QUARTERLY INTERNATIONAL SPORTS LAW NEWSLETTER – JULY 2026
Welcome and Aims
We welcome readers to the sixth issue of our International Sports Law Newsletter, which appears quarterly, and aims to update you on developments and activities in our international sports law practice.
Please subscribe to our Newsletter by clicking here, completing and submitting the Newsletter Subscription Form.
Developments at the Firm
We report the following developments at our Law Firm:
Webinar
On 19 May 2026, our Founder and Managing Partner, Dr. Lucien Valloni, took part in a webinar organised by the International Committee of the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association.
The subject of the webinar was ‘Recent Developments in International Sports Arbitration: On the Road to Los Angeles 2028.’
New Article
Our International Sports Law Consultant, Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw, has published a new article in the New Law Journal (www.newlawjournal.co.uk) on ‘Fighting Racism in Football in the UK and Internationally’
Sadly, racism in football continues to be a blot on ‘the beautiful game’ in the UK and also internationally, and the article takes stock of the current situation and the measures that are being taken to fight it.
We would also mention that we have published, on our website at ‘www.valloni.ch’, a series of Posts on the ongoing issue of racism in football in the various countries that our Law Firm covers.
New Team Member
We are very pleased to announce that Eleni Serifi joined our Law Firm on 15 June 2026.
She is a Greek Lawyer and was admitted to the Athens Bar in 2017, and is currently studying for the Swiss Bar.
She holds LLB and LLM Degrees from the University of Athens and an LLM Degree from Harvard Law School.
She speaks at International Conferences and, in July 2025, spoke at the 17th Panhellenic Conference for In-house Lawyers on “The strategic use of arbitration as a dispute resolution tool”.
She specialises in International Arbitration, in which she has 10 years of professional experience in Switzerland, France and Greece, and will be the Head of Commercial Arbitration at the Firm and also Head of our Greek Desk.
She speaks Greek and English fluently, has a professional knowledge of German and a good knowledge of French.
Further details of her impressive professional background and expertise will be found on our website at ‘www.valloni.ch’.
The Founder and Managing Partner of VALLONI Attorneys at Law, Dr Lucien Valloni, remarked:
“We welcome Eleni to our Law Firm and are certain that she will make a great contribution, especially in the field of Arbitration, which is one of our specialisms.”
Contact:
Email: serifi@valloni.ch
M: +41 76 816 33 69
T: +41 44 515 02 36
Milan Office
We are very proud and pleased to announce that our Milan Office, located in the heart of the City at Via Cerva 18, has been included by the Italian Embassy in Switzerland in the official list of lawyers practising in Italy, who may serve as a point of reference for Swiss citizens needing legal advice, assistance and representation in Italy.
We would also mention that our Milan Office offers specialist advice in employment law, amongst other areas of Italian law, including sports law.
Further information is available from the Head of our Italian Law Practice, Avv. Sara Botti, who is also Honorary Italian Consul in Dietikon, a suburb of Zurich, by emailing her at ‘botti@valloni.ch’.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued the following Media Release:
“The CAS rules on chant appeals by the Mexican Football Association
Lausanne, 2 June 2026 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled on two appeals by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF, in Spanish) against FIFA concerning sanctions for the use of a homophobic chant by Mexican fans. The CAS Panel ruled that FMF must still pay separate fines of CHF 60’000 and CHF 80’000. However, one of the appeals was partially upheld and a 15% partial stadium closure for the next A-level FIFA match has been annulled.
During three friendly games that took place in the summer of 2024 (Mexico v. Bolivia, Mexico v Uruguay and Mexico v Brasil), FIFA’s anti-discrimination monitoring system reported the use of a homophobic chant by Mexican fans. Two of these matches were temporarily suspended. In September 2024, the FIFA Disciplinary Commission declared FMF responsible for the fan behaviour and imposed a 60’000 CHF fine on the federation and a 15% partial closure of the stadium for their next FIFA match. This decision was further upheld by the FIFA Appeal Committee.
