Category Archives: MESGO VIII

The third MESGO VIII session took place in Brussels

MESGO VIII, News

The MESGO VIII participants were in Brussels from 20 to 24 January for their third session, which focused on the legal frameworks in European sport. Co-directed by both Nathalie Alaphilippe and Jean-Christophe Breillat, lawyers at CDES.

At VUB University: Jean-Christophe Breillat and Nathalie Alaphilippe, lawyers and session directors, CDES.

After two introductory presentations on the concept of Lex Sportiva and the basics of Swiss law applicable to non-profit organisations, the session looked at the external management of legal disputes and the specific features of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in sport, particularly the role of the Court of Arbitration for Sport but also other arbitration systems.

At the RSC Anderlecht’s Constant Vanden Stock Stadium: Presentation about the diversity of sources of international sports law by Franck Latty, professor of international law, University of Paris Nanterre and CAS arbitrator.

At the RSC Anderlecht’s Constant Vanden Stock Stadium: Presentation about the Basics of Swiss Law by Michele Bernasconi, Attorney-at-law, Bär & Karrer AG.

At the RSC Anderlecht’s Constant Vanden Stock Stadium: Round-table discussion about arbitration in Sport – pros and cons. Is CAS the only remedy? with Rui Botica Santos, , Attorney-at-law, Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler, Kylie Brackenridge, Head of Case Management, Sport Resolutions and Antonio Rigozzi, Attorney-at-law, Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler.

We then moved on to in-house legal management within sports organisations, by addressing the question of disciplinary proceedings and legal strategy. The issue of the fight against doping was also addressed, highlighting the global approach on which it is based and questioning the possibility of duplicating this model to other sectors (match fixing, abuses in sport…).

At the Royal Belgian Football Association: Welcome speech by Peter Willems, CEO, Royal Belgian Football Association.

At the Royal Belgian Football Association: Presentation about the management of a legal department: from legal strategy to risk management by Efraim Barak, Founder of Efraim Barak, Sport Law and Consultancy.

At the Royal Belgian Football Association: Workshop exercise about the disciplinary powers of sports organisations – the importance of sound proceedings by Loïc Alves, Senior Legal Counsel, FIFPRO and MESGO IV graduate.

At the Royal Belgian Football Association: Presentation of the judicial system of the FIA by Jean-Christophe Breillat, Head of Legal Affairs, CDES.

At the Royal Belgian Football Association: Workshop about the management of doping cases – A practical approach by Ulrich Haas, Professor, Zürich University and CAS arbitrator.

Next we focused our attention on the European legal and political framework in which sports organisations operate, especially at how EU law has influenced the regulation of sport in recent decades and the impact it may have in the future, including a discussion of the sustainability of the European sport model, particularly in light of recent developments in breakaway competitions. Looking at the European legal framework of sport also provided an opportunity to present an overview of the European funding sources available for the sports sector. Finally, the issue of EU lobbying was tackled, in relation to both the sports sector and other industries.

At the Pro League Belgium HQ: Presentation of the fundamentals of EU law and sport by Michele Colucci, Member of the Ethics Unit, DG HR, European Commission.

At the European Parliament: Presentation of the case-study exercise about the Seraing case by Pauline Duboc, Lawyer, CDES.

At the European Parliament: Debate about the future of sport in Europe with Laura Vilches, Head of European Public Affairs, La Liga, Katarzyna Biniaszczyk, Parliamentary adviser and coordinator of the Sports Group in the European Parliament (MESGO V graduate), Benoït Keane, Solicitor, Keane Legal, Brussels, Alexander Bielefeld, Director Global Policy & Strategic Relations Men’s Football, FIFPRO and Matteo Zacchetti, Policy Officer, Sport Unit, DG EAC, European Commission.

At VUB University: Discussion on EU public affairs in sports & case study – the EU microplastics restriction with Agata Dziarnowska, Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Micallef, European Commission, James Ogilvie, Head of EU & Governmental Affairs, UEFA and Teodora Pletosu, EU Affairs and Public Projects Specialist, UEFA.

