- FIFPRO Legal Conference will take place this week on 5-6 March at FIFPRO House in Hoofddorp, Netherlands
- The two-day event is an opportunity to update player union legal counsels from around the world and for industry experts to provide specialist analysis on an array of issues affecting players
- FIFPRO Senior Legal Counsel Alexandra Gómez Bruinewoud looks ahead to an event that will analyse the Lassana Diarra case, the future of international sports arbitration, the FIFA Agent Regulations, and more
The annual FIFPRO Legal Conference will take place this week on 5-6 March at FIFPRO House in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, where football legal experts will gather to discuss a broad range of issues impacting today’s game.
The two-day event is an opportunity to update player union legal counsels from around the world on domestic and international issues and for industry experts to provide specialist analysis on a wide range of topics affecting players.
The much-publicised Lassana Diarra case will be in focus at the conference with FIFPRO Legal Director Roy Vermeer and Pieter Paepe delivering key learnings and outlining what happens next after the ruling.
Other topics include the future of international sports arbitration, the FIFA Agent Regulations, betting in football, the latest Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) jurisprudence in football matters, and more.
FIFPRO Senior Legal Counsel Alexandra Gómez Bruinewoud, who will be delivering presentations at the conference on assisted reproduction in professional football as well as collective bargaining agreement negotiations, looks ahead to a “very special occasion”.
FIFPRO: What was the original vision for the FIFPRO Legal Conference and has that vision evolved over the years?
Alexandra Gómez Bruinewoud: The idea has always been to share best practices and broaden the network, so that not only FIFPRO knows all the lawyers, but that they know each other and can get in touch directly in case there is an issue connecting both countries. What has changed is that FIFPRO is a bigger organisation now, so we have 150 lawyers attending, which is a lot more than when we started.
What do you hope to achieve from this year’s conference?
I hope the participants feel they have learnt something, that at least questions are triggered, that they become curious about new subjects, and that the network becomes bigger and better. For the legal team, I hope we also get to learn from our members’ work on the ground and get inspiration to see in which other ways we can keep on supporting our members in the best possible way.
What areas of the conference do you think are especially important for members?
All of them! We provide a bit of an update on cases, we reflect on the jurisprudence both of CAS and the DRC, we present innovative legal projects, talk about denial of justice and, of course, specifically on the implications of the Diarra case.
What is your message to those attending over the next couple of days?
To enjoy to the fullest, ask all the questions that come to your minds, catch up with colleagues from other areas and dare to speak to lawyers you have not spoken to before. We encourage sharing best practices and experiences with an open mind.