Similar incidents were reported on another friendly match in October 2024 (Mexico v. USA), which generated a separate disciplinary procedure. In November 2024, the FIFA Disciplinary Commission declared FMF responsible for the fan behaviour and imposed an 80’000 CHF fine on the federation. This decision was further upheld by the FIFA Appeal Committee.
The FMF filed two separate appeals to CAS against FIFA in March and June 2025, contesting the decisions by the FIFA Appeal Committee. FMF argued that the federation has put measures in place since 2015 to educate, prevent and eradicate the chant. They also argued that the sanctions imposed by FIFA are not effective in influencing fan behaviour and deterring a reoccurrence of the offending conduct. Stating that the incidents were “short and isolated”, the FMF requested to set aside the decision or in the alternative, to replace it with a joint action plan with FIFA instead of “automatic and disproportionate” sanctions.
A CAS Panel was nominated for both procedures and an in-person hearing took place in Miami on 3 March 2026. The Panel considered the arguments and evidence of both Parties and examined footage from the matches. They observed that the conduct of the fans was collective and widespread, and not merely a one-off occurrence.
The Panel recognises the unique nature of the FMF’s situation, who demonstrated that significant financial resources and efforts have been deployed to eradicate the offending conduct. However, they found that the prohibited conduct persists, and the preventative measures do not carry sufficient legal weight to exempt the FMF from liability.
Consequently, in such circumstances, the Panel concluded that the fines imposed were the correct sanction and proportionate to the disciplinary offence. The appeal for the offence during the October 2024 Mexico v. USA friendly was dismissed. The appeal for the offences in the summer of 2024 was partially upheld, and the 15% partial closure of the stadium has been set aside. The CAS Panel considered that the FIFA Disciplinary Commission applied an unjustified double standard for proceedings with substantially identical facts.”
We act in cases before the CAS and in appeals to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court and before the Court of Human Rights and further information is available from our Managing Partner, Dr Lucien Valloni, by emailing him at valloni@valloni.ch.
The CAS has also launched its Summer Academy Programme
The CAS has launched an inaugural Summer Academy Education Programme, which is designed to provide a practical and comprehensive introduction to sports arbitration.
The CAS Summer Academy is a week-long virtual course, whereby participants will learn about the mechanics of sport dispute resolution; key areas of CAS jurisprudence; and about the structure and operations of major sports institutions.
The CAS Summer Academy takes place online from 6-10 July 2026 with 4-5 hours of daily participation.
Sessions are conducted in English and combine presentations with interactive exchanges.
The CAS Summer Academy is aimed at students and legal practitioners.
The cost for participating is Sw. Frs. 300 for students and Sw. Frs. 500 for others.
Some International Olympic Committee (IOC) News
Reforms to the Olympic Games Programme Passed
It has been reported that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been preparing wide-ranging reforms to the composition of the Olympic Games programme and the process for selecting future hosts.
This initiative was presented by the IOC President, Kirsty Coventry, and passed at the 146th IOC Session (an Extraordinary Session), which was held in Lausanne on 24 -25 June 2026, and forms part of her ‘Fit for the Future‘ programme.
The central change involves moving away from assessing sports as indivisible units and instead examining each discipline separately.
Under the proposed framework, a discipline would comprise one or more events requiring a dedicated field of play or a significant modification to a shared venue.
The new methodology will allow the impact of each discipline on venues, operational complexity and overall costs to be measured more precisely.
It will also give the IOC greater scope to retain, introduce or remove disciplines without necessarily affecting the entire sport to which they belong.
Coventry has defended the need for the IOC to regain decision-making authority over one of the pillars of the Games, in the following terms:
“When positioning our Olympic programme, we should really have control over it. This is the foundation of the Olympic Games and the most important asset we share with the Olympic Movement, so we should have control over it.”
The new methodology will be used for Brisbane 2032, the intention being to contain the size of the Olympic programme compared with Los Angeles 2028, which will feature 36 sports.
However, the initial composition of sports for the Brisbane Games will not be decided before the end of this year.
Motor Sport
Formula 1 to race in Las Vegas until 2037
It has been reported that Formula 1 is extending its contract with the City of Las Vegas, in the United States, by 10 years.
