CAS - 25 years on

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) - or TAS as the Francophones prefer - has just celebrated its quarter centenary. It was founded in order to provide an expert body to adjudicate on sports-related disputes and - the flip side of the coin - to remove them from the ordinary Courts of law thought less capable of understanding what FIFA transfer regulations call the "specificity of sport". It has now become, in the words of the Swiss Federal Tribunal, a true world Court of Sport. Read on

Broadcasting rights disputes head for the courtroom

One development that can be expected to heat up considerably in the next 18 months are disputes, both regulatory and between private parties, about the broadcasting rights of sporting events. Simply put premium events attract premium viewer numbers, premium advertising (to a closely modeled viewing demographic) and premium subscribers. For commercial broadcasters it is the "premia" league of broadcasting content, consistently surpassing even the current vogue for talent contests and related phone ins. Read on

Stays of execution from sporting sanctions

On 3 November 2009 the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) stayed the ban on Chelsea FC preventing them from signing players for two transfer windows, pending the outcome of Chelsea's appeal to the CAS (CAS 2009/1976&7). The ban had been imposed in September 2009 by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber, which had found that Chelsea breached the FIFA regulations by signing the young player Gael Kakuta from RC Lens whilst he was under contract. Read on

Cases

Ian Mill QC and Tom Weisselberg acted for the sports agent, Proactive Sports Management Limited, in its dispute with Wayne Rooney (and his company) over commissions on image rights/sponsorship agreements.

Adam Lewis QC successfully acted for the player, who CAS held had acted with no fault or negligence.

Adam Lewis QC successfully acted for Wasps against a charge that the club improperly refused to play a match at Sale due to the state of the pitch.

Robert Anderson QC acted for Portsmouth FC in its battle to avoid administration. The case raised very important points about VAT on football transfers.

Michael Beloff QC and Adam Lewis QC are acting for the Gibraltar FA in proceedings before CAS.

Jane Mulcahy acts for the club in an insurance dispute brought by the player.

Jane Mulcahy acts for the club in a breach of contract dispute with a former manager.

The International Cricket Council has appointed Michael Beloff QC as the Appeals Commissioner to hear BCCI's plea against the one-year ban on New Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla stadium.

Michael Beloff QC is advising the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on a challenge to their criteria for overseas players.

Nick De Marco acted for Bolton in a large image rights case against Chelsea's Anelka.

Nick De Marco successfully represented the RFU in an appeal by the Gloucester Premiership player from a ban for kicking the England captain during a game. Ian Mill QC was President of the Appeals Panel.

Michael Beloff QC and Nick De Marco represent Fulham in a Premier League arbitration against West Ham arising out of the Tevez affair.

Nick De Marco recently advised Turkish Airways on football sponsorship agreements before their recent high profile sponsorship of Manchester United FC.