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UEFA Football Law Programme (UEFA FLP)

The UEFA FLP brings together specialists handling legal issues within the industry who would like to deepen their understanding of football law and bring their knowledge up to date.

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Programme overview

The UEFA FLP is designed specifically for legal professionals who need to be up to speed with the latest developments in football law. The programme has been developed by UEFA in close collaboration with internationally renowned academic experts and legal practitioners. It comprises four week-long sessions that analyse topical aspects of football law. Each session is designed to enhance the participants’ understanding of the many intricate issues involved.

Quick view

Type of learning
E-learning Face-to-Face
Skills Trained
Soft skills Hard skills
Estimated hours of learning
250
Contact us

Faq

  • Who Legal specialists or senior executives working on legal issues in national associations, football clubs, players’ unions, leagues and law firms
  • When Every second year. Fifth intake in autumn 2023
  • How Long 11 months (4 one-week sessions)
  • Where Nyon (Switzerland), Rijeka (Croatia), Venice (Italy), Lisbon (Portugal)
  • Price €7,900
  • Number of participants 24
  • Application We review applications all year round as they arrive; however, there is a specific deadline for the upcoming edition of each programme. When the number of places is limited, you may have a better chance of being selected by applying earlier in the application cycle. You will either receive confirmation that you have been selected within two weeks of applying or be added to an application list and informed of the decision once the deadline has passed.
  • Academic certification Certificate of Advance Studies (CAS), 10 ECTS credits
  • Language English

Important dates

  • 30 May 2021 Applications close for the edition
  • 11 Oct 2021 UEFA FLP IV Session 1
  • 21 Feb 2022 UEFA FLP IV Session 2
  • 02 May 2022 UEFA FLP IV Session 3
  • 05 Sep 2022 UEFA FLP IV Session 4

Takeaways

  • Deeper knowledge of football law
  • Better understanding of the latest jurisprudence
  • Experience presenting in front of the CAS
  • Strong network of legal specialists in football

Important documents

National Associations approval form (DOCX 5.06 MB)
Participants Terms and Conditions (PDF 0.16 MB)

IS THIS PROGRAMME
SUITED FOR YOU?

Ivan Robba

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
Angela Rullo

Angela Rullo

34, Italian
Sports Lawyer and intermediary

Angela is a bilingual Italian sports lawyer and international football Intermediary based in London.
Having graduated with a Masters in Law from the University of Bologna in 2012, Angela then completed the process of becoming a fully accredited lawyer with the Italian bar.
She moved to London and gained a wealth of experience working in the sports division of an international law firm. It was during this time that Angela discovered her true passion: football. In particular, she felt a burning desire to protect the interests of young talented players, guiding them to ensure their careers flourish.
She decided to get involved in an academic programme because football is not only a great sport but also a complex industry and in order to represent her players at the highest level such a programme would give her a better understanding of an industry that changes constantly.

Skills

  • Sports and football law
  • Diligent
  • Determined and passionate

Looking for

  • a deeper knowledge and understanding of football law and its applicability inside the industry.
  • expert knowledge and insights from the best legal minds in the sport.
  • an opportunity to study and learn about real life cases and debate them with her fellow students who are current professionals within the football industry.
Dr. Julius Y. Becker

Dr. Julius Y. Becker

35, German, Legal Department Lead at OneFootball and member of the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body

After graduating from Bucerius Law School (Hamburg) finishing a PhD on football federation regulations and becoming a fully qualified lawyer in Berlin, Julius has been General Counsel of 1860 Munich and Hamburger SV. In both these jobs, knowing and understanding the details of international football regulations was required on a daily basis. However, Julius had never studied these in an academic environment apart from his self-studies. Hence, taking part in the UEFA FLP looked to him as the perfect chance to get a better understanding of the many different regulations taught by internationally reknown experts in the field.

Skills

  • Sports (football) and media law
  • Development of personality through enhancing knowledge and making experiences
  • Networking

Looking for

  • Detailed insights into the regulations of the football industry
  • A broader network to know professionals from different areas of the industry
  • Discussions and debate regarding the very diverse positions that other stakeholders’ from the industry have on the same issues
  • A good preparation to be ready for real occurences such as hearings in courts.

Roadmap

1. Session 1: Introduction to football law 11-15 October 2021 - Nyon, Switzerland

This first session of the UEFA Football Law Programme aims to provide you with solid foundations in the area of football law – foundations that you can then build on in future sessions. You need to start your journey by understanding and analysing current football structures at national, confederation and international level. We will therefore conduct a full review of the main organisational issues facing FIFA, UEFA and a number of major national associations. During this session, we will also take the time to study the structures and objectives of a number of other key stakeholders in European football, such as the European Club Association, the European Leagues and the International Federation of Professional Footballers. This will give you a clear overview of the football industry, its main legal issues and the possible challenges that it could face in the future.

