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Young spectator in Australian Hat

A Summary of Key Sports Law Cases In Australia in 2022

This is a summary of some of the leading sports law cases that arose in Australia in 2022. It is based on the author’s presentation to the annual conference of the Australian an...

What obligations do clubs owe players if suspending their contract for Covid-19 (FCSB v Planic)?

The case of FC FCSB SA v. Bogdan Planic1 is of notable interest to sports clubs, players and sports law practitioners...
| Madalina Diaconu | COVID19, Sports, Football, Dispute Resolution , Employment, Articles
Rugby Scrum

Not A Level Playing Field: Drafting And Interpreting Force Majeure Clauses Post Covid-19

Why are the  European Professional Club Rugby v RDA Television1  and  Football Association Premier Lea...
| Nick McQueen, Adam Melling and India Seaton | COVID19, Sports, Football, Commercial, Contract, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Rugby
Football and covid mask

What Tournament Organisers Can Learn From India’s AFC Women’s Cup Exit

The Indian women’s football team (Indian team) was forced to withdraw from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Wom...
| Abhinav Srivastava & Shubham Jain | COVID19, Cricket, Sports, Blogs, Football, Articles, Indian Sports Law, Regulation & Governance, LawNK
Skier soaring through the air

Beijing 2022: What are the travel and Covid-19 rules for the Olympic Winter Games?

Beginning on 4 February, the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (the Games) are almost upon us. But as ...
| Maria Pia Tribelhorn | COVID19, Sports, Articles, Olympic, Paralympic, Regulation & Governance
What to watch 2022 - North America

Sports Law in 2022 – Key issues to watch in North America

Here are the top sports law issues to watch out for in 2022 in North America from the LawInSport Editorial Board.&nbs...
Football Boots With Flags of National Teams

How FIFA's International Call-Up Rules Are Being Applied During the Pandemic

The release of professional football players from their clubs to their respective national teams has always been a su...
| Yeva Agayan, Ben Trust, Steven Corney & Alex Tubbs | COVID19, Sports, Football, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Regulation & Governance
Festive Compilation - Europe

Key Sports Law Cases & Developments Of 2021 – Europe

As we come to the end of a turbulent and challenging year, we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight t...
Festive Compilation - Central & South America

Key Sports Law Cases And Developments Of 2021 – Central & South America

As we come to the end of a turbulent and challenging year, we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight t...

Can athletes successfully challenge COVID-19 vaccine mandates? A case study from the Australian Open 2022

The participation of some of the world’s best tennis players at the 2022 Australian Open is uncertain.  The Fede...
| Paul Horvath, Alex Anthony, Jackie Chan | COVID19, Employment Law, Sports, Football, Ice Hockey, Articles, Regulation & Governance, Tennis
Esports

Esports in Italy: Key Labour Issues & why a uniform legal framework is vital for its success

The Covid-19 pandemic which affected and somehow continues to affect most of the countries all over the world, led to...
| Lucio Mazzei & Luca Viola | COVID19, Employment Law, Esports, Articles, Regulation & Governance
Team meeting

Covid-19: Strategies for UK sports organisations preparing for end of furlough

After a year and a half, and multiple iterations and extensions, the ground-breaking furlough scheme (officially the ...
| Tabitha Juster? & Serena Nicholls | COVID19, Employment Law, Sports, Football, Articles

Key UK Travel & Immigration Rules For The Sports Industry During Covid-19

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the sports industry was one of the first to move its people around the world, with sporti...
| Shannon Donnelly, Jennifer Connolly | COVID19, Cricket, Sports, Athlete Welfare, Employment, Articles, Regulation & Governance, Rugby, Tennis
Laptop Screen Showing Players Playing Football

Sports Technology And Media Rights - The Year In Review 2020/2021

2020/2021 has been a year like no other for everyone, and the commercial sports world is no exception. The COVID-19 p...
| Conor Hume; Ansgar Fassbender, Dr. Joseph Fesenmair | Key Cases & Developments, COVID19, Media Rights, Baseball, Bird & Bird, Sports, Esports, Blogs, Football, Hockey, Articles
Baseball player sliding for home base

How U.S. Courts Have Dealt with COVID-19 Business Interruption Insurance Cases Involving Pro Sports Teams

