Enjoy your sport.
We take care of your legal matters.

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An Introduction About us

A.P Law Office is based in Athens and specializes in legal matters arising from the sports sector.

We handle cases related to Greek and international sports law, providing legal advice and support to clubs, athletes, coaches, sports agents/intermediaries, and management executives from Greece and abroad.

Our office has great experience in national and international sports law matters, including contracting, financial and employment disputes, regulatory compliance and disciplinary issues. The specific needs of the global, dynamic, and fast-growing sector of sports requires expert legal assistance and advice. This is what we offer.

Our priority is to provide high-class services to our clients, in order to secure the most beneficial results. To achieve this, we adopt a philosophy based on the principles of openness, communication, thoroughness, and focus on the specific needs of each client.

All-around players

Our expert services

Contracting

Contracting

Our office provides legal advice to all kinds of sports stakeholders regarding the conclusion of sports contracts. We undertake the drafting of employment contracts for players and coaches, termination agreements, amendments of contracts, and settlement agreements. We also draw up representation agreements between sports agents and clubs, athletes and coaches. Sports contracts are the foundation of every sports relationship. Therefore, it must be taken care of with utmost diligence. In addition, a clear and analytical contract is important not only in terms of potential disputes between the parties but also for reasons of compliance with International and National sports regulations. We also advise on and draft sponsorship, image rights, and endorsement agreements.

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Transfers

Transfers

We provide expert advice to clubs, athletes and agents on every issue around national and/or international transfers of athletes. Our office offers legal services on transfer agreements between clubs, always complying with the regulations of international and national associations while securing the interests of our clients. We also advise clubs on issues relating to the administrative requirements of the FIFA TMS and the registration of minors.

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Dispute Resolution

Dispute Resolution

We handle disputes before the dispute resolution bodies of FIFA and FIVB, as well as before the arbitral tribunals of CAS, BAT, and the ECA of the EHF. We have experience in managing disputes before FIFA and CAS. Our office has handled multiple employment disputes between clubs and players, including cases related to overdue payables and termination of contracts. Our experience and meticulous analysis of each case are crucial in providing the best possible advice to our clients and successfully representing them before competent dispute resolution bodies or arbitral tribunals. Furthermore, we undertake the recognition and enforcement of national and international arbitral awards and decisions before the Greek National Courts, including decisions of international judicial bodies and the CAS.

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Training Rewards

Training Rewards

Our office undertakes claims of training compensation and solidarity contribution, represents clubs in training reward disputes, and monitors potential claims for training rewards, in line with the new system of the FIFA Clearing House. Training compensation is a mechanism established by FIFA in accordance to which, Clubs that have trained a player until his 21 years, are entitled to an amount when the player signs his first professional contract until his 23 years / when the player transfers internationally until his 23 years. Solidarity Contribution is an amount equal to 5% of the total transfer fee paid for a player, distributed to the clubs with which the Player was registered until his 23 years. Similar mechanisms of training rewards are applied by other international and national federations of other sports such as Basketball, Volleyball and Handball. Our aim is to ensure that our clients have the biggest potential profit and suffer the least damage. We manage to achieve this through the precise and specialised construction and drafting of the relevant contractual terms.

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Taxation

Taxation

We offer advice to athletes and coaches on tax law issues relating to their employment contracts and sponsorship agreements. We also undertake financial disputes and litigation in respect of tax liabilities arising from sports contracts.

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Regulatory applications & compliance

Regulatory applications & compliance

We undertake regulatory applications before FIFA and the HFF, amongst which applications for the registration of minors. We also provide legal advice in relation to UEFA Licensing and Financial Sustainability Compliance (ex Financial Fair Play). We also offer services in relation to licensing requirements by the HFF and the Committee of Professional Sport of the Hellenic Ministry of Sport.

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Licensing of Football Clubs & Acquisition of Football Clubs in Greece

Licensing of Football Clubs & Acquisition of Football Clubs in Greece

We provide elaborate legal advice to Greek or foreign clubs regarding their compliance with UEFA Licensing and Financial Sustainability Regulations. We undertake the procedures for licensing for Greek competitions, including the process before the HFF and the Professional Sports Committee of the Hellenic Ministry of Sports. As to the Professional Sports Committee of the Hellenic Ministry of Sports, we also undertake the procedures in relation to the acquisition of shares of sporting Societe Anonymes.

