Public Law Studies Quarterly

The Jurisprudence of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Combating "Match-Fixing"

Document Type : Article

Authors

Amir Saed Vakil 1
Ahmad Ebrahimi 2

1 Assistant Prof. Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 ; Ph.D. in Public International Law, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jplsq.2025.379901.3573
Abstract
Match-fixing destroys the most fundamental aspect of sports which is the "unpredictability" of the outcome of the game. The spread of this phenomenon and its entanglement with gambling and irregular betting has doubled the need to deal with it in a comprehensive way and with the cooperation of stakeholders. This article, with the method of content analysis, intends to deal with the Jurisprudence and judicial policy of the Court of Arbitration for Sport as one of the main pillars of international sports law in combating this phenomenon. This article aimes to provide an accurate evaluation of the rules on this subject and to answer the question whether the the Court of Arbitration for Sport, has created an effective solution to "match-Fixing" in light of the international instruments on corruption. The final evaluation indicates that the jurisprudence of the court has provided effective solutions for combating this phenomenon, but in terms  of preventing it, it seems that it has not yet been able to be effective and useful.

Keywords

Court of Arbitration for Sport
international sports law
match-fixing
Subjects

  1. English

    1. Books
    2. Lindholm, J. (2019). The Court of Arbitration for Sport and Its Jurisprudence. The Hague: T.M.C. Asser Press. Doi:10.1007/978-94-6265-285-9.
    3. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime–UNODC. (2016). Criminal Law Provisions for the Prosecution of Competition Manipulation. Lausanne/Switzerland: the International Olympic Committee Publication.
    4. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime-UNODC. (2021). Legal Approaches to Tackling the Manipulation of Sports Competitions: A Resource Guide. Vienna: United Nations Publication.
    5. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime-UNODC & International Centre for Sport Security-ICSS. (2016). Resource Guide on Good Practices in the Investigation of Match-Fixing. New York: United Nations Publication.

     

    1. Articles
    2. Andreff, W. (2018). Different Types of Manipulation in Sport. In: Breuer, M. & Forrest, D. (eds), The Palgrave Handbook on the Economics of Manipulation in Sport. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 13– Doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77389-6_2.
    3. Barak, E., & Koolaard, D. (2014). Match-fixing: The Aftermath of Pobeda – What have the Past four Years Brought us?. CAS Bulletin. (1), 5-24.
    4. Chappelet, J. L. (2015). The Olympic Fight against Match-Fixing. Sport in Society. Vol.18, No.10, 1260–1272. Doi:10.1080/17430437.2015.1034519.
    5. Diaconu, M., Kuwelkar, S., & Kuhn, A. (2021). The Court of Arbitration for Sport Jurisprudence on Match-Fixing: A Legal Update. The International Sports Law Journal. (21), 27-46. Doi:10.1007/s40318-021-00181-3.
    6. Hessert, B., & Ling Goh, Ch. (2022). A Comparative Case Study of Match-Fixing Laws in Singapore, Australia, Germany and Switzerland. Asian Journal of Comparative Law. 17(2).
    7. Lindholm, J. (2019). Structure of CAS’s Jurisprudence. In: ASSER International Sports Law Series. T.M.C. , The Court of Arbitration for Sport and Its Jurisprudence. The Hague: Asser Press. Doi:10.1007/978-94-6265-285-9_6.
    8. Palermo, G., & Williams, B. (2018). Match-Fixing and the Evolution of CAS Jurisprudence. CAS Bulletin. (2), 8-25.
    9. Primorac, D., & Pilić, M. (2020). SUZBIJANJE MANIPULACIJE SPoRTSKIM NATJECANJIMA PREMA KoNVENCIJI VIJEĆA EURoPE CETS BRoJ 215. Zbornik radova Pravnog Fakulteta u Splitu. (57), 353-374. Doi:10.31141/zrpfs.2020.57.136.353.
    10. Silvero, E. G. (2018). The Match-Fixing Eligibility Criteria in UEFA Competitions: An Overview of CAS Case Law. CAS Bulletin. (1), 6-20.
    11. Smith, A. (2023). Criminal Offences for Match-Fixing: Observations on the Current Framework and Suggestions for Future National Legislation. Sports Law and Governance Journal. Vol1, Issue1, 22-23.
    12. Tweedie, W., & Holden, J. T. (2022). A Legal Perspective on Match-Fixing. In : Constandt, B. & Elisavet M. A. Understanding Match-Fixing in Sport: Theory and Practice. London.

