Editor's note: This report compiles all relevant news, events and materials on International and European Sports Law based on the daily coverage provided on our twitter feed @Sportslaw_asser. You are invited to complete this survey via the comments section below, feel free to add links to important cases, documents and articles we might have overlooked.

The Headlines 

The CAS award in Hakan Çalhanoglu v. Trabzonspor FC

The dispute between the Turkish football player Hakan Çalhanoğlu and the Turkish club Trabzonspor FC dates back to April 2013, when the latter lodged a claim before the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber ('FIFA DRC') alleging that, by signing a contract with the German club Karlsruher SC, Hakan Çalhanoğlu breached the terms of his employment contract (with Trabzonspor FC) without just cause. In January 2016, the FIFA DRC upheld the claims advanced by Trabzonspor FC and imposed a four-month period of ineligibility on the Turkish international. Both the player and the club decided to appeal the FIFA DRC decision before the CAS. In its press release dated 2 February 2017, the CAS reports that it has delivered its award which confirms the four-month ban imposed on Hakan Çalhanoglu by the FIFA DRC (provisionally suspended by the CAS upon the request made by Hakan Çalhanoglu) and orders the Turkish international to pay Trabzonspor FC the sum of EUR 100,000.

The CAS award concerning Russian athlete Mariya Savinova-Farnosova

On 10 February 2017, the CAS rendered its award in the ordinary arbitration procedure between the International Association of Athletics Federations ('IAAF'), the Russian Athletics Federation and Russian 800 metres runner Mariya Savinova-Farnosova. The CAS held that, during the period between 26 July 2010 and 19 August 2013, Ms. Savinova-Farnosova was engaged in using doping, and thus violated Rule 32 (2) (b) of the IAAF Competition Rules. Consequently, the CAS imposed a four-year period of ineligibility on Ms. Savinova-Farnosova, starting from 24 August 2015. In addition, all results achieved by her in the respective period were annulled and she must now return her gold medals from the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the Daegu 2011 IAAF World Championships.

The CAS rejected the urgent requests for provisional measures filed by five Russian cross country skiers 

On 21 February 2017, the CAS refused to order provisional measures requested by five Russian cross country skiers, namely Evgeniy Belov, Alexander Legkov, Alexey Petukhov, Evgenia Shapovalova and Maxim Vylegzhanin, in the appeal arbitration procedure against the International Ski Federation ('FIS'). The athletes requested the CAS to stay the execution of the decisions adopted by the FIS Doping Panel on 25 January 2017 (Evgeniy Belov and Alexander Legkov) and on 6 February 2017 (Alexey Petukhov, Evgenia Shapovalova and Maxim Vylegzhanin) respectively. It is worth recalling that the FIS Doping Panel provisionally suspended the athletes in question on account of the evidence presented in Part II of the McLaren Independent Investigation Report, which unveiled that doping samples of several Russian medallists at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics may have been manipulated.

The International Olympic Committee modified the Host City Contract 2024 

In its press release dated 28 February 2017, the International Olympic Committee ('IOC') communicated that, as part of the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020, it is making specific changes to the Host City Contract 2024 with regard to human rights, anti-corruption and sustainable development. The IOC President Thomas Bach stated that ''this latest step is another reflection of the IOC's commitment to embedding the fundamental values of Olympism in all aspects of the Olympic Games.'' Although the Host City of the 2024 Summer Olympics is scheduled to be announced only in September this year, it is now clear that, be it either Los Angeles or Paris (as Budapest has recently withdrawn its bid), the it will have to abide by additional range of human rights obligations.

