Beyond the Final Whistle at the FIFA World Cup: The Growing Crisis of Social Media Abuse in Professional Sport

The 2026 FIFA World Cup may have been the biggest ever staged, with 48 teams taking part – but it has also contributed to a staggering rise in online abuse. The high-profile racist attack on Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappé by a Paraguayan senator is just the tip of the iceberg.

On 1 July 2026, FIFA reported that its Social Media Protection Service had identified 89,000 abusive social media posts during the group stage alone. Around 11% of all detected abuse was racially motivated. FIFA also stated that approximately 1,000 accounts had been escalated for further investigation and that more than 100 cases potentially met legal thresholds for action. This represents a 13-fold increase compared with the equivalent stage of the 2022 World Cup,

Professional sport has always attracted passionate debate, criticism, and emotional reactions. But the rise of social media, combined with a growing wave of angry bettors, has fundamentally changed the relationship between athletes and the public.

What was once confined to stadiums, television studios and newspaper columns can now be delivered directly to a player’s phone within seconds of a match ending. Increasingly, that criticism crosses a line into unacceptable and often criminal abuse.

A recent BBC investigation highlighted the scale of the problem in the UK, finding that more than 2,000 extremely abusive social media posts were directed at Premier League and Women’s Super League players and managers during a single weekend of football. The posts included racist abuse, death threats, rape threats and other forms of hate speech.

International Transfer Agreements: Considerations for non-payment of a transfer fee

By Andrew Bennett on July 21, 2026 Posted in CAS, Dispute Resolution, FIFA, Football, Governance, Law, Player contracts, Rules and regulations, Transfers

With the Summer 2026 transfer market now open in Europe, clubs will be conducting international transfers of player registrations.

Most attention will be focussed on the commercial terms: the guaranteed payments, the instalment split, the contingent payments and the effect on new financial control rules within European or domestic leagues.

What happens though when a club fails to pay in time? Parties are able to agree an appropriate jurisdiction and the FIFA RSTP provide regulatory support to the selling club. There are, however, some clauses that may not receive the attention they deserve, that would support the selling club in the event of non-payment.

In this article, we outline some such clauses that clubs should keep in mind.

The French Experimental Framework for Games with Monetisable Digital Objects (so-called JONUM)

By Stéphanie Faber and Manel Benladghem on May 28, 2026 Posted in Blockchain, France, Gambling, Gaming

This post was originally published by our sister publication Global IP & Technology Law Blog on 27 May 2026.

French Decree No. 2026-60 of 4 February 2026, which entered into force on 7 February 2026, has finally enabled the experimental launch of a new category of online game provided for in Articles 40 and 41 of the 2024 SREN Law (Securing and Regulating the Digital Space). These games are referred to as “Games with Monetisable Digital Objects”. In France, they are best known under their acronym “JONUM” (which stands for, “Jeux à Objets Numériques Monétisables”) and the relevant rewards, the Monetisable Digital Objects, are referred to in French as “ONUM” (which stands for “Objets Numériques Monétisables “). This new regulatory framework responds to the emergence of online gaming models incorporating blockchain technologies and tradable digital assets.

This approach highlights the ambivalence of the phenomenon. On the one hand, Games with Monetisable Digital Objects fall within the video game universe: they rely on a logic of progression, interaction, and gaming experience. On the other hand, they borrow certain fundamental mechanisms from gambling, particularly randomness and the expectation of gain.

This framework establishes a distinct regime based on a balance between player protection and support for innovation.

Sports Regulatory Disputes: Where are we and where are we going?

By Squire Patton Boggs on May 6, 2026 Posted in Dispute Resolution, Law, Litigation, Rules and regulations, UK

As part of London International Disputes Week 2026 (LIDW), we are proud to host a panel session which will reprise developments in the sports regulatory environment across football, rugby, tennis and other sports. Our industry experts will examine recent high-profile disputes, such as Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) cases in the Premier League, the Super League, R360 in rugby and anti-doping cases in tennis; and then project forward how this landscape will evolve in the coming years. We have assembled an expert panel which will be followed by questions under the Chatham House Rule.

Moderated by Jonny Gray, Sports Advisor of Ankura, he will be joined by:

Adam Lewis KC – Blackstone Chambers
Ben Johnson – Senior Managing Director, Ankura
Karen Moorhouse – CEO, ITIA
Stephen Sampson – Global Head of Sports and Entertainment, Squire Patton Boggs

This is an in person event at our London office on 3 June 2026 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., registration can be made on the LIDW26 website.

Additional events we are running as part of LIDW are:

Women’s Sport Symposium 2026: Key Takeaways

By Lucy Webster, Katie Smith and Olivia Canessa Davies on March 26, 2026 Posted in Athletics, Broadcasting, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), Funding, Governance, Media Rights, Motor Racing, Olympics, Paralympics, Team GB, UK, Women in Sport

Squire Patton Boggs’ Women’s Sport Group hosted its third annual Women’s Sport Symposium on 18 March 2026, in London.

Senior stakeholders and decision-makers from across the sporting landscape came together to drive meaningful dialogue on what’s next for women’s sport, all united in the determination to accelerate progress and sustain the extraordinary momentum achieved to date.

Across five dynamic panels, one thought‑provoking keynote and a special Q&A with a Commonwealth, World and Olympic champion, attendees heard from trailblazers shaping the industry today and redefining its future.

We will be unpacking each panel in more detail soon. In the meantime, here are the key takeaways from the day.

