QUARTERLY INTERNATIONAL SPORTS LAW NEWSLETTER – OCTOBER 2026
Welcome and Aims
We welcome readers to the seventh 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:
New Book Published
We are very pleased and proud to announce that our International Sports Law Consultant, Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw, and the Former Head of our French Law Practice, Dr Estelle Ivanova, have published a new Book on ‘Sport and EU Competition Law’.
Details of the Book are available from the Publishers, Edward Elgar Publishing, by logging onto their website at ‘https://www.e-elgar.com’.
In his Foreword to the Book, Maître Jean-Louis Dupont, the renowned EU Sports Competition Lawyer, states that “This book is a “must have” tool for all lawyers.”
The Book is also praised by Professor Stephen Weatherill, Emeritus Jacques Delors Professor of European Law at the University of Oxford, as follows:
“Competition law has become the main arena in which the struggle between sporting autonomy and legal supervision is played out. This book provides an appealingly concise introduction to the structure and purpose of the EU’s rules, and offers much insight into srt’s often uneasy relationship with the law.”
Our congratulations to the Authors!
New Law Journal Article
To coincide with the publication of the Book, Ian Blackshaw and Estelle Ivanova have published an article in the New Law Journal (www.newlawjournal/co/uk) on 18 September 2026 on ‘The Sports Trilogy’.
A series of recent landmark judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union: European Superleague (Case C-333/21), International Skating Union (ISU) (Case C-124/21 P) and Royal Antwerp (Case C-680/21).
These judgments have fundamentally reshaped the application of EU competition law to sport. They confirm that regulatory measures adopted by sports governing bodies must pursue legitimate sporting objectives and comply with the principles of transparency, objectivity, proportionality and non-discrimination whenever they affect economic activities.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued the following Media Release:
“FOOTBALL – SENEGAL
THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) REFERS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CASE BACK TO SENEGALESE FOOTBALL FEDERATION
Lausanne, 21 August 2026 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that an appeal concerning the validity of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF, in French) presidential election must be referred back to the FSF Electoral Appeals Committee (the Committee) for a new decision. The Committee must further investigate an initial appeal by 2025 presidential candidate Mr Mady Touré, which had been declared inadmissible, in accordance with the grounds set out in the CAS decision.
On 2 and 3 August 2025, an Elective General Assembly (EGA) of the FSF took place which included the election of the President of the FSF and 16 Committee members. Mr Touré was present at the EGA until 2am on 3 August 2025 when he informed the FSF Electoral Committee Chair of his decision to suspend his participation in the second round of the election and to leave. Mr Aboulaye Fall was then elected President for a four-year mandate.
Mr Touré subsequently lodged an appeal with the FSF Electoral Appeals Committee seeking the annulment of the electoral process, and that new elections be organised. He argued that he withdrew from the election when he realised that there were irregularities in the conduct of proceedings and a lack of transparency in the verification and the counting of votes. The Committee declared his appeal inadmissible on 25 August 2025.
Mr Touré subsequently filed an appeal to CAS on 11 September 2025 against the FSF, Mr Aboulaye Fall and three other presidential candidates who also participated in the election. He requested to annul the Committee’s declaration and to consequently annul the election that took place at the EGA, requesting that a new EGA is convened to elect a new president of the federation.
A CAS hearing was held remotely on 10 March 2026. The CAS Panel heard the arguments and closely examined the FSF electoral code. They concluded that the Committee’s declaration that Mr Touré’s appeal was inadmissible is not founded in law and in violation of the FSF electoral code. They found that Mr Touré’s appeal should have been examined on the merits and a decision with grounds should have been made by the FSF Electoral Appeals Committee.
In the absence of investigative measures by the Committee, the Panel does not have sufficient evidence to rule on Mr Touré’s further requests in his appeal, including the annulation of the presidential election. Consequently, the Panel has referred the appeal back to the Committee for further investigation and for a new decision on the merits. This referral does not affect the results of the presidential election of August 2025.
This is an unofficial summary for media use. Unless Parties request confidentiality, the full CAS award will be published on the CAS website. For legal purposes, only the wording used in the written decision is binding.”
Other CAS Awards
We have reported and commented upon some other CAS Awards that have been issued since our last Newsletter, and the reader is referred to the NEWS section of our website at ‘www.valloni.ch’ for further details of them.
In particular, we would draw your attention to the CAS Award of 26 March 2026, OFI Crete FC v. Hellenic Football Federation & Christos Bourbos (CAS 2025/A/11227).
According to the Head of our Greek Law Practice, Eleni Serifi, who has reviewed and commented upon this Award, on 19 September 2026, in the NEWS section of our website, illustrates that, in practice, jurisdiction remains a live and unpredictable issue in Greek football appeals before CAS.
See: CLUB LEGACY LIABILITIES AND HOW DISPUTES TRAVEL FROM GREECE TO CAS.