Sports Law Related Decisions

• CAS – Award delivered in the arbitration between Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men's Canoe and Kayak team members
• CAS – Award delivered in the arbitration between the Football Association of Serbia and UEFA
• CAS – CAS imposes four-year period of ineligibility on Russian athlete Mariya Savinova-Farnosova
• CAS – CAS rejects the request for provisional measures filed by Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
• CAS – CAS rejects the urgent requests for provisional measures filed by five Russian athletes
• CAS – CAS upholds the FIFA decision to impose a 4-month ban on Hakan Çalhanoglu; grants EUR 100,000 to Trabzonspor FC as compensation for breach of contract

Official Documents and Press Releases

• CAS – Alexander Legkov and Evgeniy Belov file appeals at the CAS
• CAS – CAS procedure between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and the Asian Football Confederation has concluded
• CAS – Jerome Valcke files an appeal at the CAS
• CAS – Nesta Carter files an appeal at the CAS
• FIFA – CAS decision in the case involving Gordon Derrick
• FIFA – FIFA extends ban of Timor-Leste FA General Secretary
• FIFPro – Belgian ruling on minor violates human rights
• IOC – IOC strengthens its stance in favour of human rights and against corruption in new Host City Contract
• UEFA – UEFA Executive Committee endorses reforms
• WADA – Laos ratifies UNESCO Anti-Doping Convention
• WADA – WADA meets with Anti-Doping Organizations to discuss McLaren Investigation Report Part I
• WADA – WADA removes Azerbaijan and Indonesia from the World Anti-Doping Code's non-compliant list
• WADA – WADA suspends accreditation of the Bogota laboratory

In the news 

Doping

• Andy Brown Russia to miss London 2017 IAAF World Championships
• Nick Butler WADA warn against jailing doping cheats as Ethiopian faces three-year sentence
• Cycling News WADA struggling over legality of naming Operacion Puerto athletes
• Daniel Etchells Detained Kazakh biathletes all return negative doping results
• Daniel Etchells IAAF receive 16 more requests for Russians to compete as neutrals
• Bonnie D. Ford With one year until 2018 Winter Games, Russia's status murky
• Liam Morgan Savinova stripped of Olympic gold medal and given four-year doping ban by CAS
• Reuters Sample re-tests from Sochi Olympics to run to 2022: IOC
• Dan Roan WADA has 'full confidence' in McLaren Report despite 'discrepancies'
• Rebecca R. Ruiz Austrian police raid Kazakh biathletes' hotel, confiscating drugs and phones
• Rebecca R. Ruiz Clashing agendas: Anti-doping officials vs. U.S. Olympic leaders
• Rebecca R. Ruiz House panel sets hearing to scrutinize doping in international sports
• Rebecca R. Ruiz Russians implicated in doping still compete, angering other athletes
• Sputnik International IOC's negative reaction proves McLaren Report politicized – Russian Senator
• TASS Russian cross country skiers set to appeal temporary suspension with CAS

Football 

• Boxscore News Bobby Barnes leads new FIFPro talks with UEFA
• CIES Football Observatory Big-5 league clubs break transfer expenditure record
• Gerald Imray and Enock Muchinjo Beautiful game? Not for exploited soccer players in Africa
• Tariq Panja FIFA's internal investigation said to uncover more crimes
• Tariq Panja Sponsors shy away from FIFA as Russia World Cup draws near
• Tim Pryor Jersey FA get date before Court of Arbitration for sport in UEFA dispute
• Rory Smith U.S. travel restrictions would damage 2026 World Cup bid, UEFA President says
• Swissinfo.ch FIFA under scrutiny from anti-corruption body
• TASS Russia increases spending on 2018 FIFA World Cup preparations
• The Guardian Qatar spending $ 500 million a week on World Cup projects
• The Times of India FIFA seeks life ban against ex-Guatemala, Costa Rica chiefs
• The Times of India Portugal suspends bets over match-fixing fears
• Andrew Warshaw Cypriot FA rejects Karmiotissa and AEZ denials and issues EUR 50,000 match-fixing fines                                                     

