The Resolution of Legal Disputes at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

As you watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup (“World Cup”) unfold in South Africa this month, ask this question: how does a legal dispute related to the tournament get resolved?

All athletes and teams have agreed to arbitrate all disputes related to the World Cup and cannot utilize the court system in seeking resolution.

Accordingly, the ultimate arbiter of all legal disputes “arising out of” the World Cup is the increasingly influential body known as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”), an international arbitration association that specializes in the resolution of sports disputes. The CAS, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its American arm, the North American Court of Arbitration for Sport, a division of the American Arbitration Association, also oversee all disputes related to the Olympic movement as well as those arising out of the Tour de France and nearly all the pro sports leagues around the world.

Welcome to the Preti Sports Law Blog!

The Preti Sports Law Group invites you to join us as we embark on a new venture.  We are writing this blog to provide updates and commentary on current issues in the world of sports law.   We hope you find the topics timely and thought-provoking.  Our sports law attorneys understand the challenges and legal needs facing professionals in the sports arena and the complexities of lex sportiva facing the world’s athletes.  With this perspective, we seek to create dialogue and spark debate.   We welcome your comments.

The Preti Sports Law Group is focused on providing athletes and sports professionals with a wide range of legal services.  For example, prior to the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the Preti Sports Law Group successfully represented the nine “push athletes” on the 2010 Men’s U.S. Olympic Bobsled Team ensuring that their spots on the team were protected against a claim brought by four other bobsled push athletes who challenged the 12-part selection criteria used by the U.S. Bobsled Federation.  USA 1, the Men’s four-man team led by driver Steve Holcomb and powered by our clients, Curt Tomasevicz, Steve Mesler, and Justin Olsen, went on to win the first U.S. Olympic gold medal in the men’s four-man bobsled event since 1948.

We are passionate about sports.  We have all been athletes at various levels, collegiate to professional.   We hope you enjoy our site.