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Latest FL Journal Articles
30
May
2025
SFT 4A_346/2024, 2 September 2024 - By Jorge IBARROLA & Flavio PIRRELLO
SFT 4A_346/2024, 2 September 2024
30
May
2025
Appeal While You Can! When Requesting Further Clarifications Can Be Costly - By Saverio P. SPERA
CAS 2024/A/10414 Alejandro Gustavo Camaño Tolosa v. FIFA
Introduction
What is an appealable decision? The short answer is any communication that, regardless of its form, intends to affect the legal position of its addressee.[1] It happens, sometimes, that over the same matter several correspondences are exchanged with a Sports Governing Body (SGB) such as FIFA. Only some of them (if not just one in m...
30
May
2025
Ukrainian NDRC Case FC Rukh Lviv v. Ivan Varfolomieiev - By Andrii KHARITONCHUK
CAS 2024/A/10457 Ivan Varfolomieiev v. FC Rukh Lviv
The case involves the dispute regarding the alleged premature termination of the employment contract by the player Ivan Varfolomieiev (Player) with his former Ukrainian Premier League club, FC Rukh Lviv (Club), following the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian National Dispute Resolution Chamber (NDRC) heard the case and...
30
May
2025
A Thorough Analysis of Sporting Succession - Contextualization, Timing and a Holistic Overview - By Georgi GRDEV & Yavor PETKOV
CAS 2024/A/10431 Yeni Mersin Idmanyurdu Futbol A.S. v. Milan Mitrovic & FIFA
Sporting succession must be viewed holistically, contextualizing all elements in light of the temporal nexus between the old and new clubs.
30
May
2025
From Victory to Verdict: CAS Weighs in on Rubiales’ Ban After World Cup Misconduct - By Georgi GRADEV & Desislava GEGOVSKA
CAS 2024/A/10384 Luis Rubiales v. FIFA
The absence of intent does not exculpate conduct that breaches established norms of propriety, leading to disrepute in the sport of football. Especially when such conduct is committed by individuals in positions of institutional authority.
30
May
2025
The Player’s Standing to Sue as a Third-Party Beneficiary and the Interpretation of Contractual Obligations - By Georgi GRADEV & Kaloyan STEFANOV
CAS 2023/A/9979 Renato Kayser de Souza v. Daejeon Hana Citizen Football Club
A player may have a standing to sue as a third-party beneficiary. A clause requires considering the true intent of the parties rather than merely the clause’s wording.
30
May
2025
FIFA and CAS Tighten Grip on “Successor Clubs”: Turkish Teams Face Consequences for Shadow Bankruptcies - By Emin ÖZKURT
In recent years, a troubling pattern has emerged across Turkish football: clubs drowning in debt have begun to reinvent themselves through the creation of new legal entities, name changes and the superficial appearance of fresh starts, leaving behind substantial financial obligations. While this phenomenon has often gone unchallenged domesticall...
30
May
2025
The Case of Patrick Drewes and its Consequences - By Joachim RAIN
Facts
1. On 14 December 2024, the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Union Berlin (Union) and VfL Bochum (Bochum) took place.
In the 91st minute, after the referee team had indicated an additional time of 5 minutes, at a score of 1-1, a Union supporter threw a lighter from the stand that hit Bochum’s goalkeeper Patrick Drewes on the head.
The ma...
30
May
2025
The HFF NDRC Decided on a Case involving a Former Panionios GSS Player - By Aspa SOULOUKOU
HFF First Instance Resolution Committee, 27 January 2025, no. 71/2025
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.
On 20 January 2021, a player submitted a claim before the National Dispute Resolution Chamber (NDRC) of the Greece Football Association (HFF) against the football club Panionios GSS,...
30
May
2025
PAOK’s Head Coach Received a Disciplinary Sanction for his Conduct in the Match against AEK - By Aspa SOULOUKOU
HFF Appeals Committee, 14 January 2025, no. 1/2025
The head coach of PAOK FC, Răzvan Lucescu, was sanctioned for violation of several articles of HFF’s Disciplinary Code.
During the 2024-2025 sporting season, at the end of the domestic derby between AEK FC (host team) and PAOK FC for the Greek Cup, which took place on 18 December 2024, at the parking space of OPAP ARENA, three fans of AEK FC wa...
30
May
2025
The Limits of Sports Self-Regulation under EU Law: AG Emiliou’s Opinions - By Ronan DAVID
AG Emiliou Opinions, 15 May 2025, Cases C428/23 ROGON GmbH & Co. KG v DFB, C209/23 RRC Sports and C133/24 CD Tondela
Introduction
Advocate General (AG) Nicholas Emiliou recently delivered three landmark Opinions (15 May 2025) addressing the application of EU Law - in particular, Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) - to regulations in professional football. These Opinions, in Cases C‑209/23 RRC Sports, C‑428/23 ROGON, and...
