LKK Arbitration has a strong reputation in international sports law, with a number of dedicated sports specialists. It regularly advises a wide range of clients across all the main areas of sports including football, cycling, basketball, swimming, athletics and Formula 1. Its clients include prominent sports-governing bodies such as the IOC, FIFA, UEFA, UCI, FIBA and other sports organizations, as well as elite-level athletes, clubs, teams and individual sport representatives.
Specifically, our areas of expertise include:
- Litigation and dispute resolution, including contract, financial, disciplinary and doping disputes, other disputes involving challenges of decisions of sports governing bodies, in particular before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and other sports tribunals.
- Governance and regulatory issues as well as the drafting of rules and regulations for sports bodies at all levels.
- Pre-and post- dispute matters, including attachment of assets and enforcement of decisions.
Consistently ranked as one of Switzerland’s top sports law practices, the team is headed by Antonio Rigozzi, who has been listed in Chambers & Partners’ Europe Band 1 for Sports Law and recognized as a Global Elite Thought Leader in the field by Lexology/Who’s Who Legal for more than a decade. Clients and peers have recommended him as “excellent”, “the man; the stand-out name”, “a giant in the sports sphere”, and “one of the most sought-after” counsel in international sports law and dispute resolution, whose “knowledge and advocacy are second to none” (Chambers & Partners; Lexology (formerly Who’s Who Legal), Switzerland – Sports & Entertainment). Partner Sébastien Besson has also been praised as “absolutely outstanding”, “a strong, first-class player”, “great to work with” , and for his “wealth of experience in handling high-profile sports arbitrations” (WWL Switzerland – Sports & Entertainment, 2021-2024).
LKK Arbitration lawyers have acted in some of the most high profile and complex international sports arbitrations, including Crystal Palace v. UEFA et al. (CAS 2025/A/11604); Football Union of Russia v. FIFA, UEFA et al. (CAS 2022/A/8708 and CAS 2022/A/8709); WADA v. RUSADA et al. (CAS 2020/O/6689); AC Milan v. UEFA (CAS 2018/A/5808); Jerôme Valcke v. FIFA (CAS 2017/A/5003); Sepp Blatter v. FIFA (CAS 2016/A/4501); Michel Platini v. FIFA (CAS 2016/A/4474); Juventus v. Chelsea (CAS 2013/A/3365 & 3366); Karpov Inc. et al. v. FIDE (CAS 2010/O/2166); USOC v. IOC (CAS 2011/O/2422); WADA and UCI v. Alberto Contador (CAS 2011/A/2384 & 2386).
With multi-lingual lawyers and a global network of contacts in the sports law industry, LKK’s sports specialists are well placed to assist any client in the field of sport.