     

    1. Documents
    2. Council of Europe Treaty Series (CETS), No.215 (2014). Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.
    3. International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Charter, (2021) Edition, October.
    4. Recuil Officiel des arrêts du Tribunal Fédéral Suisse, 95, I 16.
    5. Swiss Civil Code of 10 December 1907 (Status as of 1 January 2021), Art 8.

     

    1. Cases
    2. CAS 2009/A/1920, FK Pobeda, Aleksandar Zabrcanec, Nikolce Zdraveski v. Union of European Football Association (UEFA).
    3. CAS 2010/A/2172, O. (Oleg Oriekhov) v. Union of European Football Association (UEFA).
    4. CAS 2010/A/2266, N.(Norbert Mészáros) & V.(Vukasin Poleksic) v. Union of European Football Association (UEFA).
    5. CAS 2011/A/2362, Mohammad Asif v. International Cricket Council (ICC).
    6. CAS 2011/A/2364, Salman Butt v. International Cricket Council (ICC).
    7. CAS 2011/A/2425, Ahongalu Fusimalohi v. Fédération Internationale de Football
      Association (FIFA).
    8. CAS 2011/A/2490, Daniel Köllerer v. Association of Tennis Professionals, Women’s Tennis Association, International Tennis Federation & Grand Slam Committee.
    9. CAS 2011/A/2528, Olympiakos Volou FC v. Union of European Football Association (UEFA).
    10. CAS 2011/A/2621, David Savic v. Professional Tennis Integrity Officers (PTIOs).
    11. CAS 2013/A/3062 , Kevin Sammut v. Union of European Football Association (UEFA).
    12. CAS 2013/A/3256, Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü v. Union of European Football Association (UEFA).
    13. CAS 2013/A/3258, Besiktas Jimnastik Kulübü v. Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA).
    14. CAS 2013/A/3297, Public Joint-Stock Company “Football Club Metalist” v. Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA) & PAOK FC.
    15. CAS 2014/A/3467, Guillermo Olaso de la Rica V. Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).
    16. CAS 2014/A/3625, Sivasspor Kulübü v. Union of European Football Association (UEFA).
    17. CAS 2014/A/3628, Eskişehirspor v. Union of European Football Association (UEFA).
    18. CAS 2015/A/4351, Vsl Pakruojo FK, Darius Jankauskas, Arnas Mikaitis, Sigitas Olberkis, Valdas Pocevicius, Alfredas Skroblas, Donatas Strockis, Diogo Gouveia Miranda, C.H. Alexandru, Taras Michailiuk v. Lithuanian Football Federation.
    19. CAS 2016/A/4642, Phnom Penh Crown Football Club v. Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
    20. CAS 2016/A/4650, Klubi Sportiv Skënderbeu v. Union Européenne de Football Association (UEFA).
    21. CAS 2016/A/4783, Fulvio Fantoni & Claudio Nunes v. European Bridge League (EBL).
    22. CAS 2017/A/5173, Joseph Odartei Lamptey v. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
    23. CAS 2018/A/5734, KS Skënderbeu v. Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA).
    24. CAS 2018/A/5800, Samir Arab v. Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA).
    25. CAS 2018/A/5808, AC Milan v. Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA).
    26. CAS 2018/A/5906, Kyle Cesare v. Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA).
    27. CAS 2018/A/5920, Emanuel Briffa v. Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA).
    28. CAS 2018/A/5939, Patricio Heras v. Tennis Integrity Unit / Professional Tennis
      Integrity Officers (PTIOs).
    29. CAS 2020/A/7366, Umar Akmal v. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) & The Independent Adjudicator on the Appeals & The Anti-Corruption Tribunal.
    30. CAS 2022/A/8651, Edgars Gauračs v. Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA).

     

    References In Persian:

    1. A) Book
    2. Vakil, A. (2015). International Sports Law and Football. Tehran: Majd Publication (In Persian).

     

    1. B) Articles
    2. Vakil, A., & Ebrahimi, A. (2024). The Legal Nature of "Match-Fixing" in International Sports Law. The Quarterly Journal of Public Law Research, 25(82), 155-194. Doi: 10.22054/QJPL.2023.72155.2871 (In Persian).
    3. Zahedi, M., Dadgar, A., Zamani, S. G., & Shahbazi, A. (2018). Doping and Investigating CAS Arbitration against Doping. Medical Law Journal. 12(45), 171-190. http://ijmedicallaw.ir/article-1-882-fa.html (In Persian).
Public Law Studies Quarterly
Volume 55, Issue 3 - Serial Number 43
Autumn 2025
Autumn 2025
Pages 2225-2251

  • Receive Date 04 August 2024
  • Revise Date 16 November 2024
  • Accept Date 03 February 2025

Home

Journal Process Ethics

Peer Review Process

Submission

Indexing and Abstracting

Contact Us