What can John do for you?
John specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration with a particular focus on the sports sector. His primary focus is on sports related dispute resolution, but he has significant experience of advising clients in the sports sector on a broad range of legal issues including:
- Disputes in the civil courts as well as sport specific arbitration tribunals such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the FIFA Football Tribunal
- Regulatory compliance and disciplinary investigations for alleged regulatory breaches and on-field misconduct
- Domestic and international football transfers
- Football manager and coaching staff appointments.
Supporting your ambitions
John has advised on several high-profile football transfers and manager appointments including Raphael Varane’s transfer from Real Madrid to Manchester United, Ange Postecoglou’s appointment at Tottenham Hotspur and Frank Lampard’s appointment at Everton.
He has also acted on some important cases including representing footballer Marc Bola in relation to an FA misconduct charge for an historic social media post and successfully representing Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in connection with a dispute with Malaga FC over a sell-on clause.
John also regularly represents rugby players in disciplinary hearings before RFU and European panels.
What do others say?
John has been described by my clients as “having great knowledge of contractual and regulatory matters, remarkable business acumen about the football industry and an extensive network with clubs, agents and peer lawyers” and “a great external adviser who has become an extension of our in house team”.
What else should you know?
John is ranked as a star associate in Sport by Chambers and Partners and by Legal 500 as a rising star in Sport.
He is also a member of Sport Resolutions’ panel of arbitrators for the period 2024-2027 and a Spanish speaker.