Driving Impact Through Women’s Sport Trust’s Unlocked Programme

By Lucy Webster, Katie Smith and Olivia Canessa Davies on March 10, 2026 Posted in Athletics, UK, Women in Sport

We are proud to support Women’s Sport Trust and the impactful work taking place through its flagship Unlocked programme. Unlocked brings together elite female athletes from across the sporting spectrum, providing professional development, networking opportunities and visibility to accelerate their impact. It is a powerful example of how dedicated support can amplify female athlete voices, expand influence and contribute to a stronger, more equitable sporting landscape.

The programme is designed around a simple but powerful principle: athletes are uniquely positioned to influence progress, both within their sport and far beyond it. By providing access to strategic insight, tailored development opportunities and a cross-sport network of experienced professionals, Unlocked enables athletes to strengthen their leadership capabilities, build confidence and develop the professional skills needed to influence the areas that matter most to them.

Copyright on Ice: The Intellectual Property Issues that Put the Milano-Cortina Olympic Figure Skating into Flutz

By Jonathan Mason on February 27, 2026 Posted in Intellectual Property, IP Litigation, Olympics, Paralympics, Rules and regulations, Skating

The Winter Olympics certainly generated its fair share of headline-grabbing stories over the last few weeks. In the figure skating, one of those stories was that surrounding Spanish skater, Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate, and his now famed Minions-inspired routine.

As well as capturing the imagination of many fans with his yellow T-shirt and blue overalls costume, evoking the outfits worn by the distinctive pill-shaped creatures from the Despicable Me franchise, Sabate found himself at the centre of a copyright clearance issue for the “Universal Fanfare” track that he planned to incorporate into his routine.

Sabate, however, was not the only figure skater to face such issues at the Milano-Cortina Games, with several others also encountering copyright clearance hurdles affecting their preferred choice of music.

This article examines the intellectual property considerations underpinning these matters and why they ultimately reached varying conclusions. It also discusses the key considerations that must be borne in mind when considering the use of creative works owned by another, especially at one of the most-watched global sporting events.

For further on the broader legal talking points and challenges impacting the XXV Winter Olympic Games, please see my colleague Henry Goldschmidt’s Sports Shorts article: High stakes: Traversing the legal terrain of Milano Cortina 2026™.

High stakes: Traversing the legal terrain of Milano Cortina 2026™

By Henry Goldschmidt on February 3, 2026 Posted in Anti-doping, CAS, Discipline, Marketing, Olympics, Paralympics, Rules and regulations

The upcoming Olympic Winter Games™ (6-22 February 2026) and Paralympic Winter Games™ (6-15 March 2026) will be spread across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Alpine landscape of northern Italy (“Milan Cortina” or the “Winter Games”). Over 3,500 athletes from 93 countries will compete for 195 medals across 16 Olympic disciplines and six Paralympic sports.

It is the first Olympiad under the stewardship of new IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who has openly acknowledged the “added additional complexities“ of organising and delivering a Games across an area spanning 22,000 km². Aside from the logistics of hosting a multi-sport international event of this magnitude, the IOC, Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 (the Organising Committee for the Winter Games) and competing International Federations must contend with the geo-political climate, environmental pressures and integrity issues associated with elite-level competition.

In this article, I examine some of the legal talking points and challenges in the lead up to the Winter Games, as well as some of the flashpoints that could arise once the competition gets underway in earnest.

Intervention or Interference? Examining the UK Government’s Shifting Role in Sports Governance

By Henry Goldschmidt on September 18, 2025 Posted in Governance, Government, Law, Politics in Sport, Rules and regulations, UK

Introduction

Sport and politics have long been considered “uneasy bedfellows”, which might explain why the regulation of sport in this country has traditionally been left in the hands of sports governing bodies (“SGBs”) rather than the UK Government. There has, however, been a gradual shift from strict non-interventionism to a more “involved” approach to sports governance through a combination of regulation, reform and investment. This has, in turn, led to a more intertwined and complex relationship between central Government and SGBs.

Perhaps the most obvious example of the UK Government intervening in the sports sector is the landmark Football Governance Act 2025 (the “FGA”)[1], which recently became law after receiving royal ascent on 21 July 2025. Among other things, the FGA establishes an Independent Football Regulator (“IFR”) to oversee the top five tiers of English football, implementing one of the core recommendations from the 2021 Fan-Led Review of Football Governance. The response of the football industry (and wider public) to the FGA has been very polarising and raised several broader questions about potential long-term consequences of state regulation, as well as whether Parliament has sufficient oversight and expertise to dictate sports policy.

This article examines (i) how and why the UK Government intervenes in sport, (ii) whether there is a limit to such intervention, and (iii) what the future might hold in this area considering recent trends.

Sport on Steroids: Walking the ethical and legal tightrope of The Enhanced Games

By Henry Goldschmidt on July 16, 2025 Posted in Anti-doping, Athletics, Competition, Funding, Governance, Health & Wellbeing, Rules and regulations, Sports Policy, Swimming, Weightlifting

There has been a raft of so-called “disruptor” competitions – backed by private equity – entering the sports and entertainment market in recent years. However, I am not sure that any have been as controversial, polarising and daring as The Enhanced Games (“TEG”), where the use of performance-enhancing drugs (“PEDs”) will be permitted.

The organisers of TEG have recently announced the inaugural competition will take place in Las Vegas in May 2026. It has been marketed as bold stand for scientific freedom and personal choice – one that challenges the status quo and embraces “superhumanity” through pharmaceutical and technological innovation. Needless to say, it has attracted intense criticism from much of the sporting establishment, with the IOC describing TEG as “a joke, unfair and unsafe”.[1]

The prevailing view on TEG seems to be one of overwhelming concern, rather than seeing it as a visionary breakthrough. Nevertheless, it has undeniably forced a broader conversation about the limits of human potential and the costs of surpassing them. In this article, I will examine the perspectives on both sides of the fence, as well as the potential legal issues that may arise.