Other

• Belarusian Telegraph Agency Belarus' National Olympic Committee prepares suit against International Canoe Federation
• Nick Butler Swiss Canton votes against 2026 Winter Olympic bid in referendum
• Alastair Himmer Tokyo governor warns of spiralling 2020 Olympics costs
• Reuters Kenya accepts scrapping of order to disband Olympic committee
• Reuters Kuwait minister resigns ahead of planned no-confidence vote over IOC ban
• Reuters Olympics – Hungary to withdraw 2024 summer Olympic bid – government spokesman
• Reuters Olympics: Rights groups praise IOC's revisited Games contract
•  The Guardian Rio's Olympic venues, six months on – in pictures

Books 

• Cécile Chaussard and Thierry Chiron La Lutte Contre le Dopage – L'Essentiel du Droit
• Leanne O'Leary Employment and Labour Relations Law in the Premier League, NBA and International Rugby Union

Academic Articles

• Antoine Duval Not in My Name! Claudia Pechstein and the Post-Consensual Foundations of the Court of Arbitration for Sport
• Suren Gomtsian et al. Between the Green Pitch and the Red Tape: The Private Legal Order of FIFA
• Special Issue of the Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law – 20 Years After Bosman: The New Frontiers of EU Law and Sport (Freely downloadable for the next month!)
• Antoine Duval The Court of Arbitration for Sport and EU Law: Chronicle of an Encounter
• Ben Van Rompuy The Role of EU Competition Law in Tackling Abuse of Regulatory Power by Sports Associations

Blogs

Asser International Sports Law Blog

• Emre Bilginoglu Introducing the New Legal Challenges of E-sports
• Antoine Duval Doyen vs. Sporting I: Doyen's Pyrrhic Victory at the CAS
• Tomáš Grell FIFA's Responsibility for Human Rights Abuses in Qatar – Part I: The Claims Against FIFA
• Oskar Van Maren UEFA's Financial Fair Play Regulations and the Rise of Football's 1 %
• Shervine Nafissi Doyen vs. Sporting II: The Bitter End of Sporting's Fight at the Swiss Federal Supreme Court

Law in Sport 

• Jamie Singer Ross Brown Can suspicious betting alerts prove match fixing? The case of KS Skënderbeu v UEFA
• Jake Cohen Carol Cause Case review: US Soccer Federation v. National Players Association (use of player likenesses)
• John Elphick How to structure image rights companies for international athletes working in the U.K.
• Jasser Kassab How FIFA's TMS's global player exchange is changing how football clubs conduct international transfers
• Ryan Lake NHL expansion: The formation of the Vegas Golden Knights
• Andrea Sartori KPMG analysis of football clubs and the stock exchange in 2016
• Andrew Smith Can football players unilaterally retire from international duty? The Joël Matip and & Allan Nyom cases
• Lloyd Thomas Termination of football employment contracts without just cause: A review of Hakan Çalhanoglu v Trabzonspor FC

Others

• Nick Butler: Stalling IOC are still missing the point about McLaren Report evidence
• Doug VanDerwerken, Jacek Rothert and Brice Nguelifack The impact of suspension rules on fouls in football: Case study from the Premier League
• Anna Jean Kaiser Legacy of Rio Olympics so far is series of unkept promises
• Steve Silver How Donald Trump's SCOTUS pick, Neil Gorsuch, could shape the future of sports

Upcoming Events

• 6 April – Sportaccord Convention 2017 (''Lawaccord'') – Joint Session with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Aarhus, Denmark
• 28-29 April – 2017 Macolin Anti-Doping Summit: A Fresh Look at the Science, Legal, and Policy Aspects of Anti-Doping, Swiss National Sports Centre, Macolin (Magglingen) Switzerland
• 29-30 June – Sport & EU 12^th Annual Conference, Molde University College, Molde, Norway

Editor’s note: This report compiles all relevant news, events and materials on International and European Sports Law based on the daily coverage provided on our twitter feed @Sportslaw_asser. You are invited to complete this survey via the comments section below, feel free to add links to important cases, documents and articles we might have overlooked. 

