Veronika Hodlevska spoke on contractual stability in football and changes to FIFA regulations at the II UBA's Conference on Sports Law

Veronika Hodlevska, Senior Associate at Asters and Secretary of the Dispute Resolution Chamber of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF), spoke at the II Conference on Sports Law organised by the Ukrainian Bar Association on 11 September 2026 in Kyiv.

During her presentation at the session “Football and the Law: The Legal Side of the Beautiful Game,” she discussed contractual stability, as one of the fundamental principles of the football transfer system, and how FIFA has reassessed this principle in recent years following the high-profile Diarra case.

The speaker examined the grounds for the early termination of contracts between clubs and players, as well as the criteria for determining compensation, drawing on landmark Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cases, including those involving Adrian Mutu and Matuzalém. She also addressed the future challenges facing the transfer system in light of FIFA’s new regulations, which will enter into force on 1 January 2027.

She paid a particular attention to how FIFA’s evolving approach is reflected in decisions of the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) Dispute Resolution Chamber and what these developments mean for clubs and players in Ukraine.

Participants also discussed key trends in football regulation, including:

• New rules governing football agents and their responsibilities in Ukraine.
• Investigations into match-fixing and breaches of ethical standards in football.
• The digitalisation of football as a tool for increasing transparency and preventing legal disputes.

The presentation is available via the link.

Asters is the largest full-service law firm in Ukraine with offices in Kyiv, London and Washington, D.C. The firm has access to over 125 jurisdictions through a well-developed network of partner law firms.