Translator：Wang Qiyu

Recently, Landing Law Offices successfully represented a top-tier Chinese football club and a well-known European football coach in a contractual arbitration case. The case was heard by a sole arbitrator from the FIFA Players' Status Committee (PSC), and it centered around the unclear definition of "coach" in the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) concerning player status and transfer rules. The breakthrough came when the arbitration ruling dismissed the opposing party's application.

Subsequently, the coaching party appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with Landing Law Offices representing the Chinese club as the first respondent and FIFA as the second respondent. Their aim was to convince CAS to overturn the PSC's decision. Both Landing Law Offices and FIFA's legal teams submitted strong defenses.

Drawing on this case, the FIFA Football Stakeholders Committee (FSC) convened on the 4th of this month to further clarify the definition of "coach" in the RSTP rules.

This case was handled by Zhang Bing, Senior Partner at Landing Law Offices, and Lawyer Zhuang Yu, representing the Chinese club in the arbitration procedures at both the PSC and CAS.

Zhang Bing

Zhang Bing is the founding partner of Shanghai Landing Law Offices, with a Bachelor's in Law from Fudan University. He has been practicing law since September 1999. He also serves as an arbitrator for the Nanchang Arbitration Commission, Yichun Arbitration Commission, honorary researcher at Shanghai Political and Law Institute, training lecturer for the General Administration of Sport of China, researcher at the Beijing Lawyers Association's "Belt and Road" Legal Service Research Association, and an independent director of listed companies. In 2005, he was recognized as a leading figure in the dispute resolution field by The Asia Pacific Legal 500. In 2017, he was named one of the top ten young leaders by the China National Lawyers Association's Cultural Industry Service Forum. In 2019, he was selected as one of the top ten lawyers for "Belt and Road, Path of Compliance" by the Legal Daily.

Main Practice Areas: International Investment and M&A, Sports and Entertainment Law, Dispute Resolution, and Criminal Law.

Phone: 13501822731

Email: bing.zhang@landinglawyer.com

Zhuang Yu

Zhuang Yu is a lawyer at Shanghai Landing Law Offices, specializing in cross-border investments, international litigation and arbitration, and sports and entertainment law. She has excelled in projects related to foreign legal services and possesses practical experience in international commercial arbitration and international sports arbitration.

Email: yu.zhuang@landinglawyer.com