At the beginning of 2020 there were two big questions in American sports: could Lebron James and Anthony Davis revive...
| Richard Giller; Kirk Gandy | American Football, COVID19, Baseball, Basketball, Sports, Ice Hockey, Dispute Resolution , Articles
Image of a cyborg basketball player slam dunking on a futuristic court

Sport and commercial law – the year in review 2020/21

In a year where our transformed working patterns have been made possible by modern technology, it seems apt for the t...
| Jon Walters | Key Cases & Developments, COVID19, Commercial, Articles
Title image - track athlete completing race

Can the Tokyo Games still be cancelled? Yes, but the legal and financial fallout would be staggering

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is adamant the Tokyo Olympics will begin as scheduled on July 23[...
| Jack Anderson | COVID19, Blogs, Contract, Articles, Olympic, Jack Anderson
Image of football players arguing with referee

Sports Disputes and Disciplinary Procedures - the Year in review 2020/21

It is difficult to look back on 2020 without considering the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had, in any contex...
| Carol Couse, Tiran Gunawardena, Rustam Sethna | Key Cases & Developments, COVID19, Football, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Regulation & Governance

How Europe’s Major Football Leagues Are Regulating Fixtures & Sanctioning Clubs For Outbreaks Of Covid-19

The author recently wrote on the successful appeals of St. Mirren FC and Kilmarnock FC[1] against match forfeits impo...

How 'State Aid' Rules Have Adapted For Covid-19 And What It Means For The Sports Sector

This article examines how EU State aid rules have adapted in the time of Covid-19 and what it means for the European ...
| Marianne Clayton, Maria Segura | COVID19, Competition, Sports, Articles

Fighting Match Forfeits For Covid-19: The Cases Of St Mirren & Kilmarnock FC

This article discusses the recent appeal by Scottish football teams St Mirren FC and Kilmarnock FC, in...

Regulating Against Competition Manipulation In Sport

Financial pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic threaten to increase the incidence of competition manipulation (f...
| Oliver Harland | COVID19, Anti-Corruption, Cricket, Sports, Football, Gambling, Articles, Olympic, Tennis
Title image of basketball player - Sports law in 2021 – key issues to watch in North America

Sports law in 2021 – key issues to watch in North America

Here are the top sports law issues to watch out for in 2021 in North America from the LawInSport Editorial Board.&nbs...
Title image of tennis player - Sports law in 2021 – key issues to watch in Europe

Sports law in 2021 – key issues to watch in Europe

Here are the top sports law issues to watch out for in 2021 in Europe from the LawInSport Editorial Board.  D...

Fired for breaching coronavirus rules: key points from the Joshiko Saibou case

The authors’ prior article (available here[1]) discussed how German professional basketball player, Joshiko Saibou, h...
| Ansgar Fassbender, Dwayne Bach | COVID19, Bird & Bird, Contract, Employment, Articles

COVID-19: Key data protection considerations for readmitting fans to sports stadiums

With the recent UK government announcement that some stadiums can admit up to 4000 fans[1], most of us will still be ...
| Isabella Hislop | COVID19, Articles, Regulation & Governance

A summary of the esports panel at LawInSport’s 6th annual conference

The ‘future legal and regulatory challenges in esports’ panel took place on 10 November 2020. This article summa...

Key trends in sports broadcasting: does the model really need to change?

LawInSport discussed the current state of media rights in sport with a number of leading industry experts to examine ...
Indian sports law update: BCCI conflict of interest cases and IPL’s Covid-19 rules

Indian sports law update: BCCI conflict of interest cases and IPL’s Covid-19 rules

With the recent and much anticipated return of the Indian Premier League (IPL), this Indian sports law update exami...

How COVID-19 is impacting commercial sports contracts

With the coronavirus having a profound impact on world sport and its commercial revenue streams, we have spoken to le...
| Chris Bond | COVID19, Cricket, Sports, Football, Contract, Articles
Rugby Player Diving

How rugby union is responding to Covid-19: a legal update

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a plethora of legal and administrative hurdles for sport worldwide, and rugby union...

M&A in Sports: has COVID-19 moved the goalposts?