We act in all kinds of sports-related cases before the CAS as well as in appeals to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court and from there, in appropriate cases, to the European Court of Human Rights, and further information is available from our Managing Partner, Dr Lucien Valloni, by emailing him at ‘valloni@valloni.ch’.
Some International Olympic Committee (IOC) News
2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar, Senegal
The Youth Olympic flame for Dakar 2026 has been lit at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece. This marked the start of its journey to Dakar in Senegal and another major milestone on the road to the first Olympic sporting event ever held on African soil.
Key facts
- The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic flame was lit at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on 10 September.
- The flame travelled from Greece to Senegal, and arrived in Dakar on Saturday, 12 September 2026.
- Dakar 2026 Ambassador and Senegalese Olympian Oumy Diop took part in the ceremony.
- From 14 September to 30 October, the flame travels through all 14 regions of Senegal, with more than 30 stages planned under the theme “Pass the Energy.”
- The Dakar 2026 YOG will take place from 31 October to 13 November.
Ukraine CAS Case
It has been reported that the Ukraine National Olympic Committee (UNOC) has launched, on 29 July 2026, an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the IOC decision to reinstate provisionally the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
The UNOC contends that the IOC decision is premature and dangerous.
On 7 July 2026, the IOC provisionally lifted the ROC suspension, which has been regarded as a significant step that appeared to pave the way for Russia’s reintegration into the Olympic movement ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The ROC was initially suspended in October 2023, following it recognition of regional Olympic councils in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, after the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
FIFA President not to face IOC investigation
It has also been reported that the IOC will not be investigating the claim made by the Human Rights Organisation, FairSquare, that Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, violated Olympic neutrality rules, as a result of a personal request by President Trump made to him that led to the FIFA decision to postpone a World Cup suspension for US striker Folarin Balogun.
Despite Infantino holding a position as an IOC member, an IOC spokesperson stated that its Ethics Commission had concluded that it lacked jurisdiction, as the claim primarily concerned the internal decisions and governance of FIFA.
The IOC spokesperson added that:
“The IOC Ethics Commission thoroughly analysed the complaint by FairSquare.”
See later in this Newsletter on the issues, which currently face FIFA and its President, as a result of the proposal to offer private investors stakes in FIFA Competitions, including the FIFA World Cup.
Motor Sport
Formula 1
Formula 1 has announced its 2027 World Championship Calendar.
A particular highlight is that the number of sprint races has been increased from six to ten.
Sprint events feature a shorter race on Saturday and an extra qualifying session on Friday, and, for the first time, will be held in Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Monaco, and Abu Dhabi.
The inclusion of a sprint event in Monaco will inevitably raise eyebrows, given that it is virtually impossible to overtake around the historic street circuit.
Because of that, the finishing order of the sprint will be much locked in once the cars have completed the first lap, barring accidents.
The other sprints will be held in Canada, Britain, Italy, Brazil, and Qatar.
Also, Portugal and Türkiye will return to Formula 1 in 2027.
The 2027 season is scheduled to begin in Bahrain on 12-14 March, followed, a week later, by Saudi Arabia. However, both events will remain in doubt if the war in the Middle East continues.
Starting Young!
It has also been announced that Robin Raikkonen, the 11-year-old son of former Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, will join the Red Bull driver development programme next year, after impressive performances in karting championships.
The Red Bull programme has produced F1 drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, both of whom are four-time champions.
Kimi Raikkonen remarked that:
“We are all thrilled and excited that Robin has been chosen to further his racing path as a member of the Red Bull junior team.”
And he added that:
“They offer a compelling and comprehensive programme to develop and nurture Robin’s progress over the coming years and provide him with all the experience required to develop his natural talent.”
Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull Team Principal, commented that Robin has “already demonstrated exceptional ability in karting“.
World Athletics
2029 World Championships Host City
World Athletics has announced, on 15 September 2026, that Nairobi, Kenya, will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.
This will be the first time that an African city will host the event.
Sebastian Coe, the President of World Athletics, remarked that this was “historic” and that:
“With this decision today, we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide with the hosting of our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa and Europe over its next three editions.”
And added that:
“It was important that the World Athletics Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment.”
World Athletics also announced that Munich, Germany, would host the 2031 event for the first time.
Beijing, China, will host the 2027 event for the second time.
Russian Athletics Federation CAS Legal Challenge
It has been reported that the Russian Athletics Federation has filed a claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) challenging the ban imposed upon athletes from Russia and Belarus from international track and field competitions by World Athletics since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
Sebastian Coe, the President of World Athletics, is reported to have stated that nothing has changed to lift that ban and has added that:
“This isn’t about politics or passports; it’s about the integrity of competition.”
He will personally attend the CAS hearing to defend this position.
