Wicked Coin: FIFA: Soccer, Scandal, and Sportswashing
Hsu Untied interview with Brian Anderson, Partner at Sheppard Mullin
WorldSmart: The Legal & Business Side of Football ("Soccer")
Inside NFL's Jaguars Owner's Fulham FC Purchase
Yankees' Lawyer on Manchester City MLS Partnership
On 1 August 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered its ruling in the case of Royal Football Club Seraing.1 The CJEU found that also in the context of arbitration before the Court of Arbitration for...more
On this episode of Talking Sports Law, host John Wilson and co-host Trevor Gates are joined by Bob Caldwell, VP and General Counsel of Real Salt Lake (Major League Soccer) and Utah Royals (National Women’s Soccer League)....more
It seems almost certain that, in December 2024, FIFA will confirm the award of the rights to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup to The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Assuming that this happens, it will be a major milestone in the...more
Is NWSL merger ahead? Last week, a reported 97 percent of players in the United Soccer League Super League voted to unionize and be represented by the USL Players Association. The unionization comes in the middle of the...more
In June 2024, UEFA adopted its Authorisation Rules governing international football and futsal club competitions, thus responding to the European Court's ruling in the Super League case. The Authorisation Rules lay down...more
First, the Court considered whether there was sufficient evidence to conclude that the Defendants’ standards, in and of themselves, violated Section 1 and concluded there was not. Instead, the Court held that...more
Ahead of Euro 2024 final on Sunday, in the third blog in our series focusing on the tournament, and as promised in our last edition we turn our attention to the use of VAR in the competition. Already a source of controversy...more
With the 2024 season set to begin for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the league and its fans have much to be excited about. From new television partnerships and revamped jerseys for each of its teams to three new...more
Just before Christmas, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered three eagerly awaited rulings that greatly affect the relationship between antitrust law and the autonomy of sports associations – breaking...more
Earlier this month, a Regulatory Commission issued a significant decision limiting the scope of liability for misconduct under the FA Rules. In dismissing the FA’s charge against Arsenal FC manager Mikel Arteta, the...more
Following the UK government’s white paper on reforming football club governance published at the beginning of 2023, the results of the government’s consultation with the industry and key stakeholders have now been released....more
The U.S. Supreme Court is signaling its interest in a cert petition by U.S. Soccer by asking the DOJ to weigh in on whether to take up the case. Such requests often precede the grant of cert. This is a really interesting and...more
Earlier this year, we wrote about the surging popularity of women’s soccer in the United States, and how the sport’s growth promised to open exciting new investment opportunities in markets around the country. The Women’s...more
Luis Rubiales resigned as the president of the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) amid controversy over his kissing a women’s national team player without her consent following the team’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup win. The...more
Football is an industry built on passion and commitment, with clubs steeped in tradition and soaked in the hopes and dreams of supporters captivated by the rollercoaster of emotions that professional sports can bring. It...more
An interview with Brian Anderson, Partner at Sheppard Mullin by Richard Hsu...more
The issue of player compensation has permeated the women’s soccer global landscape since the beginning. As of late, the issue of equal pay has been top of mind since the USWNT achieved the settlement in 2022. The focus of...more
The 2022 FIFA World Cup wasn’t the only showdown being watched by soccer fans last year. Indeed, sports fans and antitrust watchers alike are awaiting a final decision from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) regarding the...more
That's a good thing. On April 1, the National Basketball Association and National Basketball Players Association announced that they had reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The new deal, which...more
Following an English football fan–led review, the UK government recently proposed numerous changes for the game’s clubs, key among them being the appointment of an independent regulator with oversight for many areas of fan...more
There is a better option. A recent report from the government of the United Kingdom proposing a governmental regulatory body to oversee English football (what Americans know as soccer) should be perplexing for those who...more
In July, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") heard not one, but two cases at the intersection between sports and competition law. Both cases seem to have the potential to reshape the governance of professional...more
On this episode of Talking Sport Law, host John Wilson and new co-host Nick Spiliotis are joined by Dan Hunt, the president and CEO of FC Dallas and Toyota Stadium. Hunt describes the importance of his focus on the business...more
The leagues are not necessarily of one mind. The participation of transgender and non-binary individuals in competitive sports is a controversial topic. Sports organizations at various levels have struggled to balance...more
On this episode of Talking Sports Law, host John Wilson interviews Caesar Lopez, the General Counsel for Major League Soccer club Orlando City Soccer Club and National Women’s Soccer Club Orlando Pride. Caesar describes his...more