Rugby lawyer in Belgium
Sports law for rugby players, clubs and federations
Rugby is a contact sport in which heavy collisions belong to the game. That makes the legal questions very concrete. When does a tackle stay within the laws of the game, and when does it become a fault that creates liability? Who carries the cost of a lasting injury? Clubs in Belgium play under the rules of Belgian Rugby, Rugby Vlaanderen and the LBFR, on top of the ordinary rules of liability law, insurance law and association law.
We act for players, clubs, board members, coaches and federations in files about injury, discipline, contracts and doping. We also handle international files: the regulations of World Rugby and Rugby Europe, proceedings before the CAS/TAS in Lausanne, and cross-border contracts or transfers. You reach us in Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and Hasselt.
Where we step in
These are the files that come back most often in rugby.
Liability after a serious injury
A fracture, a neck injury or a lasting disability after one phase of play. We examine whether the opponent, the club, the referee or the organiser committed a fault, and we quantify the damage together with a medical adviser.
Concussion and return to play
A club must take a player with signs of concussion out of the game and follow up his return. We test your protocol against the federation regulations, and we defend clubs and doctors when that follow-up is disputed afterwards.
Discipline after red cards and violence
A red card, a punch after the whistle or a brawl leads to a disciplinary procedure and a suspension. We prepare the defence, we analyse the video and the report of the referee, and we lodge the appeal in time.
Player contracts and allowances
Rugby in Belgium remains largely amateur, with allowances, expense refunds and sometimes an employment contract. We draft the agreement, we check the status of the player, and we prevent an expense arrangement from being requalified as salary later on.
Foreign players and residence
A player from outside the European Union needs a residence permit and a work permit before he may play. We guide the application, we align the start date with the competition, and we arrange the affiliation with the federation.
Club structure and insurance
Most clubs run as a non-profit association. We review the statutes, the powers of the board and the liability of the directors. We also read your policy, so you know what the sports insurance covers and what it leaves out.
How a rugby lawyer in Belgium runs your file
Who decides
Disciplinary cases go first to the disciplinary body of the competent federation, with an appeal inside the federation itself. Damage claims run through the insurer or before the civil court. International disputes sometimes end before the CAS/TAS in Lausanne.
Which deadlines count
Disciplinary deadlines are short and are sometimes counted in days. A claim outside contract lapses in principle five years after you learn of the damage and of the liable person. Your policy asks for a notification much sooner.
What you do first
Collect the match sheet, the report of the referee, the video and the medical file. Report the incident to your insurer. Do not sign a settlement and do not write a statement before you have asked for legal advice.
Insurance after an injury on the pitch
Who pays after a serious injury is a separate question from who is at fault.
The federation policy and its limits
Affiliation to a federation normally brings a collective accident policy with it. Those policies pay fixed amounts and cover far less than the real loss after an injury that ends a career. We read the policy conditions, we set out what falls outside them, and we assess whether a further claim against a club, an organiser or another player is possible.
Fault inside the laws of the game
A player accepts the normal risks of a contact sport. That acceptance stops where the conduct falls outside the laws of the game. We weigh the incident against the report of the match officials, the disciplinary file and the video, and we build or defend the civil claim that follows from it.
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