Ivan Robba
37, British
General Secretary & Legal Director of the Gibraltar Football Association.
Ivan studied Law in the University of Leeds back in 2001. He qualified as a lawyer from Northumbria University in Newcastle, UK, in 2006 and worked in private practice in Gibraltar until 2014. The Gibraltar Football Association was his client since 2008, and moved over as in house Head of Legal in July 2014, shortly after the Gibraltar FA joined UEFA as its 54th Member. The Gibraltar FA was very much an amateur association prior to UEFA Membership, so there was a lot of work to be done to professionalize both institutionally and sportingly. Ivan quickly realized that sports law, in particular football issues were extremely specific, and that it would be essential to get involved in an academic programme that would provide him with the foundation to face the upcoming challenges that the Gibraltar FA had ahead, especially in becoming a professional entity with the proper structure to function in line with UEFA obligations.
“The Football Law Programme was a fantastic initiative, with the best and most prestigious lecturers and speakers, so not only would the content be extremely useful, the networking value was immense. Thanks to the FLP, I have established a great network with sports/football law professionals, and I often reach out to them to ask for advice and bounce ideas on the way forward. It is highly recommended and I would not be where I am today without it.”
Skills
- Disciplinary and Regulatory matters
- Governance
- Dispute resolution
Looking for
- a solid foundation upon which to build football law knowledge
- a network of sports and football law professionals