A huge thank you goes to the RSC Anderlecht’s Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Royal Belgian Football Association, the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, the European Parliament and the VUB University for their warm welcome.

As usual, MESGO sessions include team-building exercises and social events during the week, and this one was no exception, as we organised an evening out at a traditional Brussels restaurant and two sports activities (Padel and a session at the gym).

The next session, dedicated to Ethics and Integrity, will be held in Mainz and Frankfurt from 24 to 28 March 2025.

Second MESGO session held in Paris

MESGO VIII, News

From 25 to 29 November, MESGO VIII participants were in Paris for the second session of the programme dedicated to competition design and regulation.

Organised by Sean Hamil, Director of the Birkbeck Sport Business Centre, this second session focused on illustrating the range of contrasting competition designs and regulatory systems employed by different sports for successful competitions, outlining their respective strengths and weaknesses in the context of sport’s particular economic framework.

Topics covered in this session included the specific tool of financial sustainability systems, the arrival of private investment funds and the regulatory framework for professional player labour markets. The application of regulatory systems in sport was also illustrated with case studies from major sports competitions, such as the UEFA Champions League in football.

We would like to thank all the speakers whose contributions made this session a success. Having representatives from UEFA, FIA, LNR, French Tennis Federation, FFF, FIBA Africa as well as Paris2024 was a key component of the week and allowed for a strong interaction with the MESGO participants.

It was also an opportunity for participants to meet, listen and discuss with other high-level speakers and MESGO alumni: Eric Ropert (Managing Director, French Ice Hockey Federation – MESGO VI graduate), Fabrice Jouhaud (Director General, Ligue Nationale de Basket, LNB – MESGO I graduate) and Dennis Gudasic (CEO, Lokomotiva Zagreb – MESGO IV graduate).

Many thanks to them for their availability and for sharing their experiences with the MESGO participants!

At the FIA: Presentation of the financial regulatory regime of Formula 1 by Federico Lodi, Head of Financial Regulations, FIA.

At Roland Garros: An introduction to the design, organisation, governance, and regulation of sports competitions by Tim Pawlowski, professor of sport economics, University of Tübingen.

At Roland Garros: Presentation of the organisation of the WTA women’s tour by Nathalie Dechy, Roland Garros organisation committee and former tennis player, French Tennis Federation.

At Roland Garros: Presentation about the Basketball Africa League case study by Ambrose Tashobya, President of Youth and 3X3 Council, FIBA Africa and BAL Expert.

At the French Olympic Committee: Presentation about the background to the FIFA reforms of the international football player transfer market by Omar Ongaro, Expert technical advisor football regulatory, CAS arbitrator.

At the French Olympic Committee: Presentation about the possible impact of the Diarra case and the operation of the international football player transfer market from the player union point of view by Pieter Paepe, Lawyer, Brussels Bar and Founding Partner, EDSON (on behalf of FIFpro).

At the French Olympic Committee: Presentation about the English Football Regulator debate by Matt Slater, Senior football news reporter, The Athletic.

At the French Olympic Committee: Presentation about Paris 2024 – Looking Back by Etienne Thobois, Chief Executive Officer, Paris 2024.

At the LNR: Presentation about the LNR leagues’ organisation with specific reference to the role of the salary cap by Rémi Pallincourt, General Secretary, Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

At the LNR: Presentation about the developing club ownership landscape in European football – an overview of ownership investment models by Grégoire Nalet, Strategic Projects Manager, UEFA.

At the French Football Federation: Round-table discussion about the future of sport industry competitions in an age of disruption with Eric Ropert, Managing Director, French Ice Hockey Federation, Fabrice Jouhaud, Director General, Ligue Nationale de Basket, LNB and Camille Delzant, Legal Director, Women’s Professional Football, French Football Federation.

A huge thank you goes to the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Roland Garros, the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF), the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) and the French Football Federation (FFF) for their warm welcome.

During the week, participants had the opportunity to attend a EuroLeague Basketball game and experience the electric atmosphere at the Adidas Arena. They were also able to show off their talents in a friendly football match.