30
May
2025
Failure to Comply with the Exclusivity Clause: The Footballer was Ordered to Pay the Penalty Clause Stipulated in the Agent’s Contract
Riom Court of Appeal, 16 April 2025, no. 24/00426
In sports agent contracts (exclusive common interest mandates), if the intermediary’s remuneration clause is not precisely drafted, it must be declared null and void. As soon as a second agent contract is concluded between the parties, this deficiency is resolved; the extension amendment to the first agreement, declared null and void, which is n...
30
May
2025
Contestation of Lionel Messi’s Transfer to PSG: The Lack of Interest in the Action of a Member of FC Barcelona and a Supporters’ Association of the Club Confirmed on Appeal
Paris Administrative Court of Appeal, 19 November 2024, no. 23PA03997
Invoking an attack on sporting fairness and free competition between football clubs, an association of FC Barcelona supporters and a member of the Catalan club had challenged the LFP’s approval of Lionel Messi’s contract with PSG and the decision of the DNCG not to have taken administrative measures against the Parisian club in view of its finan...
30
May
2025
The Company Dazn Obtains the Blocking of Websites Illegally Broadcasting Ligue 1
Judicial Court of Paris, Interim Order, 7 November 2024, no. 24/12084
The exclusive holder of the audiovisual exploitation rights for the 2024-2025 Ligue 1 season, the company Dazn, had noted that many websites broadcast the championship almost systematically, free of charge, in streaming and live. Called upon to rule on the merits under an accelerated procedure, the President of the Paris Judicial Court noted the...
30
May
2025
The LFP Obtains the Delisting of Websites Illegally Broadcasting the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 Championships
Paris Judicial Court, Interim Order, 16 January 2025, nos. 25/00226 and 24/15307
Despite the pronouncement of a first series of blocks at the beginning of the 2024-2025 season, the French Professional Football League (LFP) had noted that some websites illegally broadcasting the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships were still accessible via specific search engines. Noting that the serious and repeated infringements of the LFP’s...
30
May
2025
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...
30
May
2025
The Rafael Leão Saga - By Luc KASPEREIT & Ronan DAVID
CAS 2023/A/9670 LOSC Lille v. Sporting Club de Portugal & FIFA & CAS 2023/A/9671 Sporting Club de Portugal v. LOSC Lille
30
May
2025
Some Strange Clauses in Footballers’ Contracts - by Juan de Dios CRESPO PEREZ
Now that the new season is starting soon, and even with another transfer window due to the FIFA Clubs’ World Cup, the football stakeholders are on the verge of conducting transfer agreements and labor contracts.
Having been in the football market for more than 35 years, I have the knowledge, or some to say the least, of singular clauses that cl...
30
May
2025
The Case of Belenenses and B-SAD: Club Loyalty vs. Corporate Governance in Football - By João NOGUEIRA DA ROCHA
Since the enactment of the Portuguese legislation on Sports Public Limited Companies (Sociedades Anónimas Desportivas - SADs), football governance in Portugal has undergone a profound transformation. Traditional sports clubs, historically managed under associative models, have progressively transitioned to SAD structures. This evolution has intr...
30
May
2025
Jurisdiction and Applicable Law in Professional Football Players’ Contracts and Coaches’ Contracts - By Patricia MOYERSOEN
Introduction
Most employment contracts for professional football players and coaches do not specify the law applicable to the contract, nor do they provide for the competent court to rule on disputes relating to their interpretation, performance or termination. The reason for this omission is undoubtedly that the parties rely on an apparent se...
30
May
2025
Editorial of Football Legal # 22 (2025/1) - By Ronan DAVID
Welcome to the 22nd edition of Football Legal, your comprehensive reference dedicated to the intersections of football, law and governance. At a time when the global football landscape is experiencing significant changes and challenges - particularly driven by the increasing influence of European Law on existing regulatory frameworks - our missi...
30
May
2025
UAF has Adopted a new Ethics Code that Replaces the 2018 Edition
The revised Ethics Code 2025[1] introduces a significantly enhanced compliance framework, reflecting modern standards of integrity and accountability within Ukrainian football. It expands the catalogue of misconduct, strengthens enforcement mechanisms and explicitly addresses new challenges arising from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Notably, the...
30
May
2025
Ukrainian NDRC has been Recognized by FIFA
On 31 January 2025, the Ukrainian NDRC was formally recognized by FIFA[1] as a compliant national dispute resolution body among the first eight national association.
Ukrainian NDRC successfully demonstrated its compliance with the NDRC Recognition Principles developed by FIFA. This status is granted for a four-year period, subject to NDRC fulfi...