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Highlights May 2006 to April 2007
14/05/2007

Highlights May 2006 to April 2007
Football Transfers & Registrations
  • Advising on numerous international and domestic transfers for a number of FA Premier League, Scottish Premier League and Football League clubs, players and agents, and advising a number of leading clubs and players on the exploitation of image rights and commercial endorsement deals highlights this year including:
    • Liverpool`s acquisition of Javier Mascherano including securing an exemption to the FIFA Regulations restriction on the number of clubs which a player can play for in any 12 month period;
    • Manchester United`s acquisition of Michael Carrick, Tomasz Kuszczak and Henrik Larsson, its re-negotiation of Cristiano Ronaldo`s playing contract and its sale of Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid;
    • Robert Huth`s transfer to Middlesbrough;
    • Jonathan Spector`s transfer to West Ham United; and
    • Bernardo Corradi`s transfer to Manchester City.
Work Permits & Immigration Issues
  • Successful work permit applications / review hearings for Glasgow Rangers (Sasa Papac, Bosnian), Bolton Wanderers (Andranik Teymourian, Iranian), Manchester United (Dong Fangzhou, Chinese) and Reading (Bobby Convey, American).
  • Advising FAPL and Football League clubs on the employment of non-EU players who do not qualify for a UK work permit including on transfers to EU partner clubs.
Disciplinary & Doping
  • Advising Manchester United regarding Lille`s appeal to UEFA against the validity of Manchester United`s 1-0 victory in the UEFA Champions League match (the validity of the result being upheld by UEFA on appeal).
  • Advising Glasgow Rangers in relation to its appeal in respect of the UEFA disciplinary charges brought against its goalkeeper, Allan McGregor (successfully reducing a two match ban to a one match ban).
  • Advising Manchester United in relation to the UEFA charges regarding fan disorder brought against the club in respect of its UEFA Champions League match against Lille.
  • Advising a Nationwide Conference League manager in relation to his appeal against misconduct charges before an FA Appeal Board (reducing a 6 month ban to a period equating to 10 matches).
  • Advising Blackburn Rovers in relation to charges of on field misconduct against a player and the manager of its Ladies Team.
Dispute Resolution
  • Advising Manchester United in respect of the dispute with Chelsea regarding the player John Obi Mikel and the related proceedings at FIFA culminating in securing a total settlement of £16 million, of which £12 million was payable to Manchester United.
  • Advising Wigan Athletic on its registration of the player Andrew Webster from Heart of Midlothian, the first player to utilise a provision of the revised FIFA Regulations to terminate his contract unilaterally outside the Protected Period and the subsequent proceedings brought before FIFA by his former club.
  • Advising an FAPL club in a dispute with a Football League club in respect of a disputed transfer agreement before an FA Arbitration Panel.
  • Respectively advising Aston Villa, a Football League club and a Greek international footballer on appeal proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport on various regulatory and contractual matters.
  • Advising an international player in arbitration proceedings against a club in respect of an image rights dispute.
Reputation Management & Defamation
  • Advising Bolton Wanderers in relation to all aspects of the BBC Panorama investigation into professional football.
  • Advising a former FAPL player and manager in respect of his complaint against a national newspaper and subsequent successful resolution by securing publication of an apology and substantial payment of damages and costs.
Constitutional &


For further information contact Charlotte Round at Brabners Chaffe Street on 0161 836 8800

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