The Headlines

The Russian State Doping Scandal and the crisis of the World Anti-Doping System

Russian doping and the state of the Anti-Doping System has been the dominant international sports law story in November and December. This is mainly due to the release of the second report of the McLaren’s investigation on 9 December 2016. The outcome of McLaren’s work showed a “well-oiled systemic cheating scheme” that reached to the highest level of Russian sports and government, involving the striking figure of 30 sports and more than 1000 athletes in doping practices over four years and two Olympic Games. The report detailed tampering with samples to swap out athletes’ dirty urine with clean urine. Simultaneously, the IOC has over the last months announced 101 positive tests from retesting samples collected at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and announced sanctions, 27 of which were for Russians athletes (for more information, see here, here and here).

A few weeks before the publication of the McLaren report, on 20 November the WADA Foundation Board met in Glasgow, in what, at least that we argued on this blog, should have been a turning point in the global fight against drugs in sport. In that occasion, the board endorsed a sanctioning framework for non-compliance that “will equip the anti-doping system with the ability to levy meaningful, predictable and proportionate sanctions in cases of non-compliance by anti-doping organizations (ADOs) with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code)”. The Board also agreed to continue evaluating the request made by the Olympic Summit to establish an Independent Testing Authority (ITA). In addition, the Board’s recommendation about the whistleblower program aims at appropriately supporting, protecting and rewarding whistleblowers in order to strengthen the Anti-Doping System. The hope is that those recommendations will help filling the massive gaps exposed in the World Anti-Doping System by the Russian scandal. 

The Football Leaks: Second edition

It is not the first time that the football leaks appear on this blog. Already in December 2015, we started analysing contracts released by an earlier (certainly more amateurish, but also more transparent) apparition of the football leaks. Back then we focused on Doyen’s TPO deals (you can dive back into the blogs here, here, here and here). Our conclusion was very much the same as the one advanced by the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC): there is something rotten in the globalized football economy and it is in dire need of proper regulation (and regulators).

Moving forward, on 9 December Der Spiegel published its first in-depth piece on the new football leaks. The data gathered by Der Spiegel (Germany) and the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC), includes 18.6 million documents comprising of original contracts. This data revealed a large and uncontrolled use of murky financial operations, complex contractual networks and tax schemes in the world of professional football. In particular linked to the operation of the transfer market. Evidence on player contracts revealed by football leaks showed, for example, that in what has been called ‘the Cypriot scheme’ football players were bought and loaned out by the Cypriot club Apollon Limassol without ever playing for the club, or – at least in one case - without even entering the country. In so doing, the Cypriot club had taken over the role of Third Party Owner usually held by investment funds, a practice that was banned by the FIFA’s regulation from May 2015, in order to avoid, among other things, loss of control over transfer operations.

NRC (The Netherlands) and EIC network have also discovered that agents of various South American football stars (such as Colombian James Rodríguez) used the Netherlands as a pivot country for tax reasons to carry out the transfer of their clients to top clubs in Europe (a story to which our Senior Researcher, Antoine Duval, contributed). There is also evidence of continuous alternation of companies involved in the transfers, with contracts passing from firms in The Netherlands to the tax heavens British Virgin Island, Panama and The Caribbean. The story of the transfer of the football player Kondogbia from the Spanish club Sevilla to the French club Monaco in 2013, emerged through football leaks as well, adds another layer to the evidence of dirty tricks linked to TPO (for more information on the Economic Rights of Players Agreement (ERPA) involving Kondogbia, see our ‘old’ blog from April 2016).

So, should one be fatalist about these wrongdoings and abuses on the transfer market and around it? No. We believe that the European Union and its Member States could and should act (see our proposition in French here, and comments to NRC in this piece) to regulate the worst economic practices of the football worlds. 

CAS award on Real Madrid’s transfers of minors

Finally, in the much-watched dispute between Real Madrid FC and FIFA over the Spanish club’s transfers of minors, the CAS partially sided with the football club. The CAS award modifies the decision rendered by the FIFA Appeal Committee in these terms: Real Madrid’s ban from registering any new national or international player is reduced from two transfer periods to one and the fine the club is imposed to pay to FIFA is reduced from 360,000 CHF to 240,000 CHF. The reasoned decision will be notified to the parties early 2017.  

