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Practice area · Clubs, players and agents

Sports law, from the contract to CAS.

Sports lawyers in Buenos Aires: transfers, employment contracts for professional athletes, image rights and litigation before FIFA, CONMEBOL and the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Practice led by Juan Raskovsky.

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What we solve

Nine fronts, one team.

From the transfer that has to close to the claim that has to be won. We work with clubs, players, coaches, agents and institutions, in Argentina and abroad.

_01Domestic and international transfersNegotiation and drafting of transfers, loans, options and buy-out clauses.

_02Sports employment contractsRegistration, signing bonuses, performance bonuses and termination under the professional footballer regime.

_03FIFA Football TribunalClaims for contractual debts and defence before the Dispute Resolution Chamber.

_04Appeals before CASAppeal strategy in Lausanne, with Swiss law and arbitral case law applied.

_05Training compensation and solidarityClaims for training compensation and the solidarity mechanism, before AFA and FIFA.

_06Agents and intermediariesRepresentation agreements, commissions and compliance with the applicable regulations.

_07Image and broadcasting rightsImage exploitation, merchandising, sponsorship and broadcasting rights.

_08Minors and federative complianceInternational transfers of minors, TMS filings and FIFA regulatory compliance.

_09Doping and disciplineDefence before the national anti-doping commission, federations and disciplinary tribunals.

Juan Raskovsky, socio de Raskovsky y Asociados

A word from the practice

“A transfer closes in days and is argued over for years. Our job is to make the contract survive that distance.”

Juan RaskovskyPartner

In depth

Sports law in Argentina, in depth.

Argentine football operates under a layered framework: the professional footballer statute and labour rules, AFA regulations, and above them the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, whose disputes end before the FIFA Football Tribunal and, on appeal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne under Swiss law. Clubs, players and agents dealing with Argentina need advisers fluent in all three layers at once.

Transfers and international deals

Transfer, loan and buy-out agreements, with payment schedules and guarantees
Sell-on clauses, image rights allocation and third-party influence limits
TMS filings, ITC requests and federative deadlines
Training compensation and the solidarity mechanism

Disputes before FIFA and CAS

Claims for unpaid instalments or unilateral termination are brought before the FIFA Football Tribunal, with appeals to CAS. Deadlines are short and mostly non-extendable, and the evidentiary record is built long before the claim is filed.

Agents, image rights and sponsorship

Representation agreements, commission structures and the exploitation of image, merchandising and broadcasting rights, coordinated with the tax treatment of payments abroad.

Why choose us for sports matters

A practice led by a partner who works these files personally, with experience before AFA, FIFA and CAS, and the backing of a firm that also handles the employment, corporate and tax side of every sports operation. We work in English with foreign clubs and agencies.

Legal insights · Sports law

Related legal analysis.

Our analysis on transfers, FIFA regulations and sports disputes is published in Spanish. Read it with your browser’s translation or ask us for an English briefing.

Read the latest sports insights (in Spanish) →

Frequently asked questions

What clubs, players and agents ask us first.

Starting points for sports matters with an Argentine connection. Every file has its own facts.

Can a foreign club claim unpaid transfer instalments from an Argentine club?

Yes. Claims between clubs of different associations over transfer agreements go before the FIFA Football Tribunal, with appeal to CAS. Interest, procedural costs and sporting sanctions for persistent non-payment are part of the outcome.

How does training compensation work?

When a player signs his first professional contract or is transferred internationally before the end of the season of his 23rd birthday, the clubs that trained him between 12 and 21 are entitled to compensation, plus the 5% solidarity contribution distributed out of transfer fees. Argentine clubs are frequent claimants.

What are the deadlines to appeal to CAS?

As a rule, 21 days from notification of the decision, with the appeal brief following shortly after. The deadline is strict; missing it ends the case regardless of its merits.

Are agent commissions enforceable in Argentina?

They are, provided the representation agreement complies with the FIFA agent rules in force and with Argentine law on the underlying relationship. Poorly drafted mandates are the most common reason a commission is contested.

What special rules apply to minors?

International transfers of players under 18 are prohibited except for the narrow exceptions in the FIFA regulations, and every case requires prior approval. Breaches carry sanctions for the club and the officials involved.

Is a player’s employment contract governed by labour law or by sports regulations?

Both. The professional footballer statute and general labour rules apply domestically, while the FIFA regulations govern the international dimension of termination, compensation and sporting sanctions.

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Your sports operation, with technical backing.

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