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Sports Disciplinary Proceedings

Sports Disciplinary Proceedings

Our team has great experience in handling sports disciplinary proceedings on behalf of clubs and athletes, in Greece and abroad. We handle cases regarding regular disciplinary offenses and sanctions, in particular disciplinary proceedings against players and clubs in relation to the conduct of players, coaches and officials of the clubs, as well as the conduct of the football fans. We have successfully managed integrity-related cases of match-fixing and doping. Finally, we have experience in cases related to bridge transfers, third-party influence (TPI) and third-party ownership (TPO), as well as compliance with the TMS regulations.

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Customised services

Customised services

The activities of sportspersons and sports stakeholders are not limited to the scope of sports. Naturally, through their sporting status or otherwise, legal needs or issues of a different nature may arise. We support our clients on various legal matters related to civil, criminal, and administrative law, providing tailor-made services that are suitable for all their needs. Our aim is to focus on the specific needs of our clients and to offer the best customised services to allow you to focus on the real part of your profession, sports.

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On Target

We focus on your specific needs

Our focus is on the specific needs of our clients. Our aim is to offer you the best specially designed services to allow you to focus on the real part of your profession, the sports.

Clubs

Proper legal advice is always necessary in sports clubs. The legislative and regulatory challenges are always there, and for every action, you need the “team-mate” with the right skill set in order to overcome the various legal complexities. Our specialised team of lawyers can advise you on the following:

  • Employment Contracts with Players and Coaches;
  • Transfer and Loan Agreements;
  • Representing the club before the judicial bodies of the National Sports Associations and the relevant international Confederation
  • Guiding clubs regarding the use of the FIFA Legal Portal
  • Advising clubs on the use of the FIFA Transfer Matching System (FIFA TMS)
  • Advising clubs on compliance with Greek Laws and the Regulations of FIFA, UEFA and the relevant national association,
  • Representing clubs before the CAS, the BAT, and the other judicial and arbitral tribunals.
  • Representing clubs on disciplinary cases
  • Claiming and monitoring training rewards (training compensation and solidarity contribution)
  • Advising clubs on all issues arising from the new FIFA Clearing House Regulation
  • Registration of Minors
  • The drafting and monitoring of the proper application of the Club’s Internal Regulations
  • Foundation of amateur clubs in Greece
  • Foundation of professional clubs in Greece (Societe Anonyme)
  • Acquisition of the shares of a Football Club in Greece

Athletes and Coaches

It is very common for professional athletes to face numerous legal challenges from a very young age and in foreign countries. We are happy to make the lives of our clients easier by safeguarding their professional rights and their compliance with their obligations. Thus, athletes are able to enjoy their sports and develop as professionals without distractions. We offer legal services to athletes regarding the following:

  • Professional athletes contracts with sports clubs
  • Transfer & Loan Agreements
  • Dispute Resolution (overdue payables, termination of contracts)
  • Disciplinary Cases
  • Taxation issues in Greece
  • Sponsorship / endorsement agreements and image rights agreements
  • Handling Notary services
  • Permission of Stay and Work in Greece for Athletes
  • Change of National Team (sporting nationality)
  • Enforcement of international decisions in Greece

Agents/Intermediaries/Sports Professionals

In the sports sector, the activities of agents are of a highly international nature, dispersed in different countries across the world. Our expertise and contacts in different countries are here to facilitate and safeguard your activities and the compliance of your counter-parties with the relevant agreements. You can be advised and represented by οur office on the following issues:

  • Representation Agreements
  • Transfer Mandates
  • Intermediation Agreements
  • Preparation for FIFA Agents' Exams
  • Registration with the relevant National Sporting Association
  • Disciplinary Cases
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Enforcement of arbitral awards and International Federations’ decision in Greece
  • Taxation

Meet The Team

A Starting Line-up that you can trust

Alkis Papantoniou

Alkis Papantoniou is the founder and managing lawyer of AP Sports Law Office.
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Vasilis Fotiou

Vasilis is an associate at AP Sports Law Office, focusing on issues related to international sports law.
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Dimitris Poulakidas

Dimitris is an associate at AP Sports Law Office, and a graduate of the Democritus University of Thrace.
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Nikos Kilmpasanis

Nikos is an external associate - partner to AP Sports Law Office, seated in Thessaloniki.
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Deniz Akbiyik

Deniz is an external associate - partner to AP Sports Law Office, seated in Istanbul, Turkey.
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