The first Formula 1 race took place in Las Vegas in 2023, following 40 years of attempts to secure a race there.
In fact, Formula 1 was so determined for the race to become a success that it invested US$500 million (around Sw. Frs. 399 million) in purchasing a plot of land in the centre of Las Vegas, on which it constructed a new pit building and paddock.
The event has proved a major success for Las Vegas, turning what had been its least profitable weekend of the year, the one before Thanksgiving, which is celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November, into one of its most lucrative.
Since 2023, the Formula 1 Grand Prix has delivered U$3.2 billion (around Sw. Frs. 2.5 billion) in cumulative economic impact for Las Vegas and the 2025 event alone has generated US$43 million (around Sw. Frs. 34.3 million) in tax revenues for the City.
FIA Presidency
It has also been reported that Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who is 64 years old and the President of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’ automobile), the Governing Body of World Motor Sport, has proposed to remove the limits on the FIA Presential term of 12 years.
Under the present rules, the FIA Presidential term is four years, subject to a maximum of three terms.
The proposal to change the FIA Statutes, to achieve this change, was passed at the FIA Extraordinary General Assembly, which was held on 26 June 2026 in Macau.
Whether such a change is appropriate, in motor sport or indeed, for that matter, in any other sport, is debatable. There are pros and cons.
In 2025, the former President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Dr Thomas Bach, declined the possibility of continuing in office beyond the statutory term of 12 years, remarking that “our organisation is best served with a change in leadership; new times are calling for new leaders“.
In other words, Dr Bach regarded the IOC Presidential term limit as a fundamental matter of good governance.
However, it has been pointed out that Roger Goodell has been the Commissioner of the NFL in the United States since 2006, and during that time has “transformed the sport into a global brand and it has an outstanding governance record”.
UK Athletics Fine
A Judge at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, in the City of London, on 2 June 2026, has fined UK Athletics (UKA) the sum of £350,000 (around Sw. Frs. 373,500) with costs of £44,000 (around Sw. Frs. 47,000) in connection with the death of a paralympic shot-putter, after some equipment, namely, a metal cage, fell on top of him at a training ground in Newham, East London, as he prepared for the World Athletics Championships in 2017.
The Judge described the death of 36-year-old Abdullah Hayayei, who was from the United Arab Emirates, as “tragic, untimely and wholly avoidable.” He left a widow and five children.
The Judge also imposed a 175-hour community service order upon the former Head of Sport at UKA, Keith Davies, who is 79 years old, after hearing that he was in charge of the equipment, which had been assembled with vital base plates missing.
UKA had pleaded guilty to a charge of corporate manslaughter at an earlier hearing in February of this year, and Davies had pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety law at the same hearing.
A meticulous investigation by the Police and the legal process, following the death of the shot-putter, has taken almost 10 years to complete.
The Judge stated that the shot-putter’s death was an accident which, sooner or later, was “waiting to happen“.
Noting that UKA had a turnover of £13.8 million (around Sw. Frs. 14.7 million) in 2025 with a projected loss of £400,000 (around Sw. Frs. 427,000), the Judge granted UKA six years in which to pay the fine by instalments.
Hijab Ban in Sport in France
Once again, the wearing of the hijab in sport has become a prominent legal and political issue in France.
In February 2025, the French Senate adopted a Bill on Secularism in sport seeking to prohibit the display of conspicuous religious or political symbols during competitions organised by delegated sports federations, their affiliated bodies and national teams. The proposed measure does not extend to sporting activities, as a whole, but is confined to competitions conducted within the framework of sports federations entrusted with a public-service mission.
The initiative follows a broader trend towards reinforcing the principle of laïcité (secularism) in organised sport. It is largely inspired by the French Conseil d’État decision of 29 June 2023 (No. 458088), which upheld the legality of the French Football Federation prohibition on the wearing of conspicuous political, philosophical or religious symbols during competitions.
The Court held that a delegated sports federation entrusted with a public-service mission may impose restrictions on the expression of personal beliefs, where such measures are justified by the proper functioning of the public service and remain necessary, appropriate and proportionate.