Back in Q1 2020, the Linklaters Sports law team looked ahead with optimism at the potential for growth and investment...
| Arnand Patel, Tash Barrington, Matthew Taylor, Thomas Geraghty | COVID19, Sports, Esports, Football, Corporate, Articles, Tennis

Formula 1 and esports in the time of Coronavirus

The first half of 2020 has seen the cancellation of a great number of internationally-renowned sporting events becaus...
| Paolo Macchi, Anthony Indaimo | COVID19, Sports, Esports, Broadcasting, Commercial, Motorsport, Articles

How the UAE sports sector is adapting to COVID-19

The world before covid-19 seems a long time ago[1].  Any way you choose to look at the global sports and events ...
| Steve Bainbridge, Ujjwal Ashok | COVID19, Sports, Commercial, Golf, Motorsport, Articles, Regulation & Governance
Football Stadium

The safe return of spectators to elite sport - a health & safety perspective

The Department for Culture Media & Sport (DCMS),  announced a series of pilots to trial the safe return of s...
| Paul Rogers | COVID19, Cricket, Sports, Football, Articles

Why long-term private equity capital in sport is a potential game changer

Whilst financial investments in the global sports sector are not a new phenomenon, such investments have historically...
| Peter Hanton, Gregory Scott | COVID19, Sports, Football, Corporate, Articles, Tennis
Goalkeeper

Why Hearts & Partick Thistle lost legal relegation battle from Scottish Premiership

Following the decision by Lord Clark on 3 July 2020,[1] the legal challenge brought by Heart of Midlothian Plc (Heart...
| Gavin Brogan | COVID19, Sports, Football, Dispute Resolution , Articles

Cash is king: Covid-19 leaves sports clubs scrutinising their business in pursuit of cash flow

The sports industry has been on an ever-upwards trajectory in recent years, especially at the top of the sports pyram...
| Anand Patel, Mark Warren | American Football, COVID19, Basketball, Sports, Football, Commercial, Corporate, Articles
Football Goal

UEFA’s 2020/21 competition eligibility guidelines and possible legal challenges by clubs

The COVID-19 pandemic had and still has a tremendous effect on sports events. In football the national leagues of Arg...
| Christian Keidel, Paul Fischer | COVID19, Sports, Football, Dispute Resolution , Articles
Scotland Football

Fighting relegation in Scottish football - to arbitration we must go! (Hearts & Partick Thistle v SPFL)

This article considers the decision (available here) of Lord Clark, who presided over the recent procedural hearing, ...
| Gavin Brogan | COVID19, Sports, Football, Dispute Resolution , Articles
American Football

Return to play for US college sports - legal risks, liability waivers and best practices

On May 20, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the governing body for college sports in the United S...
| Richard Giller | American Football, COVID19, Sports, Articles
Basketball Court

A review of the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal’s first COVID-19 decision (Surmacz v. BM SLAM Stal)

On 14 May 2020, the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT), a go-to dispute resolution body in the basketball world, issu...
Goalkeeper Save

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 deli...
Football Crisis

Insolvency in the EFL - the Football Creditors Rule and laws protecting players & staff

In relation to the English Football League (EFL), there have been dire warnings that in the absence of a substantiall...
Basketball

COVID-19: four key legal issues for Philippine sports organisations to consider on return to play 

After more than two months of slumber, Philippine sports is slowly making a comeback. Of course, this comeback won’t ...
| Mickey Ingles | COVID19, Commercial, Employment, Articles
Soccer Player

Can disgruntled football clubs challenge Project Restart? Exploring the duty of ‘utmost good faith’ in the EFL & Premier League

On 28 May 2020, Premier League clubs unanimously decided to return to contact training, in accordance with the Govern...
| Ashley Cukier and Anirudh Mathur | COVID19, Sports, Blogs, Football, Articles, Regulation & Governance, Littleton Chambers
Football Corona

Can sports clubs compel players to return to play and waive health and safety liability?

As elite-level leagues, sporting associations and other stakeholders debate whether competitions can be restarted in ...
| John Mehrzad QC and Joseph Bryan | COVID19, Sports, Blogs, Football, Dispute Resolution , Employment, Articles, Rugby, Littleton Chambers
Football fans

Covid-19: the challenges and opportunities facing Spain’s sports industry

Covid-19 is having an enormous social and economic impact and the global sports industry is not immune. Regardless of...
Football

A guide to FIFA’s COVID-19 guidelines and their effects on Indian football clubs

The severe threat to public health posed by the rapid spread of Covid-19 has forced governments across the globe to i...
| Eshwar Ramachandran and Nihal Zachariah | COVID19, Sports, Blogs, Football, Dispute Resolution , Employment, Articles, Regulation & Governance, LawNK
Sports Coach

