Sam Cuthbert comments on ‘Abramovich’s Secret Football Payments’ for The Guardian and OCCRP

Outer Temple’s, Sports Law specialist, Sam Cuthbert comments on Chelsea FC facing questions over how its former owner Roman Abramovich may have breached football rules and regulations, including those on “financial fair play”. Sam’s comment has been published in The Guardian and the OCCRP.

The story has come to light following leaked files which have revealed a series of payments worth tens of millions of pounds (made for over a decade) and appear to have been for Chelsea FC’s benefit. Chelsea are now facing new questions as to whether football rules may have been breached.

Sam Cuthbert, who regularly acts on behalf of sports clubs, athletes, and national governing bodies, comments on the current situation – “If a club were to hide outgoings […] by paying those sums through other entities, it is conceivable that they could be in breach of the FFP rules. You would effectively be circumventing your regulatory requirements, which limit your ability to spend, and spending instead through an offshore company. Any opportunity to gain an unfair advantage skews the competition in favour of a particular club, and undermines the integrity of football, on a fundamental principled level.”

The story has attracted a substantial media following and in addition to The Guardian and OCCRP articles, it has also been reported in French, German and Czech media.

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Sam Cuthbert specialises in sports law and commercial law. He is frequently instructed both as led junior counsel, and in his own right. Sam regularly acts on behalf of sports clubs, athletes, and national governing bodies. Sam was ranked as a rising star in sports law by Legal 500 in 2023.

Sam has acted both for and against Premier League clubs, in appeals on behalf of the Football Association, and in Rule K arbitrations. He is frequently instructed in CAS proceedings, and is currently acting in a number of high-profile safeguarding matters before arbitral panels and in the High Court. Sam’s practice encompasses sports regulation, commercial-rights disputes, safeguarding, disciplinary cases, and anti-doping cases. He is also instructed in sports related inquests, and is experienced in litigating head injuries in sport.

Sam regularly speaks at events and conferences on legal issues arising in a sporting context and was recently invited on CNN Sports to provide a legal perspective on the national Spanish Women’s Football Team boycott. He has also advised major newspapers on stories pertaining to corruption in Sport. Sam is appointed to the Sports Resolutions Pro Bono Panel. 

News 15 Nov, 2023