Harvard Men’s Soccer Gets the ‘Red Card;’ Season Cancelled in Wake of Sexual Ratings of Female Recruits

Harvard University suspended the remainder of the men’s soccer team’s season after it was revealed that members of the team, both past and present, compiled a yearly ‘scouting report’ of the women’s soccer team. The document, originally reported by The Crimson, Harvard University’s student-run newspaper, described the sexual attractiveness of the female soccer recruits. While the document was originally from 2012, the tradition of producing similar “reports” appears to be an annual occurrence through this season.

In this particular document, the author ranked the …

June 12, 2016 Olympics / Soccer

US Women’s Soccer Denied Right to Strike at 2016 Olympics in Brazil

The women’s national soccer team lost its match against the U.S. Soccer Federation on June 3, 2016. An Illinois federal district court in Chicago ruled the U.S. Women’s Soccer players cannot go on strike prior to the Olympics. The Federation initiated the suit after the players’ union lawyer denied the validity of the “no strike, no lockout” provision after the collective bargaining agreement was extended through 2016. The women’s team alleges that its players are paid less than the players on the men’s national team.…

June 7, 2016 Soccer

FIFA Investigation Finds Top Execs Awarded Themselves Nearly $80 Million

Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA) troubles are far from over. Last year, U.S. authorities indicted more than twenty four FIFA executives. Currently, Swiss authorities are investigating alleged bribes paid to FIFA executives. Ethics investigations are ongoing. FIFA has been forced to remove top officials from their positions. Most recently, an internal investigation revealed even profounder problems in the FIFA organization.

FIFA hired U.S. law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan to investigate corruption allegations during the past year. According to partner Bill Burck, “evidence …

June 7, 2016 Fraud / Litigation / Soccer

Soccer Superstar Lionel Messi Goes on Trial for Alleged Tax Fraud in Spain

In what has become a scandalous recent trend in the world of sports, Lionel Messi has become the latest high-profile soccer superstar to deal with Spain’s tough tax system and its legal enforcement. Messi’s tax trial began earlier this week in Barcelona, but the soccer legend finally had his day in court on Thursday, June 2, 2016.

On the stand Messi reiterated the theme his attorneys have been illustrating over the course of the week — that he had zero knowledge of the financial transactions …

January 8, 2016 Concussions / NCAA / NHL / Soccer

Sports Litigation and Cases to Keep an Eye on in the New Year (Part II)

Part one of our look ahead at some of hottest sports litigation topics focused on the Deflategate appeal and the battle in New Jersey over the legalization of sports betting. Today, we’ll look at the latest surrounding the NCAA anitrust litigation, concussion litigation in the NHL, and the FIFA corruption scandal.

NCAA Antitrust Litigation

The Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in O’Bannon v. NCAA cleared the way for collegiate schools to offer student athletes the full cost of attending college, but also prevents schools from …

December 9, 2015 Soccer

David Beckham Takes Another Step to MLS Expansion in Miami

David Beckham’s goal to obtain an expansion Major League Soccer (MLS) team took a step closer to becoming reality. According the Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Beckham has signed a nonbinding letter of intent to buy a property in downtown Miami to house a stadium. The land is adjoining to a private lot that Beckham and his ownership group have previously secured. Beckham is proposing a 30,000-seat stadium in the Overtown area. The sales price will be determined by the fair market value of …

November 11, 2015 Concussions / Soccer

US Youth Soccer to Undergo Sweeping Rule Changes in Lieu of Concussion Litigation

This past Monday, November 9, 2015, the US Soccer Federation, one of the governing bodies of youth soccer leagues across the nation, announced a new safety initiative it intends to put into play to help combat concussions and related injuries among America’s younger players. The announcement comes as a final step in a long, drawn out legal battle by concerned parents to limit the potential risks children face playing one of the more popular youth sports.

US Soccer Federation made the announcement Monday in response …

September 26, 2015 Soccer

FIFA Under Fire: Swiss Authorities To Investigate FIFA President

Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, president of FIFA since 1998, is under criminal investigation. The announcement came on Friday, September 25, 2015 from The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland. According to the announcement, Blatter is being investigated “on suspicion of criminal management as well as—alternatively—on suspicion of misappropriation.”

This comes as another development in a series of investigations involving FIFA. Swiss law enforcement officials arrested a number of top soccer officials in May and extradited them to the U.S. on federal corruption charges. The U.S. …

July 23, 2015 Soccer

Rochester Lancers Disband Over Concerns of Inflated Workers’ Compensation Costs

New York, frequently pointed to as one of the most expensive states for workers’ compensation costs and claims, has recently claimed victim to a professional soccer team due to rising insurance costs. The Rochester Lancers, an indoor soccer team in the Major Arena Soccer League, disbanded due to a sharp rise in workers’ compensation insurance costs.

In an impassioned open letter to fans, Lancers owner Salvatore “SoccerSam” Fantauzzo cited an 800% increase by the New York State Insurance Fund as reason for the team’s folding …

July 11, 2015 Soccer

Down in a Blaze of Banishment: FIFA Bans Ex-Official Chuck Blazer for Life

On Thursday, July 9, FIFA officials banned Chuck Blazer, the former FIFA executive committee member, for life from soccer-related activities at the national or international level. Blazer, after pleading guilty to charges of bribery, money laundering, and tax evasion, worked undercover with prosecutors in the United States to help lead to the arrest of several FIFA officials.

FIFA’s Ethics Committee had suspended its original investigations into Blazer regarding corrupt financial management in May 2013 after it received written assurances that he was suffering from colon …