Case Law

CAS awards

• CAS AD 16/11 International Olympic Committee v. Misha Aloian
• CAS AD 16/10 International Olympic Committee v. Gabriel Sincraian
• CAS 2016/A/4632 Alexei Lovchev v. International Weightlifting Federation
• CAS 2016/O/4464 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) v. All Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) & Ekaterina Sharmina
• CAS 2016/O/4463 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) v. All Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) & Kristina Ugarova
• CAS 2016/A/4746 Sibel Özkan Konak v. International Olympic Committee
• CAS 2016/A/4643 Maria Sharapova v. International Tennis Federation

Decisions

IOC

• IOC sanctions 16 athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008
• IOC sanctions 12 athletes for failing anti-doping test at London 2012
• IOC sanctions 7 athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008 and London 2012

WADA

• WADA Suspends the Accreditation of the Doha Laboratory
• WADA Suspends the Accreditation of the Mexico City Laboratory

Official Documents and Press Releases

• CAS - Carole Malinvaud elected new head of the CAS Ordinary Division
• CAS - CAS list of hearings for December and January
• CAS - CAS reduces the sanctions imposed on Real Madrid CF for breaches of the FIFA Rules regarding the transfers of minors
• CAS rejects first appeal against IOC sanctions over re-testing of samples from Beijing 2008
• Council of Europe - 14th Council of Europe Conference - Final Resolutions
• Court of Justice of the European Union – Athletic de Bilbao’s pleas against European Commission's decision
• Court of Justice of the European Union - Valencia CF's pleas against European Commission's decision
• FIFA - FIFA sets strict compliance standards for development projects
• IAAF - IAAF launches online portal - report doping
• FIFA - FIFA Appeal Committee rejects appeal lodged by Wolfgang Niersbach
• FIFA - Worldwide extension of sanctions imposed in connection with anti-doping violations
• IOC - Statement of the IOC regarding the 'independent person' report
• UEFA - UEFA publishes CAS awards in which it was a party and a list of proposed arbitrators
• UK Government Department for Culture Media & Sport - A Code for Sports Governance
• WADA - McLaren independent investigation report - part II
• WADA - Foundation Board Press Release: Foundation Board Equips Agency to be Fit for the Future
• FIFPro - 2016 FIFPro global employment report working conditions in professional football
• FIFPro - Analysis: EU looks at French football contracts

In the news

Doping

• Rachel Axon, Sports federations face obstacles in sanctioning Russian athletes
• Nick Butler, IOC and WADA need to stop fighting if genuine improvement is ever going to be made in war on doping
• Nick Butler, Russian anti-doping chief denies admitting to "institutional conspiracy" at Sochi 2014
• Nick Butler, Russian denials, police dawn arrests and crisis beards - 2016 has been an unprecedented year in sports politics
• Nick Butler, Sochi stripped of International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Championships
• Graham Dumbar, IOC president Bach wants life bans for proven Russian cheats
• LawinSport interview, The future of anti-doping: Interview with CAS arbitrator & former General Counsel, USOC
• Paul Kelso - Sky Views: Olympics serious about doping? Don't hold your breath
• Charles Maynes, Denial and Outrage in Russia at Latest Anti-Doping Report
• David Owen, Exclusive: WADA to seek legal advice before acting on Osaka Rule reintroduction
• David Owen, I hope one day somebody will explain to me how Wednesday’s unedifying assault in Doha will further the cause of clean sport
• David Owen, Sorry seems to be the hardest word in this doping crisis - not least for the IOC President
• Michael Powell, After Russia’s Spree of Doping, a Time to Reform
• Carla Qualtrough, We Must Be United Against Doping In Sport
• Reuters, Ethiopia set to impose lifetime bans on athletes who fail doping tests
• Dan Roan - Sir Craig Reedie: World Anti-Doping Agency president fights on despite criticism
• Dan Roan - Thomas Bach: No regrets over Russia at Rio 2016 - IOC president
• Olympics chief says everyone involved in doping scandals in Russia dismissed – Russian news agency
• Rebecca R. Ruiz - How to Avoid Drug Testing in Russia: Radio Silence and Secure Perimeters
• Michele Verroken, The doping crisis and the sense of déjà vu

