"National courts must be able to carry out an in-depth review into awards made by CAS" (CJEU)

"The national courts or tribunals must be empowered to carry out, at the request of individuals or of the court's or tribunal's own motion, an in-depth judicial review as to whether arbitral awards made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) are consistent with EU public policy," announced the Court of Justice of the European Union in a ruling handed down on 01/08/2025 concerning case C-600/23 / Royal Football Club Seraing, which pits the Belgian Challenger Pro League club against FIFA, UEFA and the Belgian Football Federation (see facts below).

"In the field of football, as in many other sports, the submission of disputes to arbitration is generally not freely accepted but unilaterally imposed on athletes and on clubs by international associations, such as the FIFA. In those circumstances, it is essential that recourse to arbitration does not undermine the rights and freedoms that the fundamental rules of EU law guarantee athletes, clubs and, more broadly, any other person practising a professional sport or pursuing an economic activity linked to that sport," added the…