Sports

Areas of focus > Sports

LALIVE’s dynamic sports law practice has a long tradition in the field, owing to the interest and engagement of the firm’s founders in this area.

LALIVE provides a broad range of dispute resolution and advisory services to national and international sports federations, clubs, leagues, athletes, coaches, sponsors, media companies, broadcasters, TV rights holders, marketing agencies, agents and intermediaries on a worldwide basis.

We routinely work across borders and are well-versed in multi-jurisdictional matters calling upon our network of specialised lawyers for support in other jurisdictions.

Our experience is widespread. We can add value in the following areas:

  • Sport disputes: We represent sports governing bodies as well as clubs, leagues and athletes in disciplinary, arbitration and litigation proceedings related to, among others: breaches of statutes, transfer-related matters (such as solidarity contribution or training compensation), match-fixing, doping, third party ownership, financial fair-play and admission to competitions. In addition, we also provide representation before Swiss courts including attachment of assets and challenge or enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards.
  • Governance Regulation and Investigations: We advise and support sports governing bodies, clubs as well as leagues in interpreting and drafting regulations and rules (both procedural and substantive) aimed at improving their internal governance and their compliance with international standards and requirements. We also assist sports governing bodies, clubs as well as leagues in conducting internal investigations as well as investigations on all other issues that affect the integrity of the sport.
  • Advisory services: We advise and assist sports governing bodies, clubs, leagues, athletes, coaches, sponsors, media companies, broadcasters, TV rights holders, marketing agencies, agents and intermediaries in negotiating and drafting contracts relating to the commercial exploitation of their respective rights and in setting up tailor-made corporate structures. In the football domain, the firm also provides advice in the context of third party ownership, financial fair play and admission to competitions.
  • Copyright issues: We advise and assist sports governing bodies, clubs, leagues, athletes, coaches, sponsors, media companies, broadcasters, TV rights holders, marketing agencies, and athletes in protecting and enforcing their copyrights, trademark rights, image and media rights.

  • Representing an international sporting organisation during a criminal investigation carried out for doping allegations.
  • Undertaking a large-scale, international investigation on gambling-related corruption in tennis, with a view to make a list of binding recommendations for the sport’s governing bodies.
  • Representing a leading professional cycling team in a number of litigation proceedings related to corruption and doping charges.
  • Representing athletes, sports clubs, sports federations and agents in arbitral proceedings before the CAS, and in setting aside proceedings before the Federal Supreme Court, regarding the dismissal of athletes, fee sharing for transfer of football players, participation in international competitions and games, sanctions and bans for doping, and grading systems by international federations.
  • Representing a FIFA official charged with a number of criminal offences including money laundering, against the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) in an extradition procedure triggered by an extradition request from the USA.
  • Advising a leading European football club in relation to financial authority investigations, defamation against the club and court proceedings relating to a put and call option agreement.
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Promenades pénalo-tennistiques à la sauce italienne (internationale et européenne)

Marc Henzelin, 2017

In: Sévane Garibian et Yann Jeanneret (Eds.), Dodécaphonie pénale : liber discipulorum en l'honneur du professeur Robert Roth, Schulthess, Editions Romandes, 2017, pp. 41-54

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The Court of Arbitration for Sport

Bernd Ehle, Guillaume Tattevin, 2012

In: G Wegen and S Wilske (Eds.), Getting the Deal Through - Arbitration 2012, Law Business Research Ltd, London, 2012, pp. 6-9

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The Court of Arbitration for Sport

Bernd Ehle, Guillaume Tattevin, 2010

In: G Wegen and S Wilske (Eds.), Getting the Deal Through - Arbitration 2010, Law Business Research Ltd, London, 2010, pp. 10-13