Sports arbitration lawyer
Your case before the right forum
Sports disputes rarely start in an ordinary court. The statutes and regulations of federations send you to arbitration instead: the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport (BAS) in Brussels, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, the FIFA Football Tribunal, or the arbitral panel of the UCI. Each of these bodies has its own deadlines, its own language rules and its own procedural code.
Not every file ends before an arbitral tribunal. An arbitration clause does not always hold, and sometimes there is no time to wait for an award. Then we bring the case before the ordinary court, or ask the president of the court for urgent relief against your federation, your club or the other side.
Everest Sports Law runs these proceedings for athletes, clubs, federations, agents, sponsors and organisers. We work from Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and Hasselt, and we act in international files as well. We draft arbitration clauses, challenge jurisdiction when it does not hold, and make sure an award is actually enforced.
What a sports arbitration lawyer does
From the clause in the contract to the judgment or the award, and its enforcement.
CAS proceedings in Lausanne
We draft the statement of appeal and the appeal brief, nominate an arbitrator, prepare the hearing in Lausanne and argue the case. We also handle ordinary arbitration between clubs, athletes and agents before the Ordinary Division.
Arbitration before the BAS
The Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport decides disputes between Belgian federations, clubs and athletes. We file the request, defend against disciplinary sanctions and selection decisions, and follow the file through to the final award.
FIFA Football Tribunal
Unpaid salaries, breach of contract, training compensation, solidarity contribution and agent disputes go to the FIFA Football Tribunal. We file the claim through the Legal Portal, gather the evidence and watch the two-year time limit.
Drafting arbitration clauses
We write the arbitration clause in player contracts, sponsorship agreements, transfer deals and federation statutes. The choice of institution, seat, language, number of arbitrators and governing law decides how a later dispute runs, so we make that choice deliberately.
Urgent relief and interim measures
A suspension days before a championship, or a blocked transfer, needs an immediate answer. We request a stay of the contested decision, provisional measures before the CAS, or summary proceedings before the Belgian president of the court.
Enforcement of awards
An arbitral award still has to be enforced. We apply for exequatur before the Belgian court under the New York Convention, or bring the non-payment before the disciplinary bodies of FIFA or the UCI.
Proceedings before the ordinary courts
Not every sports dispute belongs before an arbitral tribunal. We issue proceedings before the court of first instance, the enterprise court or the labour court, and we ask for urgent relief in summary proceedings when a selection, a suspension or another right is at stake. We write the submissions and argue the case.
Setting aside an arbitral award
An award is not always final. Against a CAS award a limited appeal lies to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. Against an arbitration seated in Belgium an action to set aside lies to the Belgian court. The grounds are narrow and the time limit is short.
Mediation and settlement
Proceedings are not always the fastest route. We negotiate a settlement, guide a mediation, and record the agreement in a text that can be enforced. That route stays open while an arbitration is already running.
How your case runs
Who decides
Your federation regulations or your contract name the forum: the BAS in Brussels, the CAS in Lausanne, the FIFA Football Tribunal in Zurich, or an ad hoc tribunal. Where no valid arbitration clause exists, the ordinary court keeps jurisdiction. We test that jurisdiction first, before anything is filed anywhere.
Which deadlines
Arbitration deadlines are short and they expire without warning. Before the CAS, the time limit to appeal is as a rule twenty-one days from notification of the decision. The BAS and federation rules often set shorter periods.
What you do first
Keep the decision with its date of notification, the regulations that applied, and all correspondence with the federation. Call us before you reply or sign anything. We assess whether an appeal is worthwhile and which body has jurisdiction.
Frequently asked questions
What is the deadline to appeal a decision of my federation?
Before the CAS the time limit to appeal is as a rule twenty-one days from notification of the decision. The BAS and the appeal bodies of federations often set shorter periods. Those deadlines expire without warning. Keep the decision with its date of notification and the rules that applied, and have the deadline checked before you reply.
Do I have to exhaust the internal appeal of my federation first?
Usually yes. Many regulations set out an internal route first: an objection before the committee, then an appeal before the appeal body of the federation. Skipping a step risks having the case declared inadmissible without anyone looking at the merits. We read those steps in your regulations before anything is filed.
My contract contains an arbitration clause. Can I still go to the ordinary court?
An arbitration clause excludes the ordinary court for the disputes it covers. It also fixes the seat, the language, the number of arbitrators and the governing law. Not every clause holds, and not every dispute falls under it. We test that jurisdiction first. For urgent relief the Belgian president of the court often stays available.
I am suspended days before a championship. What can still be done?
Ask for a stay of the contested decision. Both the CAS and the Belgian judge in summary proceedings can act quickly, but only where the request is timely and complete. Collect the decision, the regulations and the competition calendar before you call. We then file for provisional measures before the tribunal that has jurisdiction.
Is a CAS award final?
Not entirely. Against a CAS award a limited appeal lies to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. Against an arbitration seated in Belgium an action to set aside lies to the Belgian court. In both cases the grounds are narrow and the time limit is short. Enforcing an award is a separate step: for that we apply for exequatur under the New York Convention.
Sports we handle this domain in
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