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Legal
Conducted from November 3 to 4 at the AFC House, the workshop brought together key representatives from the various judicial bodies of the Confederation and the AFC Legal Committee, alongside invited speakers from UEFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), as well as experts from the wider sports law community.
The workshop began with an address from AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John, who, in welcoming the participants, reiterated the importance of establishing a strong foundation of good governance, fairness and integrity to safeguard the credibility of Asian football.
He said: “As custodians of the beautiful game, it is our responsibility to ensure that football is built on a strong foundation of good governance, fairness and integrity. The work that you do may not always be visible to those watching from the stands, but its impact is felt throughout the game.
“By ensuring that our regulations are applied fairly, that decisions are made with integrity and that our competitions are governed responsibly, you help protect the credibility of Asian football and the trust that our fans place in us. We must therefore be ready to keep up with the speed at which the modern game is evolving.”
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The first day primarily examined disciplinary case law and regulatory developments in football, starting with presentations from the AFC’s legal team covering a range of issues, including discrimination and gender eligibility. These sessions were complemented by updates on global disciplinary case law from UEFA Legal Counsel Paul-Antoine Dumond and sports law practitioner Jaime Cambrelang.
This was followed by a presentation from CAS Scientific Counsel Imen Larabi, who shared key learnings from CAS jurisprudence, while Brianna Quinn, Partner at Bird & Bird, addressed the upcoming developments in anti-doping regulation.
The day concluded with a presentation from Benjamin Bertelmann of UC3, who examined the evolving commercial and technological landscape of football and the challenges these developments present for legal practitioners.
The second day broadened the focus to the changing responsibilities of legal practitioners in a sport increasingly shaped by governance challenges and commercial and technological developments.
Proceedings began with Marco Viliger, Founder and Managing Partner of MV Sports Consulting, sharing his insights on sports governance, while Andreas Krannich, Executive Vice President of Integrity and Regulatory Services at Sportradar, examined the challenges posed by betting and prediction markets for sports organisations.
Additionally, the programme also explored the legal considerations surrounding the AFC’s commercial and events activities, as well as data protection for sports organisations.
The workshop concluded with a round-table discussion, providing participants with an opportunity to reflect on the key themes from the event.
AFC General Counsel & Director of Legal Affairs, Andrew Mercer said: “The collective expertise and experience of our legal professionals and judicial bodies play a vital role in upholding the principles of good governance, fairness and integrity across Asian football.
“By fostering collaboration and sharing knowledge, we can continue to strengthen our legal framework, address emerging challenges and ensure that our stakeholders are equipped to meet the evolving demands of the game.”
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