That ruling is currently the subject of pending applications before the European Court of Human Rights, which has raised questions under Articles 8, 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Supporters of the bill argue that the measure is necessary to safeguard the constitutional principle of laïcité; preserve neutrality in sporting competitions; and prevent the display of religious affiliation within organised sport. More broadly, they contend that sport should remain a neutral space fostering social cohesion and equal participation regardless of individual beliefs.
The proposal has attracted significant criticism. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, argue that the measure would disproportionately affect Muslim women and girls, who wear the hijab, and further restrict their access to sport. According to Amnesty International, the proposed ban constitutes a discriminatory interference with the rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, equality and non-discrimination as protected by international human rights instruments, including the European Convention on Human Rights.
From a legal perspective, the controversy highlights the tension between two competing principles: the French conception of laïcité and institutional neutrality, on the one hand; and the rights to freedom of religion and non-discrimination, on the other. It also raises important questions of proportionality.
Whilst federation-specific restrictions have been upheld by French administrative Courts, the extension of such restrictions, through legislation applicable across the sporting sector, may be subject to closer scrutiny under constitutional principles and international human rights standards.
Although adopted by the Senate, the proposal has not yet completed the legislative process. Its examination by the National Assembly is pending and its ultimate fate, therefore, remains uncertain.
The forthcoming parliamentary discussions, therefore, are likely to focus not only on the practical enforceability of the measure, but also on whether it strikes an appropriate balance between secularism and fundamental freedoms.
Whatever the outcome, the debate provides a notable illustration of the challenges facing contemporary sports governance as issues of religious expression, equality and institutional neutrality increasingly intersect.
The issue is, therefore, likely to remain at the forefront of the continuing debate on the relationship between sport, secularism and fundamental rights in Europe.
Association Football
FIFA World Cup
The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup was held from 11 June – 19 July and was jointly hosted, for the first time, by three countries, namely, Canada, Mexico and the United States, and raised several controversial matters, such as dynamic ticket pricing, environmental and heat issues, and travel bans affecting the people of many countries around the world.
Association football is the world’s most popular and lucrative sport, and it is reported that FIFA is expecting to benefit from direct revenues generated by the 2026 Men’s World Cup of around US$13 billion (around Sw. Frs. 10.3 billion).
FIFA World Cup Betting
It has been reported that the 2026 World Cup is also expected to be the biggest betting sports event ever, with over US$50 billion (around Sw. Frs. 39.7 billion) being placed in bets globally.
This is an increase from the bets of US$35 billion (around Sw. Frs. 27.8 billion) which were placed globally during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Bets worth around US$500 million (around Sw. Frs. 397.5 million) are expected to be placed per match, with more than 100 matches being played during the six-week tournament, compared with the 64 matches that were played in 2022.
This expected increase in betting revenue is also due to an increase in the number of teams competing in this year’s tournament, which is up from 32 to 48.
Furthermore, the growing sports betting market in the United States is also a factor; around 65% of the population can now place bets on sports events, which is up from 40% in 2022.
Careers with Valloni Attorneys at Law
We are always looking to recruit further well-qualified and motivated members of our Team, who, in line with the ethos of our Law Firm, are focussed on results for our clients.
We would be very pleased to hear from such candidates, particularly from any Spanish lawyers with experience in sports law in Spain, especially association football, all of whom should email their CVs to our Managing Partner, Dr Lucien Valloni, at ‘valloni@valloni.ch’.
Further Information and Advice
For further details of any of the sports law issues covered in this Newsletter, please refer to the NEWS section of our website at ‘valloni.ch’.
Also, for any professional advice and assistance on any of these issues, or, indeed, on any other legal matters, especially disputes of a sporting or a commercial/financial nature, which are a particular specialism of our Law Firm, please email our Founder and Managing Partner, Dr Lucien Valloni, at ‘valloni@valloni.ch’. He will be very pleased to hear from you.
VALLONI Attorneys at Law experienced and focussed on results!
Our Headquarters
© VALLONI Attorneys at Law 2026 and All rights reserved.