Volume: 13 Issue: 6
(June 2015)

News

It is hard to predict the ultimate impact of the investigation into FIFA, which broke on 27 May with the arrest of seven FIFA officials at a FIFA Congress in Switzerland, said Luca Ferrari, Partner and Global Head of Sports at Withers LLP. A much publicised criminal investigation into the alleged corruption of international football that saw Sepp Blatter resign as President of FIFA days after being re-elected for a fifth term. / read more

Boca Juniors was sanctioned by the Disciplinary Tribunal of Conmebol on 16 May after Boca fans sprayed River Plate players with an irritant before the start of the second half of the Copa Libertadores football match between the Argentinian rivals on 14 May. / read more

Catch Me If You Can, a BBC Panorama programme aired on 3 June, has claimed that Alberto Salazar, Head of the Nike Oregon Project, encouraged athletes to use prescription medication in order to gain a competitive advantage. Former athletes and a former assistant coach have made allegations relating to doping including that 2012 Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp was using testosterone and prednisone for many years prior to and whilst at the Nike Oregon Project. / read more

Features

Julian Diaz Rainey, Barry Vitou and Trevor Watkins of Pinsent Masons LLP explore the background to the recent developments, the legal implications and their view on what FIFA must do if it is to overcome it’s current issues. Barry Vitou is a Partner and Head of the Bribery and Corruption team, Julian Diaz Rainey is a Partner and oversees all dispute work within sport, and Trevor Watkins is a Partner and Global Head of Sport. / read more

Dr Gregory Ioannidis, a Senior Lecturer in Law at Sheffield Hallam University, an Academic Associate at Kings Chambers in Manchester and newly appointed member of the World Sports Law Report editorial board, discusses the concept of ‘no significant fault’ in the revised WADA Code 2015 and highlights its application and interpretation with regards to the use of nutritional supplements by professional athletes. Having acted for several professional athletes, Gregory explains that the ‘no significant fault’ concept can now be interpreted in a wider manner and that the need for effective education is imperative.  / read more

On 22 January 2015, the Supreme Court of India rendered a landmark judgment disallowing former President of the Board of Cricket Control in India (‘BCCI’), Mr N. Srinivasan from contesting elections for the top post of the game’s administrative body. The apex court struck down the amendment to Rule 6.2.4 of the BCCI Rules and Regulations which permitted BCCI office bearers to have a commercial interest in owning teams in the Indian Premier League (‘IPL’) and Champions League T20. For the first time in the history of Indian sport, a judicial precedent has been set expounding the principle of what constitutes a conflict of interest in a sporting environment. In this article, Amrut Joshi, Aditya Shamlal, Vishnupriya Sainath and Mahit Anand of GameChanger Law Advisors analyse the rationale to the Supreme Court’s judgment and argue that Indian sport will never be the same again. The authors also analyse in detail the concept of ‘conflict of interest’ as expounded by the Supreme Court’s judgment. / read more

The largest participation sports platform in the world - the iconic Ironman series of events - has found itself in hot water and nearly $2.8 million poorer following a joint investigation by the FBI and the US Department of Justice. Kaitlyn Humphreys, of DLA Piper Australia, explains the background to the investigation, and the impact on the Ironman Lottery, with a particular focus on how this plays out in Australia. / read more

The spirit and purpose of training compensation is to encourage clubs to train their young players¹ and to grant them the necessary financial and sportive incentives to invest in the training and education of young players². Leander Monbaliu, Attorney-at-Law at Koan Lorenz and Legal Counsel for the Belgian Pro League, explains why in his view, a recent small - but important - change in the calculation of training compensation has ignored this rationale. / read more

About World Sports Advocate

The monthly law publication providing guidance on all aspects of sports law, including licensing and sports data, anti-doping and doping sanctions, TV and broadcasting rights, sport technology, players agents, disciplinary measures, sports integrity, sports betting, player contracts, intellectual property, transfer regulations, sports sponsorship and marketing, and governance, as well as coverage of key legal cases, sporting regulations and governing bodies including the IOC, UEFA and FIFA and sporting events such as London 2012. / read more