Fans defacing player murals, sexist comments from coaches, racist locker-room remarks: discrimination in sport can, unfortunately, take many forms. The difficult task of reducing and, in a perfect world, eliminating negative discrimination bears to rest, in part, on the shoulders of giants – namely sports organisations and clubs. The unfolding developments between Azeem Rafiq and Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) is an apt example of the importance of tackling potential discrimination issues sooner rather than later and ensuring that, when the public spotlight shines a light on these issues, sports organisations take appropriate steps in addressing allegations and stamping out discrimination.

This article gives an overview of discrimination in sports and considers some of the consequences of not effectively addressing discrimination issues when they arise. The authors make reference to the Rafiq and YCCC case within the context of direct and indirect discrimination and harassment, as well as examine other unfortunate examples of when discrimination and harassment has arisen within the sporting world. It also considers the liability of sports organisations in relation to their players and provides tips on how sports organisations can deal with potential discrimination issues.  Specifically, it looks at:

• The case of Azeem Rafiq and Yorkshire County Cricket Club
• Liability of sports organisations arising from discrimination
• Direct discrimination in sport
• Indirect discrimination in sport
• Risks and consequences
  • Loss of talent
  • Reputational damage
  • Costs
• Key learning points

According to a report released by KPMG, gamechilling, a trend has seen a significant rise in India with lockdowns and work from home models.[1] The Indian online gaming market saw a drastic increase in the revenue contribution of the gaming industry at rupees 60 billion. This comes at a time when the legality of online gambling and fantasy sports is a contentious issue. With state governments banning online-gambling while courts declaring such laws violate the provisions of the Indian Constitution: the legal landscape of online-gambling remains uncertain. This article attempts to decode, explain and analyse the recent developments on this front.

Specifically, it deals with:

• The Legality Of Gambling In India
• The Legality of Online-Gambling
• Recent judicial decisions
• The rise in online fantasy sporting platforms
• Afterthoughts

What do the Caribbean Premier League, FC Barcelona, Everton FC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One team all have in common? They have all recently launched their very own Fan Token via Socios.com.

Fan Tokens are attracting significant attention in the sporting world but what are they, how do they work and what are the potential legal issues?  This article introduces the technical and legal basics, looking specifically at:

• What is a Fan Token and how does it work?
• How are Fan Tokens purchased?
• Why are clubs selling Fan Tokens?
• Legal considerations for clubs
  • Commercial
  • IP
  • Corporate
• Legal considerations for players and agents
• The fans’ perspective

Please note that in addition to the legal considerations noted above, there will also be a number of important regulatory issues for clubs to consider.  Regulatory issues are beyond the scope of this article but will considered in a separate piece.