The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) is the legal body that settles sporting disputes requiring a legal resolution. Cases are reviewed by independent panels of accredited arbitrators – legal experts appointed by both sides of the dispute to find a resolution – who then reach decisions. The disputes can involve governance, contractual or disciplinary issues. More than 900 cases are filed to Cas every year, from more than 50 different sports.
Cas covers a broad range of sporting matters, including employment contracts, sponsorship, television rights, the organising of sports events, player transfers, doping violations, on-field violence, match fixing, violations of ethical rules, corruption, safe sport issues, elections and term rules for sports federations, statutes for sports federations, and the recognition of national or regional sports bodies. Its headquarters are in Switzerland, but it can operate on-site teams for certain events.
One of the most high-profile cases involving Cas in recent years is the controversy surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final. After the Confederation of African Football (Caf) decided to overturn the result – meaning Morocco became the winners despite being defeated by Senegal in the final – Senegal announced it would appeal against the decision to Cas. Manchester City themselves had a two-year ban from competing in European competitions overturned by Cas in July 2020.
At events such as the summer and Winter Olympics, an on-site Cas team is ready to handle sporting disputes as quickly as possible. One of the biggest stories of the 2026 Winter Olympics emerged when Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from competing by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for wearing a helmet depicting images of Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia’s invasion of his country. He appealed to Cas, but an emergency ad-hoc Cas meeting dismissed his case during the Games. Many cases cannot be resolved so quickly and can take years. At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Russia’s team skaters had a gold medal dropped to bronze by the International Skating Union after skater Kamila Valieva was handed an anti-doping ban. Russia appealed to Cas, but in July 2024 its appeal was dismissed. US gymnast Jordan Chiles may have her 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medal reinstated as Cas continues to examine evidence that she submitted a score appeal within the legal time limits.
Manchester City cannot appeal their Premier League charges to Cas because of an agreement made by Premier League sides. That agreement means all cases involving the league and its clubs are conducted in England and Wales and in accordance with English law. As Cas is based in Lausanne, Switzerland, it is not permitted to get involved in cases such as the Manchester City charges. The Premier League has its own arbitration panel which can hear cases on a narrow number of factors as the last point of contest, rather than Cas, as stated in sections W97 and X.2.4 of the Premier League’s handbook. A similar agreement is in place for clubs in the English Football League, meaning legal issues in the Championship, League One and League Two must be settled domestically.