How are disputes settled in sport?

There is no single authority or body in the UK that automatically has jurisdiction over sporting disputes.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is an independent institution, which provides legal servic­es to facilitate the settlement of sports-related disputes through arbitration or mediation.

Arbitration is a non-court alternative method of resolving disputes, which has been submitted and agreed by the parties. Both parties appoint one or a panel of 'arbitrators' to make a binding decision on their dispute.

One reason why sports organisations and individuals use arbitration is because of the private nature of the hearings. Decisions are not usually published if both parties wish to keep them private.

In February 2020, Manchester City FC lodged an appeal to CAS against UEFA's decision to ban the club from European competitions for 2 years and to fine it €30,000,000 for alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) and Club Licensing regulations.

In July 2020, CAS rescinded the ban as the club 'did not disguise equity funding as sponsorship contributions'. However, CAS held that the club failed to co-operate with UEFA in the beginning. The football club's fine was reduced from €30m to €10m.