Felix Majani - Master in International Sports Law LLM

Name and Surname: Felix Majani
Master completed: Master in International Sports Law LL.M.
Edition: 2008

Life at ISDE. Professional And Personal Experience as a student of the Master in International Sport Law LL.M.

I personally view the Master as having accorded me the greatest opportunity to not only learn but to also explore the wonderful world of sports from a legal perspective. Outside the enclosures of the school, it has enabled me to integrate with the people of Spain as well as people from other countries, in addition to travelling around the beautiful city of Madrid learning their cultures.

Feel the warmth and accommodation of the people in Madrid.

International nature of the course

The LLM master in international sport has brought together students from nine different nationalities. Certainly, this has enabled me to mingle as well as learn the diverse cultures of the students comprised in this master, such as Italy, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, and Venezuela among others. It has also enabled us, as students to engage in multilingual conversations which have certainly proved to be funny and exciting.

The courses and its sports law experts

At the Master, courtesy of its affiliations with well renowned and qualified sports law experts, has made possible, the acquisition of extensive knowledge on a wide areas of sports law, ranging from professional sports contracts to doping, labour and employment disputes, transfer regulations (particularly of footballers), the acts and regulations of football agents, as well as areas related to the procurement of TV rights, merchandising and sponsorship deals by football clubs and other sports entities.

It is also needless to say that during this master, I have been able to engage into an extensive study of various laws, such as the FIFA statutes, the court of arbitration for sports statutes, the world anti doping code, UEFA statutes, the international Olympic committee code as well as the Spanish doping and data protection laws as well as the EU data protection laws.

Several visits to a number of leading sports law firms in Spain have not only enabled the impartation of knowledge relating to the procedures governing hearings at the court of arbitration for sports, they have also enabled us to acquire active litigation skills through court cases. This, coupled with visits to workshops at the Spanish football federation has widened my knowledge on the labour aspects affecting sports, and brought to attention, the federation’s desire to maintain harmonious labour relations between players and clubs from a legal perspective and to fight off any illegalities thereof.

Contractual stability in modern day sports

Of all these areas of study however, the most amazing and indulging discussion has had to do with the maintenance of contractual stability between football clubs and players. It has been quite amazing to see the large number of contractual disputes that have kept emerging between football clubs and players. Off course, the only thing the ordinary average sports lover, I included desires and looks forward to week in week out is watching his or her beloved football club and its star players win games, without paying much attention to any contractual disputes that may be affecting their favourite club or player. This master has however sensitised me of the scenes that occur outside the glamour of the field, and in particular of the huge potential financial consequences that contractual relations between clubs and players may have on the economic status of clubs, which all present and aspiring sports lawyers need to address promptly yet cautiously.

Studies regarding the ability of players to unilaterally terminate contracts with less consequences, the fishy activities of football agents, as well as the sophisticated FIFA regulations governing the payment of certain compensatory fees by buying clubs to the previous club(s) of any new player being signed during the contractual negotiations leave no doubt about the need for legal experts in the area of sports.

Of further note to me in relation to the contractual aspects affecting modern sports is the contractual duties of care owed by clubs to spectators, and by players to each other in the course of football matches have been quite eye-catching in a way that they bring fundamental legal issues into a social aspect and leisure activity such as sports, which the average lawyer, or the ordinary reasonable person in the society would never have thought of.

Madrid life and culture

The day to day life as an LLM international sport law student begins at the school but certainly ends outside. And it is only outside where you get to see the beautiful city that Madrid is. The city is filled with warm and welcoming people, who are more than willing to talk and introduce you to their cultures and history. Spanish as a language is quite interesting, and like all other things, it is always an exciting experience to learn a new language, being able to speak it, as well as getting to taste new types of food. My several visits to several parks, historical sites, and football stadiums have been quite memorable, not to mention the beauty that Madrid is in the light of the night, with smiles all over.

I view this as just but the first of several other steps and\or experiences paving my entry into the world of sports lawyers, courtesy of this Master and Madrid.

The ISDE is certainly the place to be for any future aspiring student!