{"id":25801,"date":"2026-10-02T22:35:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T20:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valloni.ch\/?p=25801"},"modified":"2026-10-09T10:08:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T08:08:33","slug":"quarterly-international-sports-law-newsletter-october-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valloni.ch\/de\/2026\/10\/02\/quarterly-international-sports-law-newsletter-october-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"QUARTERLY INTERNATIONAL SPORTS LAW NEWSLETTER \u2013 OCTOBER 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome and Aims<\/strong>
\nWe 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.
\nPlease subscribe to our Newsletter by clicking here, completing and submitting the Newsletter Subscription Form<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Developments at the Firm<\/strong><\/p>\n

We report the following developments at our Law Firm:<\/p>\n

New Book Published<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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 \u2018<\/span>Sport and EU Competition Law<\/i><\/span>\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Details of the Book are available from the Publishers, Edward Elgar Publishing, by logging onto their website at \u2018https:\/\/www.e-elgar.com<\/a>\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his Foreword to the Book, Ma\u00eetre Jean-Louis Dupont, the renowned EU Sports Competition Lawyer, states that \u201c<\/span>This book is a \u201cmust have\u201d tool for all lawyers<\/i><\/span>.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The Book is also praised by<\/span> Professor Stephen Weatherill, Emeritus Jacques Delors Professor of European Law at the University of Oxford, as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCompetition 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\u2019s rules, and offers much insight into srt\u2019s often uneasy relationship with the law<\/i><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Our congratulations to the Authors!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

New Law Journal Article<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

To coincide with the publication of the Book, Ian Blackshaw and Estelle Ivanova have published an article in the New Law Journal (<\/span>www.newlawjournal\/co\/uk<\/span><\/a><\/u><\/span>) on 18 September 2026 on \u2018<\/span>The Sports Trilogy<\/i><\/span>\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

A series of recent landmark judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union: <\/span>European Superleague <\/i><\/span>(Case C-333\/21), <\/span>International Skating Union (ISU) <\/i><\/span>(Case C-124\/21 P) and <\/span>Royal Antwerp <\/i><\/span>(Case C-680\/21). <\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued the following Media Release: <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFOOTBALL – SENEGAL <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) REFERS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CASE BACK TO SENEGALESE FOOTBALL FEDERATION <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Lausanne, 21 August 2026 \u2013 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 Tour\u00e9, which had been declared inadmissible, in accordance with the grounds set out in the CAS decision. <\/span><\/p>\n

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 Tour\u00e9 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mr Tour\u00e9 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mr Tour\u00e9 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\u2019s 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s declaration that Mr Tour\u00e9\u2019s appeal was inadmissible is not founded in law and in violation of the FSF electoral code. They found that Mr Tour\u00e9\u2019s appeal should have been examined on the merits and a decision with grounds should have been made by the FSF Electoral Appeals Committee. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the absence of investigative measures by the Committee, the Panel does not have sufficient evidence to rule on Mr Tour\u00e9\u2019s 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Other CAS Awards<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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 \u2018www.valloni.ch\u2019 for further details of them. <\/span><\/p>\n

In particular, we would draw your attention to<\/span> the <\/span><\/span><\/span>CAS Award of 26 March 2026, <\/span>OFI Crete FC v. Hellenic Football Federation & Christos Bourbos<\/i><\/span> (CAS 2025\/A\/11227). <\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

See:<\/span> <\/b>C<\/span>LUB LEGACY LIABILITIES AND HOW DISPUTES TRAVEL FROM GREECE TO CAS<\/span>.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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 \u2018valloni@valloni.ch\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some International Olympic Committee (IOC) News<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar, Senegal<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Youth Olympic flame for Dakar 2026<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key facts<\/span><\/p>\n