Money laundering is a modern scourge globally, involving trillions of dollars, and sport, in general, and association football, in particular, is vulnerable to money laundering. This is due to the eye-watering financial flows generated by football club acquisitions, international player transfers, sponsorship agreements and other cross-border
Professional football clubs and agents in Germany are coming under increasing scrutiny as a result of a forthcoming important package of anti-money laundering legal measures under the European Union (EU) Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR). In fact, German professional football clubs and agents officially become "obliged entities"
On 15 June 2026, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (CAS) rendered Award 2025/A/11412 in the Appeal Case of Tommaso Elettrico v. NADO Italia, which is of particular significance from a procedural standpoint, specifically with regard to the appealability of a decision in
The World Anti-Doping Agency released the following Statement on 10 August 2026: Reminder regarding implementation of 2027 World Anti-Doping Code within legal systems With approximately five months remaining before the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code (Code) enters into force, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wishes to thank those Signatories that have already begun implementing the 2027 Code within their respective legal systems.
Current situation Since the end of 2025, Turkish football has been going through the most extensive judicial and administrative investigation process in its history. The "football betting and match-fixing" investigation, which spans referees, players, club executives, coaches and agents alike, continues to produce significant consequences both for
Professional football involves substantial cross-border financial flows, including club investments, acquisitions, player transfers, agent payments, sponsorships and image-rights arrangements. These transactions can involve complex ownership and contractual structures, making the sector relevant from an anti-money-laundering perspective. Switzerland is also particularly significant as a centre of international sports
On 29 July 2026, Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI) has imposed an 18-month suspension on an amateur tennis player for the possession and attempted use of clomiphene and ordered him to pay a fine. During postal inspections, two packages addressed to an amateur tennis player containing the
So-called ‘no-poach agreements’ are used, from time to time, in association football, particularly in crisis situations. They are agreements between clubs not to solicit or hire one another’s players. Once mainly confined to the corporate world, such agreements are now drawing attention in the sporting world,
The recent decision of the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal (Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping – TNA) imposing a twenty-year period of ineligibility on former professional cyclist Danilo Napolitano provides an important opportunity to examine the operation of the anti-doping adjudicatory system in Italy and, in particular, the
Legal and Disciplinary Framework Whilst sports, by virtue of their universal values, ought to serve as a unifying force, they can occasionally become the target of racist and discriminatory acts both in the stands and on the pitch. Turkish sports law has developed a comprehensive sanction mechanism