By a judgment of January 28, 2020 - Ali RIZA et al. Turkey - the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), considered that the arbitration commission of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) lacked in its composition of independence and impartiality, under the article 6§1 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
Guarantee the independence and impartiality of refereeing commissions in sport
Le press release of the ECHR relating to the decision of 28 January 2020, recalls that:
" The Court held in particular that the executive body of the TFF, the board of directors, which had always been to a large extent composed of members or managers of football clubs, exercised excessive influence over the organization and operation of the arbitration commission. In addition, the TFF rules did not provide safeguards to protect members of the arbitration board from outside pressure.. "
The representation of players in the arbitration bodies of sports federations
Maître Lucien VALLONI, Lawyer of Mr. Ali RIZA, professional football player, indicated on his website :
" This decision specifies that the players must be represented equally in the arbitration bodies of the federations. This clearly shows that the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber, which is also composed of judges selected by FIFPRO, the players' union, is the way to go and a good example for handling disputes in the sports sector.. "(After translation from English to French)
