Sports M&A lawyer
Buying, selling and restructuring clubs and sports companies
A club takeover looks like any other acquisition until you open the regulations. On top of company law come the licensing conditions of the federation, the UEFA and FIFA rules on ownership and control, and the running commitments towards players, agents and sponsors. A buyer who confuses those layers can end up with a club that loses its licence or cannot enter European competition.
Everest Sports Law advises buyers, sellers and investors on acquisitions of clubs and companies in the sports sector. We work from Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and Hasselt on Belgian files. We also handle cross-border deals that involve foreign shareholders, funds based abroad, or an assessment by FIFA or UEFA. One lawyer follows the file from the first talks until after completion.
What a sports M&A lawyer does for you
From the first review of the company to the daily operation of the shareholders agreement.
Due diligence on clubs
We review the company, the player contracts, the debts owed to other clubs, the agent fees and the tax position. We also check whether the club meets its licensing conditions and which obligations continue after completion. You receive a report on the real risks.
Share purchase agreement
We draft the confidentiality agreement, the letter of intent and the share purchase agreement. Representations and warranties, price adjustments, escrow, deferred payments and indemnities for hidden debt are written to fit a sports club, where most of the value sits in the squad.
Shareholders agreement
We record who decides on the coach, the budget and player sales. Voting rights, board appointments, tag-along rights, pre-emption rights, deadlock procedures and exit scenarios are set out on paper, so every shareholder knows in advance where he stands.
Multi-club ownership
UEFA and FIFA restrict control over more than one club in the same competition. We test your structure in advance, assess the effect on European participation and build in corrections where needed, from a blind trust to an adjustment of the voting rights.
Restructuring
Capital increases, conversion of debt into shares, separation of the stadium from the sporting activity, or a judicial reorganisation before the enterprise court. We look for the structure that protects the licence, and we decide with you which step has to come first.
Investors and funds
We guide private equity funds, family offices and private investors that enter Belgian sport. Term sheet, valuation, board representation, reporting duties and the conditions for a later exit are agreed at the start, also when the stake is a minority one.
How a file runs
Who has to approve
A takeover does not stop at the general meeting. The licensing committee of the federation reviews the new structure and its financial basis, UEFA assesses multi-club situations through the Club Financial Control Body, and larger deals are notified to the Belgian Competition Authority.
Deadlines
The licensing calendar of the federation sets the pace: the file has to be finished in spring for the following season. Allow two to four months between the letter of intent and completion, and more when the buyer is foreign.
What you do first
Sign nothing without a confidentiality agreement. Collect the annual accounts, player contracts, loans, sponsorship contracts and the licensing files of the last three seasons. Call us before you grant exclusivity or put an offer on paper, because those documents set your negotiating position.
Sports we handle this domain in
Football ↗
Everest Sports Law is your football lawyer in Belgium for clubs
Cycling ↗
Everest Sports Law is your cycling lawyer in Belgium for riders
Golf ↗
A golf lawyer in Belgium for players, clubs and organisers: management contracts
Athletics ↗
Everest Sports Law is your athletics lawyer in Belgium for selection, doping
Basketball ↗
A basketball lawyer in Belgium for players, clubs, agents and federations: contracts
Volleyball ↗
A volleyball lawyer in Belgium for players, coaches and clubs: contracts, transfers