However, Russian Athletics argues that the sanctions “infringe on the organisation’s rights …. [and] …. prevent it from fully representing the interests of Russian athletes on an international level“.
If CAS rules in favour of Russian Athletics, Russian and Belarusian athletes could be able to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
It should be mentioned that the International Olympic Committee has lifted the ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes competing in the Olympic Games, and other international sports governing bodies, including World Gymnastics, World Aquatics and World Boxing, have also lifted the ban on those athletes competing in their own sports competitions.
Golf
LIV Golf Bankruptcy
It has been reported that LIV Golf, the breakaway men’s tour, has filed, on 8 September 2026, in the US for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with at least US$45 million (around Sw. Frs. million) owed to current and former players.
The filing has been made to protect the LIV Golf business whilst it organises new financing from BC Partners, following the decision, in April 2026, by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund to end its funding of LIV.
LIV Golf intends to commence its new majority player-owned league early next year and the filing will allow it to start talking to players about their participation in LIV Golf in the future.
Although, as a result of the filing, existing contracts with LIV come to an end, it is not clear when players would be able to enter into contract discussions with other tours.
Association Football
Issues facing FIFA and its President
The current situation in this ongoing saga may be summarised as follows:
According to Laura McAllister, the Vice-President of UEFA, Gianni Infantino’s plan – the ‘FIFA Forward Enterprise’ (FFE) plan – to sell off a stake in the World Cup has “struck at the very heart of the principles of the game“.
Infantino was forced, after meeting widespread opposition, to withdraw his proposal for private investors to buy stakes in a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would organise future World Cups and other tournaments.
UEFA is taking legal action against Infantino, who has announced that he will be standing for re-election next year for another four-year term as President of FIFA.
McAllister, who was speaking at the World Football Summit, which was held on 15-16 September 2026 in Madrid, Spain, further remarked that:
“There have been a series of interventions by the leadership of FIFA which have troubled me, and troubled others in UEFA, for some time. There are issues around the awarding of World Cups. There are issues around human rights. Of course, there was the FIFA Peace Prize, which circumvented all of the consultation and involvement procedures that should go ahead with something that’s as politically sensitive and controversial as that. There was the Balogun red card incident, and political interference directly in that case. And I think all of that coalesces around a concern for the way in which the game is being run.
Whilst nobody might have anticipated something as radically different as the desire to sell off a part of the crown jewels of football to private equity, it does fit a pattern of behaviours that I think threaten the existence of the game, and hence the need to act decisively and in a very unified manner.”
UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments if Infantino pursued the FFE plan, whilst CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation also voiced their opposition. Oher Football Associations expressed no confidence in Infantino.
McAllister continued her comments as follows:
“We understand the dynamics of the game, which is why we united in such a powerful and concerted way around our opposition to FIFA Forward Enterprise, because that struck at the very heart of the principles of the game.”
It is not yet clear whether an opposition figure could gain enough support to defeat Infantino in elections next March, with a November deadline for candidates to stand for election.
Each of the FIFA member nations has an equal vote, with UEFA having 55 member nations amongst the FIFA total of 211.
And concluded as follows:
“Most of the confederations and federations want to see change, but change is never easy. There are lots of interests that conflict in these situations as well. And I’m not suggesting for a moment that UEFA has all the answers, but we have at least come together in a very unified way, and we’ve made our opposition to this intervention very, very clear.
You know, having too much power in the hands of a single leader is never a good thing… And I suspect if more people had been involved in the embryonic FFE initiative, it wouldn’t have got to the stage it did get to.“
It has been reported, on 21 September 2026, that Infantino has proposed an external review of how FIFA operates and has stated that he is open to reforms.
In a letter sent to members of the Council and all its national associations, Infantino explains that the independent process would “recommend potential improvements“.
Before a meeting of the Council next month, Infantino has also stated that he is suggesting a consultation on “how FIFA’s decision-making can be further strengthened“.
This would include proposals on the role of the FIFA President, as well as “practical ways to strengthen transparency, participation and accountability in major strategic initiatives“.
The saga continues!
We advise sports bodies on governance and integrity issues and for more information email our Managing Partner, Dr Lucien Valloni, at ‘valloni@valloni.ch’.
Unusual Sports: Bricklaying Contest
We conclude this Newsletter on a lighter note!
Dale Wherton has recently become the champion of ‘the Superbowl of bricklaying’ – also better known as the ‘Super Trowel’.
To achieve this sporting feat, he laid 859 bricks in one hour in the competition which took place in Hertfordshire in the East of England.
As a result of his success, he will travel to Las Vegas in the US next year to compete against other world champions in the ‘Spec Mix Brickwork 500 competition’.
He remarked that:
“It’s one of those things where even the world’s best boxers dream of going to Las Vegas to compete and now, I’m doing it to lay bricks.”
For 20 years, he has worked in bricklaying as a contractor, seven of them in Australia.
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.
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