The third MESGO session will be held in Brussels from 20 to 24 January 2025 and will be dedicated to the legal framework of European sport.

MESGO 8th edition – Kicked off in Switzerland!

MESGO VIII, News,

The 32 MESGO participants, comprising 20 different nationalities, met in Switzerland last week. This first session was presented as an “Introduction to Global Sport Governance”.

The first session of this 8th edition of MESGO took place from the 30th of September to the 4th of October and was co-facilitated by Nathalie Alaphilippe, lawyer at CDES and MESGO programme director, and Jean-Philippe Bonardi, professor at HEC Lausanne. The topic of “Sport Governance” was discussed over the course of the week at the institutional, legal and economic levels and integrated into the social, technological and environmental contexts. Current challenges facing the sporting movement were also addressed and possible solutions were considered.

At FIBA: Nathalie Alaphilippe and Jean-Philippe Bonardi, session directors.

The MESGO VIII participants were hosted in various locations along the shores of Lake Geneva, which were the perfect venues to gain insights and first-hand experience of sports organisations and their governance models: The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the United Nations Office in Geneva and finally the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). 

The MESGO group at the United Nations – Geneva Office.

During this intense week, the participants had the occasion to discuss and debate with the leaders of MESGO’s sports partners:

  • Giorgio Marchetti (Deputy General Secretary, UEFA)
  • Andreas Zagklis (Secretary General, FIBA)
  • Martin Hausleitner (Secretary General, EHF)
  • Matti Nurminen (Secretary General, IIHF)
  • Sophie Kwasny (Executive Director, EPAS Council of Europe)

As well as having the opportunity to listen to and discuss with other high-level speakers and MESGO alumni:

  • Kenny Jean-Marie (Chief Members Associations Officer, FIFA – MESGO III graduate)
  • Piara Powar (Executive Director, Fare Network – MESGO III graduate)
  • Julien Zylberstein (Managing Director of European Affairs and Governance, UEFA – MESGO II graduate)

At the IOC: Presentation of the IOC strategy by Jacqueline Barrett, Director of Future Olympic Games Hosts, IOC.

At the IOC: Presentation about Sport transformation and new actors by Julien Hess, Director at UCI MTB World Championships Valais 2025) and Jean-Laurent Bourquin, CEO at AdviSPORT.

At the United Nations: Presentation and workshop about Geopolitics and sport by Kenny Jean-Marie, Chief Member Association Officer at FIFA and Carole Gomez, Associate Researcher at IRIS and graduate assistant in Sociology of Sport at the University of Lausanne.

At the United Nations: Presentation about the environmental challenges for the organisation of sports Events by Julia Schmale, assistant professor at the Extreme Environments Research Laboratory (EPFL).

At the United Nations: Presentation about the social challenges for the organisation of sports Events by David Cordobés, Senior Programme Manager (Youth and Sports) at International Trade Centre.

At the University of Lausanne: Round-table discussion about Board diversity in sports federations with Piara Powar, Executive Director at Fare Network, Françoise Emery, CEO at the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme and Laura McAllister, Vice President and Executive Committee member at UEFA.

At the University of Lausanne: Round-table discussion about implementing governance indicators with Jean-Lop Chappelet, Emeritus Professor of public management at IDHEAP, Marco Ienna, COO at World Baseball Softball Confederation and James Carr, Deputy Executive Director at ASOIF.

At FIBA: Case study discussion on FIBA vs Euroleague with Jaime-Albizu Lamboy-Riley, Head of Legal Affairs at FIBA and Julien Zylberstein, Managing Director of European Affairs and Governance at UEFA.

Many thanks to all speakers for their availability and for sharing their experiences with the MESGO participants!

MESGO sessions are also an excellent opportunity for participants to share special moments outside the classroom. This first session included several team-building activities, including a cooking class and wine tasting.

Next stop: Paris – 25-29 November 2024 – for the second session, dedicated to “Competition Design and Financial Sustainability”.