Sports Law Conference "The Wilhelmshaven case: Challenging FIFA and the CAS"

This event aims to celebrate the timely publication of the second edition of “The Jurisprudence of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber”, Frans de Weger’s comprehensive guide to FIFA’s internal dispute resolution mechanism and its jurisprudence. Since its establishment in 2001, the DRC has developed into an influential dispute resolution body for the football community at large, with an impressive and ever increasing caseload. In this second edition, reference is made to the relevant decisions from 2001 until 2016.

To celebrate the new edition of the book, the Dutch Federation of Professional Football Clubs (FBO) and the Asser Institute have decided to organise a special conference on the Wilhelmshaven ruling of the Bundesgerichtshof (the highest German civil court). The case is extremely relevant to Frans de Weger’s book as it concerns both the compatibility with EU law of FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players and the enforcement of the decisions of the FIFA DRC and of the CAS at the national level. The conference aims at providing a comprehensive introduction to the case by retracing its protracted legal journey and analytically presenting the various legal arguments raised on both sides.

The conference will feature three general presentations by experts in the field. First, Frans de Weger will outline the case’s procedural steps inside FIFA and at the CAS. His talk will be followed by Jan Orth’s intervention on the German decisions rendered by the LG Bremen, OLG Bremen, and now the BGH. Finally, Antoine Duval will offer a general take on the case and on the issues it raises from the perspective of EU law and international sports arbitration. The three presentations will be followed by a roundtable discussion on the case involving key actors in the football world.

Programme
14:00: Welcome and Book Launch with Frank Bakker (T.M.C. Asser Press)
14:15: Lectures by Frans de Weger, Jan Orth, and Antoine Duval
16:00: Break
16:30: Roundtable  
18:00: Reception

Speakers

Frans de Weger
Legal counsel at the Federation of Professional Football Clubs (“FBO”), arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and author of the book ‘The Jurisprudence of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber’

Dr Jan Orth
Dr. Jan F. Orth LL.M. (University of Texas) is a Presiding Judge at the Cologne Regional Court (Landgericht Köln). He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Cologne and teaches Sports Law. Dr. Orth additionally serves an arbitrator in the highest arbitration instance of the Deutsche Fußball-Bund (DFB). In July he has lead an University excursion to the hearing of the Wilhelmshaven case at the Bundesgerichtshof (BGH).

Dr Antoine Duval
Senior Researcher at the Asser Institute and head of the International Sports Law Centre. He is editor of the ASSER International Sports Law Blog, the ASSER International Sports Law Book Series and of the Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration.

Speakers roundtable discussion

• Wil van Megen, Director Legal Department at FIFPro
• Prof. Frank Hendrickx, Professor of Law at KU Leuven
• Jürgen Scholz, Partner at Rechtsanwälte Scholz and lawyer of SV Wilhelmshaven
• Joris van Benthem, General Counsel at Feyenoord
• Mark Boetekees, Bestuurssecretaris betaald voetbal at the KNVB
• Daan de Jong, Legal counsel at the European Club Association

Moderator: Ben Van Rompuy, Assistant Professor of Competition Law at Leiden University

Fee
€50 regular entry fee
€120 entry fee and a copy of the book ‘The Jurisprudence of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber’ (special book launch offer; regular list price book: €150)
€20 entry fee for students 

The book can be collected at the registration desk.   

Registration
Registration for this event is mandatory, as a limited number of seats are available. Please register here. 
Review the online Registration Information & Conditions before registration.

The FBO can provide participating Dutch lawyers with a written confirmation of participation and the programme of the event in relation to potential education (NOVA) points.

This event is organised by the FBO, Asser International Sports Law Centre and T.M.C. Asser Press