration, No Force Majeure - By Aspa SOULOUKOU
Civil Court of Athens, 11 June 2025, no. 182/2025
The lack of an administration in a football club shall not be considered as a force majeure event that could lead to the non-application of the two-year deadline.
28
Nov
2025
Supreme Court Confirms Agent’s Right to Payment - By Aspa SOULOUKOU
Supreme Court of Greece, 31 October 2025, no. 837/2024
A foreign FIFA agent acting as legal person (Agent) and the Greek football club Olympiacos FC signed a private agreement dated 8 July 2008 for the Agent’s services provided to Olympiacos FC regarding the signing of an employment contract of a football player. On 17 September 2008, the parties signed a new private agreement by which they cancelle...
28
Nov
2025
“Shenxin FC v. Shenhua FC”: A Landmark Case of Judicial Review on Arbitration by the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China - By Roy CHU and David WU
On 16 January 2024, the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China released ten typical cases of judicial review of arbitration. Case no. 4, Shanghai Shenxin FC v. Shanghai Shenhua FC, concerns a contractual dispute between two professional football clubs. The case marks the first time, since the 2022 revision of the Sports Law of...
28
Nov
2025
The Supervision of Bayern Supporters Traveling by Bus to the Parc des Princes was Justified
Paris Administrative Court, Order, 4 November 2025, no. 2531985
The announced presence of visiting supporters identified as “high risk” at the match between two clubs, combined with the long-standing rivalry between the two teams’ supporters, with clashes and brawls, indicated a risk of serious public disorder on the day of the match. Under these circumstances, and given that these high-risk supporters plann...
28
Nov
2025
Betting Scandal within the Turkish Football Federation: An Unprecedented Investigation Involving Referees, the Club Presidents and Football Players - By Emin OZKURT
On 27 October 2025, İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), held a press conference to unveil remarkable findings concerning the involvement of professional referees in betting activities.
According to the data presented, 571 active referees are officiating across Türkiye’s professional divisions - the Süper L...
28
Nov
2025
Abandonment of Match in Turkish Football and its Legal Consequences - By Emin OZKURT
During Week 23 of the Trendyol Süper Lig, on 9 February 2025, a highly controversial incident occurred in the match between Galatasaray and Adana Demirspor. In the 10th minute, referee Oğuzhan Çakır awarded a disputed penalty in favor of Galatasaray, which led to a goal. Following this development, Adana Demirspor’s head coach, Mustafa Alper Avc...
28
Nov
2025
After Diarra: A New Landscape for Football Agents - By Roberto BRANCO MARTINS
The ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU (the Court) of 4 October 2024 (Diarra) marks a significant turning point in how the international football labour market is managed and operates. The ruling not only alters procedural aspects of the current Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), it also fundamentally alters the prin...
30
May
2025
Fines, Closures and Ultras: Sanctioning Power Offside - By Carlos M. MORENO CABALLERO & Alexis S. LÓPEZ RAMOS
Violence in the Stadiums
For decades, public authorities in Spain have waged a constant battle against violence and discriminatory attitudes in the sporting arena. Despite legislative advances and institutional commitment, behaviors that call into question the fundamental values of sport - respect, tolerance and coexistence - still persist. Far...
30
May
2025
CAS 2023/A/10243 Club APOEL Nicosia v. Lucas Vieira de Souza - By Ian LAING WS & Elena LA FICARA
CAS 2023/A/10243 Club APOEL Nicosia v. Lucas Vieira de Souza
30
May
2025
The Premier League and Manchester City Legal Battles: An Insight into English Football’s Recent Developments - By Carlos M. MORENO CABALLERO, Aayush KUMAR & Giuseppe CASTELLI
In recent years, the intersection of football and law has become increasingly pronounced, nowhere more so than in the ongoing disputes between Manchester City Football Club and the Premier League. These legal battles, encompassing issues of financial regulation, competition law and procedural fairness, highlight the growing complexity of governa...