ATHLETE · CLUB · NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES
Contract, transfer, disciplinary and arbitration processes for athletes and clubs. Let us assess together, from a legal standpoint, the transactions that affect your career, your financial rights and your sporting activities.
Request a Consultation on Sports LawSports law covers the contracts and disputes of athletes, clubs, coaches and the commercial stakeholders of sport. A claim for pay, a disciplinary penalty and a federation decision are not subject to the same route of application. The sport, the status of the parties, the contract and the date on which the decision was notified are considered together in the first review.
CONTRACTS · PREVENTIVE ADVISORY · DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Legal review and representation appropriate to the matter, for athletes, coaches, clubs, federations, agents, sponsors and investors.
Review of contracts and evidence in claims for pay and bonuses, termination, transfers, agent representation, minor athletes and foreign athlete transactions.
Contracts and transfers guideLegal assessment of formation, decisions of corporate bodies, financial obligations, licensing and investment transactions in clubs and sports joint-stock companies.
Clubs and federations guideAssessment of the file, evidence, time limits and options for objection in requests for a defense, bans from competition, doping findings and interim measures.
Discipline and doping guideDetermining the scope of the contract and the limits of use in sponsorship, broadcasting, and the use of name and image, as well as in trademark, esports and competition relationships.
Commercial and digital rights guideLegal support and preventive work in betting and match-fixing allegations, spectator bans, facility security, injuries and child protection.
Security and compliance guideJoint review of the competent forum, the arbitration clause, the time limit for application, the notification procedure, interim protection and implementation of the decision in sports disputes.
Arbitration and routes of application guideUnder Article 7 of the Arbitration Committee Instruction (Tahkim Kurulu Talimatı), within seven days following the written notification or an announcement that has the effect of notification, the application and fee steps are completed. The special procedure to which the decision is subject is checked separately.
Under Article R49 of the CAS Code, unless the relevant statutes, regulations or agreement provide another time limit, a period of 21 days from the date the decision is notified is provided for. This time limit is not common to all sports applications.
Requests for a defense, doping notifications, and license and transfer procedures each have their own time limits. An objection and a stay of implementation of the decision are different requests. The competition and registration calendars are reviewed together.
The notification procedure, time zone, holidays, fees and method of delivering the application are verified under the relevant regulation. In calculating the calendar, one does not rely on the date of a news report or a screenshot alone.
A federation’s email or portal notification, UETS and KEP are not the same system. The fifth-day rule in UETS cannot be applied to all sports committees. For example, Article 17 of the TFF Arbitration Instruction contains a separate rule for email notification in its own proceedings; the notification of a first decision from a disciplinary committee is reviewed under its own instruction.
Review time limits, notification and routes of arbitrationFor unpaid pay, bonuses, sponsorship or agent fees, the contract, payment records and formal notices (ihtar) are reviewed. The UÇK, court or arbitration route is determined according to the parties, the claim and the valid jurisdiction requirements.
Contract, claim and termination conditionsIn a ban, license, eligibility or doping procedure, the procedure of the relevant committee applies. Athlete status is not generalized to all sports personnel; the criminal investigation and the compensation process may be assessed separately.
Defense and interim measure optionsFrom the sport, the status of the party, and the contract, decision and notification records, we determine jurisdiction, the time limit and the urgent need.
We review the payment, registration, competition and correspondence records and separate the options of negotiation, defense, arbitration or litigation.
Within the agreed scope, the contract, formal notice or application is prepared. The need for interim measures and the procedural calendar are monitored.
We explain the effects of the outcome on payment, license, registration and sporting activity, as well as any further applications and enforcement steps.
Your request, the competent forum, the time limits to be protected, missing documents and the need for interim protection are assessed. The conflict-of-interest check, the scope of services, the attorney’s fee and separate expenses are explained. The method of updates is determined; a written report or the scope of subsequent follow-up is agreed separately.
Güneş & Güneş Law Firm was founded in Kemer in 1999 and has carried on its professional activity based in Antalya since 2007. In sports law matters in all 81 provinces of Türkiye, contract negotiation, federation applications, litigation, arbitration and implementation of the decision are planned according to the subject-matter jurisdiction, territorial jurisdiction and representation requirements of the file.
For Türkiye-related transactions of athletes and clubs abroad, communication in Turkish, English, German and Russian is available. Online consultations and foreign document and translation requirements are determined in advance. Representation and coordination that require a local attorney in international sports arbitration and in the courts of foreign countries are assessed separately.
A payment delay alone does not in every case give the right to immediate termination. The formal notice, the period to be granted, the contract and the applicable federation rules must be reviewed. Wrongful termination can have financial or sporting consequences.
There is no single form requirement. Depending on the sport, a written contract, the federation’s special form, registration and other validity requirements are checked separately. Being signed alone does not ensure a license or eligibility to compete.
No. The choice of forum is not merely a matter of the parties’ preference. The nature of the claim, the regulation or arbitration agreement conferring jurisdiction and any required prior applications are decisive. CAS is not automatically the appellate body for every sports decision.
No. Establishing the violation and determining the sanction are separate. The applicable rules, the substance concerned, fault, the sample process and, if any, the therapeutic use exemption are assessed. The time limits for the defense and the sample procedures stated in the notification must be observed.
No. Alongside legal representation, age, education, safe sport conditions, federation rules and international transfer restrictions are reviewed. Parental consent does not remove all sporting restrictions.
A permit or exemption is determined according to status and activity. For professional athletes and certain support staff, exemption provisions subject to a favorable opinion exist; the conditions of exemption and the document procedures are completed separately.
In private law claims it is possible or may be a mandatory condition precedent to litigation. It cannot be equated with sports administration and discipline matters. It is not assumed that mediation or negotiation automatically stops the federation’s time limit for application.
The scope of contract review, negotiation, defense, arbitration, litigation and post-decision follow-up is determined separately. The committee filing fee, advance on costs, and translation, expert and travel costs are explained separately from the attorney’s fee. No guarantee of a result is given.
Depending on the stage of the file and the request, the following provisions are assessed together.
This content is general information. Information and documents you share are kept confidential and used for legal assessment and within the agreed scope of service. An inquiry alone does not create an attorney–client relationship and does not stop time limits. The legal conditions of the specific matter are reviewed separately.