Sports law lawyer Paris

Sports law brings together contract law, employment law, public law and federation regulations. These regulations are not mere custom: the delegated federation sets the technical rules of its discipline, the organisation of competitions and the legal, administrative and financial conditions imposed on clubs to take part in them (Article L. 131-16 of the Sports Code).

The useful moment to consult almost always comes before signature: a player's contract, image contract, sponsorship, assignment of exploitation rights or creation of a sports company. After an unfavourable decision, have the remedies and time limits for challenge stated in the notified decision checked without delay: the route to follow depends on the author and nature of the act.

The firm can act for the athlete, the club, the organiser or the partner. Questions specific to a player's contract are covered on the professional athlete lawyer page, and those on the intermediary mandate on the sports agent lawyer page.

The sports federations and the event organisers referred to in Article L. 331-5 of the Sports Code own the exploitation right in the events or competitions they organise. A federation may assign, without charge, to sports companies all or part of the audiovisual rights in the professional competitions in which they take part (Article L. 333-1 of the Sports Code).

This exploitation right includes the right to consent to the organisation of betting on the competition and to exploit its ticketing, with or without an associated service (Article L. 333-1-1). Anyone wishing to organise betting on the competition or to exploit its ticketing must therefore obtain the agreement of the holder of that right. The law does, however, provide exceptions: an assignment of rights cannot prevent the broadcast of short extracts in news programmes or oral commentary by a radio station (Article L. 333-7).

The professional league may entrust the marketing of its rights to a commercial company that it controls, with the agreement of its federation, but the right to consent to betting remains excluded from this transfer (Article L. 333-1). Before any project, the firm examines who holds the right concerned and in what form the authorisation must be given.

In principle, no. The Court of Cassation holds that "only an act whose purpose is to knowingly undermine the uncertainty inherent in sports betting can engage the liability of a player and, where applicable, of their club, towards a bettor" (Cass. 2e civ., 14 June 2018, No. 17-20.046) (our translation). In that case, a bettor complained that a player had scored from an offside position the goal that made him lose an exact prediction. The bettor's appeal was dismissed.

An irregular act of play is therefore not enough. Only a deliberate interference with the uncertainty of the result gives rise to an action, which requires proof of the player's intent.

Criminal law, for its part, punishes the corruption of the participant. Unlawfully offering any advantage to a participant in a sports event on which bets are placed so that they alter the normal and fair course of the event, or because they have altered it, is punishable by five years' imprisonment and a fine of €500,000 (Article 445-1-1 of the Criminal Code). Federations must also prohibit participants in competitions from providing certain forecasting services for an operator to which they are linked (Article L. 131-16 of the Sports Code).

No, where the sponsorship has the purpose or effect of direct or indirect propaganda or advertising for alcoholic drinks. The law prohibits it in general terms (Article L. 3323-2 of the Public Health Code). The same article excludes online advertising on services published by sports associations, companies and federations or professional leagues.

Where advertising is permitted, its content remains limited. The Court of Cassation holds that "if advertising for alcoholic drinks is lawful, it remains limited to the indications and references specified in the aforementioned Article L. 3323-4, and is objective and informative in nature" (Cass. 1re civ., 20 May 2020, No. 19-12.278) (our translation). On the appeal of a prevention association, it quashed the judgment that had accepted hyperbolic communication on the origin and composition of a brewer's products, a solution unfavourable to the advertiser.

For a club, any sponsorship consideration that ensures visibility for the alcohol brand falls under this prohibition. The firm reviews the partnership project before signature, in order to distinguish what remains possible from what would expose both parties.

The contract must first provide for it. A reputation, or morality, clause defines the facts concerned, the procedure, the suspension of payments and the fate of consideration already provided. Without it, the partner must rely on the general law of contract.

The Civil Code provides that a validly formed contract lapses if one of its essential elements disappears (Article 1186 of the Civil Code). The Court of Cassation upheld a court of appeal that had held that "this element had disappeared independently of the will of the parties and for the entire remaining duration of the production contract" (Cass. com., 2 September 2026, No. 25-11.818) (our translation), following public accusations against the host of a radio programme.

The case was not a sports case: transposing it to an athlete's sponsorship is a serious avenue, not settled law. It requires proof that the athlete's image had entered the contractual field as an essential element. A written clause avoids this debate, whether one represents the athlete or the brand.

Yes, through the effect of a presumption. Any person responsible for presenting to the public, directly or indirectly through reproduction of their image, a product, a service or an advertising message is regarded as engaged in modelling (Article L. 7123-2 of the Labour Code). The contract by which a person secures such services for payment is presumed to be an employment contract (Article L. 7123-3), whatever the method of remuneration and the characterisation adopted by the parties (Article L. 7123-4).

The Court of Cassation applies this presumption to athletes. It holds that "the direct presentation of a product to the public by an athlete on the occasion of various events and in particular sports exhibitions, with or without competition, falls within the scope of the presumption established by the last three" (Cass. 2e civ., 12 May 2021, No. 19-24.610) (our translation). It quashed, in favour of the URSSAF (social security contributions agency), the judgment that had characterised as commercial the contracts under which players wore a brand's equipment in return for end-of-season payments.

The risk falls first on the brand, which is liable for the contributions. The presumption can be rebutted, but it is for the brand to prove the absence of a relationship of subordination, as the Court specified in the same judgment. The firm examines the drafting of the contract, the obligation to present the product and the payment terms, before choosing between an accepted employment contract and a different arrangement.