Topics

  • UEFA and FIFA structures: rules and regulations
  • Football stakeholders: ECA, FIFPro and EPFL
  • Football law and state law: sources and relationship
  • An introduction to Swiss law
  • EU law and sport
  • ECJ jurisprudence in sport: influence on football;
  • The Council of Europe and sport
Session 1: Introduction to football law
2. Session 2: FIFA transfer regulations 21-25 February 2022 - Rijeka, Croatia

The second session of the UEFA Football Law Programme aims to provide you with solid knowledge about the specific content of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which govern vital aspects of the international football market and are considered essential in the field of football law. This second session of the UEFA Football Law Programme will present you with different aspects of the status and registration of players, the importance of contractual stability between professionals and clubs, the international transfer of minors, the legal regime governing third-party ownership of the players (TPO), training compensation, the solidarity mechanism and the relevant FIFA bodies.

Topics

  • FIFA transfer regulations: history and overview
  • Players’ status and player registration
  • Contractual stability
  • Federative rights and third-party influence
  • International transfers of minors
  • Training compensation and solidarity mechanisms
  • Release of players to national associations
  • International v national regulations
Session 2: FIFA transfer regulations
3. Session 3: Other football rules and regulations 2-6 May 2022 - Venice, Italy

The main objective of the third session is to provide you with solid knowledge about the various other matters that football lawyers are dealing with on a daily basis. This session of the UEFA FLP will introduce you with a range of very different aspects such as the different disciplinary procedures in football, UEFA Financial Fair Play, doping regulations, regulations on Intermediaries, legal framework on match-fixing, TV rights and IP rights, sponsorship contracts and human rights within football.

Topics

  • Disciplinary procedures in football (FIFA and UEFA models)
  • UEFA’s financial fair play system
  • The fight against doping: the role of WADA
  • FIFA and confederations’ anti-doping rules and procedures
  • Match-fixing: rules and regulations
  • FIFA intermediaries
  • Match organization rules
  • Players’ eligibility rules and nationality issues
  • TV and IP rights
  • Event and sponsorship contracts
Session 3: Other football rules and regulations
4. Session 4: CAS system, procedures and jurisprudence 5-9 September 2022 - Lisbon, Portugal

The main objective of the fourth session is to provide you with a solid overview of CAS’s role in football. This session will introduce you to a range of very different aspects relating to CAS: its role, the different proceedings which can be conducted before it (ordinary, appeal and mediation), CAS appeals before the Swiss Federal Tribunal and an intensive review of the major CAS football cases.

Topics

  • The role and functions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
  • The ordinary procedure
  • The appeal procedure
  • Landmark cases in football (CAS competence, financial fair play, contractual stability, training compensation, solidarity mechanisms, doping, disciplinary, match-fixing and transfers of minors).
Session 4: CAS system, procedures and jurisprudence
5. Graduation Ceremony 5-9 September 2022 - Lisbon, Portugal

The graduation ceremony of the UEFA Football Law Programme will take place during the last session of the programme.

Graduation Ceremony

What our students and experts say

Duygu Yaşar
"If you want to gain a 360-degree perspective on football law and broaden your knowledge, this programme is an excellent opportunity, plus you’ll feel chosen with the network it provides. Being a student again after a long break in such a friendly atmosphere encouraged each of us to be more open-minded and exchange ideas. In this specific area of law, not only carefully selected lecturers, but also your classmates will ensure you can improve beyond your expectations." Duygu Yaşar, Lawyer DY Law Firm
Tarek Brauer
"The FLP far exceeded my expectations of a practical and specialised course in sports law. In addition to an excellent programme at a high level, in which the content is presented by proven experts, I met exceptional people, both professionally and in terms of character. As a club lawyer, I still benefit greatly from the knowledge I acquired and the broad network I built up. The programme was an absolute enrichment for me and can be highly recommended to every ambitious club lawyer." Tarek Brauer, Vice-president of legal and human resources, member of the board SV Werder Bremen
Marta Cruz
"The UEFA FLP is an incredible programme for anyone who wants to learn and deepen their knowledge of football law. It has the best speakers, who offer practical perspectives on the subjects but are also connected to to universities and contribute in-depth academic content. Not forgetting the endless opportunities for networking. It has been an amazing experience which benefited my daily work at the Portuguese Football Federation. I highly recommend it!" Marta Cruz, Head of the Legal Department Portuguese Football Federation
Robin Steden
"The UEFA FLP is an excellent programme in international football law which creates the opportunity to attain knowledge and receive advice and recommendations from experts and top practitioners in their respective fields. As such, this programme allows you to learn from the best. An additional benefit of the UEFA FLP was that it helped me to expand the international network I already had." Robin Steden, Head of Legal Department and Investor Relations Borussia Dortmund

OUR PARTNERS

Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey
Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey
Law Faculty at the University of Rijeka, Croatia
Law Faculty at the University of Rijeka, Croatia
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy
European Club Association (ECA)
European Club Association (ECA)
European Leagues
European Leagues
FIFPRO
FIFPRO
Portuguese Football Federation
Portuguese Football Federation
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