Tokyo 2021: extending employment contracts for Olympic coaches

With the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games to 2021, many sports federations are trying to negotiate contract ex...
| Nan Sato | COVID19, Sports, Articles, Olympic
Switzerland

COVID-19: Switzerland plans financial support to help international sports federations

At the outbreak of the health and economic crisis in March 2020, the Swiss Government enacted various provisions of g...
| Philippe Vladimir Boss | COVID19, Sports, Football, Commercial, Ice Hockey, Articles
Taekwondo fighting

COVID 19: safety precautions & legal duties for Indian sports academies to consider when reopening

This article helps operators of sports academies and training centres in India to understand the safety precautions a...
| Seshank Shekar, Yogitha Ramu | COVID19, Cricket, Sports, Blogs, Articles, LawNK
Virtual Racing

COVID-19: can esports help mitigate the impact on traditional sports?

Following the initial shock of Covid-19, reflected in the widespread cancellation of live events and leagues across t...
Track Athlete

Tokyo 2021: qualification issues facing athletes by postponing the Olympic Games

On March 24, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee jointly announced[1] t...
| Lindsay Brandon, Howard Jacobs | COVID19, Athlete Welfare, Articles, Olympic
Australian Sport

COVID-19: a guide to Australia’s main legal changes for sporting organisations

The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and will continue to have, a major impact on sport in Australia.  Competitions an...
| Mark Lebbon, Martin Ross | COVID19, Commercial, Employment, Articles, Regulation & Governance, Tax Law
Cricket India

COVID-19: the impact of postponing or cancelling sports events in India

With the rapid spread and dangers to public health posed by COVID-19, governments across the world have implemented s...
| Shan Kohli, Lokesh Kaza and Abhinav Shrivastava | COVID19, Blogs, Commercial, Contract, Articles, Sponsorship, LawNK
Photo of FIFA FOOTBALL REGULATORY ISSUES APRIL 2020 document

COVID-19: a legal perspective on FIFA’s guiding principles for national football associations

This article examines the regulatory and legal issues for FIFA member associations deriving from the COVID-19 virus o...
Esports Setup

COVID-19: how is esports coping compared to traditional sports?

Covid-19 has brought the world of traditional sport[1] to a standstill. From cancellation of major leagues across the...
Stadium Germany

COVID-19: practical guidance for those affected by cancelled sports events in Germany

Like virtually all football leagues worldwide, the German Bundesliga (DFL) has suspended the ongoing season[1] until ...
| Philipp Wehler and Victoria Thüsing | COVID19, Football, Commercial, Contract, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Sponsorship

COVID-19: key points for football clubs on the UK Government’s job retention scheme

What is the Job Retention Scheme (JRS)? A temporary scheme (starting from 1 March 2020 and running for at least 3 mo...
| Oli Hunt, James Hill, Alex Brooks | COVID19, Athlete Welfare, Football, Employment, Articles
Football Concept

COVID-19: 10 legal considerations of extending the football season in England

The outbreak of Covid-19 has caused significant turmoil to sport globally and football in particular has a multitude ...
Business Checklist

COVID-19: a checklist of key legal and business considerations

As the legal, regulatory, and commercial implications of COVID-19 continue to evolve, our team has created a checklis...
| Jeremy Spector, Peter Zern | COVID19, Contract, Dispute Resolution , Employment, Articles, Regulation & Governance
Football Players

COVID-19: the impact on players’ contractual rights & obligations (key principles from case law)

It has been two months since the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) postponed subsequent games of its 2019-20 seaso...
| Luka Milanovi, Dr. Vesna Bergant Rako?e | COVID19, Basketball, Football, Commercial, Contract, Dispute Resolution , Employment, Articles
Sports Event Cancelled

COVID-19: can sporting event organisers claim under their cancellation insurance?

Many events, including music, theatre, conferences and exhibitions have been cancelled or postponed in the wake of CO...
| Rick Liddell, Sarah McNally | COVID19, Articles
corona football

COVID-19: a high level review of the impact on sports events, teams and ticketholders

The coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak that began in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and spread at a rapid pace, has now i...
| Nick Harrison | COVID19, Commercial, Contract, Articles, Olympic
Football Fans

COVID-19: sport and the law of frustration and force majeure

The decision of the English Premier League, Football League and the Scottish FA to suspend football matches as a resu...

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