Football

• The Black Sea, Football Leaks: "The problem is there’s no full transparency" Interview with FIFA President Gianni Infantino
• Klaus Brinkbäumer, Money, Money, Money - Football Leaks Shows Us that Football Is Sick
• Pete Brush, Argentine Marketing Co. Pays DOJ $113M In FIFA Bribery Deal
• CBC Sports, FIFA prosecutors want Bin Hammam aide banned for bribery
• Hanneke Chin-A-Fo, Hugo Logtenberg and Merijn Rengers. Football Leaks: The Argentine Connection
• Remi Dupre, Sepp Blatter, former president of FIFA: “I have not cheated”
• The Guardian, FIFA president Gianni Infantino plans clean-up of transfer system
• MARCA, Real Madrid pay fine to city council
• Christian Okpara, Minister wants NFF to investigate FIFA’s query on $1.1m grant
• Reuters, Swiss authorities carry out fresh house searches in FIFA case
• Der Spiegel, Unchained - The Man Behind Football Leaks

Other

• Yann Bouchez - Revelations on suspicions of corruption at the International Athletics Federation
• Nick Butler - Exclusive: Kuwait body lodges $1 billion lawsuit against IOC
• Caley Fretz - Armstrong, Landis, and the U.S. government head to court
• The Indian Express, Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes’ assets frozen over Olympic golf course

Publications

• Adam Lewis QC, Jonathan Taylor, Nick De Marco, James Segan: Challenging Sports Governing Bodies
• Football Legal, Release of Football Legal # 6

Blogs

Asser International Sports Law Blog

• N. Emre Bilginoglu, Resolution of Disputes Arising From Football Contracts in Turkey
• Antoine Duval, The World Anti-Doping System at a Crossroads
• Oskar van Maren, The EU State aid and sport saga: The Real Madrid Decision (part 1)
• Oskar van Maren, The EU State aid and sport saga: The Real Madrid Decision (part 2)
• Kester Mekenkamp, FIFA’s provision on the protection of minors - Part 1: The Early Years
• Kester Mekenkamp, FIFA’s provision on the protection of minors - Part 2: The 2009 reform and its aftermath
• Josep F. Vandellos Alamilla, The entitlement to Training Compensation of “previous” clubs under EU Competition Law

Others

• Peter Alexiadis and Pablo Figueroa, Skating on Thin Ice: The European Commission challenges the governance rules of an international sports association as being incompatible with European antitrust rules
• Despina Mavromati, How CAS deals with excessive contractual penalties in football
• Ravi Mehta, The future of sports governance: Will sport sustain its traditional model of autonomy?
• Raffaele Poli, Blog Symposium: Third-party entitlement to shares of transfer fees: problems and solutions
• Tom Rudkin,  A review of the CAS panel's decision to reduce Sharapova’s doping ban
• John Shea, Initial thoughts on Real Madrid's transfer ban being partially upheld by CAS
• CIES football observatory monthly report (December 2016), The international mobility of minors in football

Events

• 23 January - The US Collegiate Model of Intercollegiate Athletics: Questioning National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Hegemony, Seminar given by Dr. Richard Southall, London, UK
• 31 January – Sport Info Day on the Erasmus+ Programme, organized by the European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), Brussels, Belgium
• 8 March - Discrimination Against Women in Sport Conference: How to continue narrowing the discrimination gap, Preston, UK
• 29-29 April - 2017 Macolin Anti-Doping Summit: A Fresh Look at the Science, Legal, and Policy Aspects of Anti-Doping, Swiss National Sports Centre, Macolin (Magglingen) Switzerland