Through a specific contract, separate from the employment contract. A sports association or company referred to in Articles L. 122-1 or L. 122-2 may enter into a contract with the professional athlete or coach it employs on the commercial exploitation of their image, name or voice (Article L. 222-2-10-1 of the Sports Code).

The royalty escapes characterisation as salary on two cumulative conditions: the athlete's physical presence is not required for the exploitation, and the royalty depends on the revenue generated by that exploitation, not on the salary. The contract must specify, on pain of nullity, the extent of the exploitation, the method of calculating the royalty, its ceiling and the minimum remuneration under the employment contract from which it may be concluded.

The club must transmit this contract without delay to the supervisory body provided for by the code, and a collective agreement for each discipline sets the ceiling and the minimum remuneration required. These rules, in the wording in force since 5 August 2026, are detailed on the professional athlete lawyer page.

It is possible for personal injury, in particular on the basis of liability for things in one's custody (Article 1242 of the Civil Code). The Court of Cassation quashed the judgment that had dismissed the claim of a squash player injured in the eye, on the ground that both players were joint custodians of the ball. It noted that the player who returned the ball "alone exercised the powers of use, control and direction over the racket, the instrument by means of which the ball had been sent towards the victim" (Cass. 2e civ., 27 November 2025, No. 24-12.045) (our translation).

For property damage, the rule is the reverse. Participants cannot be held liable for property damage caused to another participant by a thing in their custody, during a sports event or training for that event, in a place reserved for that activity (Article L. 321-3-1 of the Sports Code).

This exclusion covers only liability for things in one's custody and only property damage: it does not rule out liability for fault. Sports associations, companies and federations must also be insured for their civil liability and that of participants, who are regarded as third parties in relation to one another (Article L. 321-1). The firm identifies the liable party, the insurer and the evidence to gather.

No. The Court of Cassation recalls that "the organiser of a sports activity is bound, as regards the safety of participants, by an obligation of means" (Cass. 1re civ., 26 February 2025, No. 23-21.070) (our translation). In that case, a supervised outing on a motorised watercraft, the participants had received instructions and signed a declaration; the victim's claim was dismissed, a solution unfavourable to the victim.

The obligation is also limited in time and space. For an accident on a ski slope, the Court of Cassation approved the judges for having deduced that "the association was not bound by a permanent safety obligation on this slope, outside the training sessions and competitions it organised" (Cass. 1re civ., 27 June 2018, No. 17-17.796) (our translation). The appeal was dismissed, and the association's liability ruled out.

The victim must therefore prove a specific breach: insufficient instructions, unsuitable supervision, defective equipment. For the organiser, the best defence is prepared before the activity, through written instructions, information for participants and suitable insurance.

Yes, but the act must first be characterised in order to know which court to apply to. Where it is adopted in the exercise of public service prerogatives delegated to the federation, it falls within the jurisdiction of the administrative court. A delegated federation has regulatory power to organise the public service entrusted to it, in particular to set the conditions for obtaining a licence; the Council of State (Conseil d'État) thus annulled the French Rugby Federation's refusal to repeal the clause requiring, in particular, officials, referees, coaches and trainers to take out a magazine subscription, which the organisation of the delegated public service did not justify (CE, 27 June 2024, No. 490105).

A challenge does not always succeed. A basketball club sought the annulment of the league's decision altering, for three seasons, the financial contribution owed by clubs exceeding a certain payroll level. The Council of State dismissed the application, recalling that no one has a right to the maintenance of a regulation (CE, 12 February 2026, No. 504996), a solution unfavourable to the club.

Delegated federations may indeed set financial conditions of participation, including a ceiling on the pay of athletes (Article L. 131-16 of the Sports Code). Before any challenge, the firm checks the nature of the act, the time limit and any referral to the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, responsible for a conciliation mission between licence holders, clubs and approved federations (Article L. 141-4).

The violation is established by the mere presence of a prohibited substance in the sample, without any need to prove the athlete's intent, fault or negligence, it being for the athlete to ensure that no prohibited substance enters their body. The prohibition does not apply to substances covered by a therapeutic use exemption (Article L. 232-9 of the Sports Code).

The defence first checks the regularity of the procedure and whether the breach is made out, in particular the existence of an applicable exemption. If the violation is established, the defence turns to the sanction: the suspension falls away if the athlete establishes the absence of any fault or negligence, and may be reduced if they establish the absence of significant fault or negligence (Article L. 232-23-3-10). For an athlete treated on medical prescription but without a therapeutic use exemption, the Council of State examined the regularity of the summons and the existence of the breach, then, the fault found being non-significant, held bans of twelve and ten months not disproportionate and dismissed the application (CE, 15 December 2025, No. 505623).

A challenge carries a risk. On referral by the French Anti-Doping Agency against the decision of its own sanctions committee, the Council of State increased a professional rugby player's ban from two to four years, noting an excessive use of food supplements (CE, 5 July 2024, No. 488967). The evidence file on the origin of the substance is built from the moment of notification.

It depends on the club's activity. The affiliated sports association may form one or two commercial companies to manage its paid activities, and is required to do so where its event revenue or its athletes' pay exceeds thresholds set by decree (Article L. 122-1 of the Sports Code).

A partner financing a club must know whom it is contracting with: the association holding the affiliation number, the sports company that runs the professional team, or a company that markets the rights. The partnership contract names the right entity and specifies the rights it can actually grant, in particular over players' images and competitions.

The firm can compare the possible forms using the choice of legal form page and draft partnership contracts with the support of the commercial contracts page. The aim is that each item of consideration promised to the sponsor falls to the person who promises it.