The arbitrator of the portuguese court of arbitration for sport

Abstract

This essay seeks to put forth and go into analysis of the statutes applicable to Arbitrators for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“Tribunal Arbitral do Desporto” or “TAD”), as set by the TAD Law (Law no. 74/2013, of the 6^th of September, as amended by Law no. 33/2014) and more recent regulations, especially the Deontological Statute for TAD Arbitrators (entered into force in the 15th of November, 2020). Personal views are added regarding to the possibilities for improvement on the framework for each Arbitrator’s powers and duties within their role in sports litigation. Whilst TAD is still a novel legal entity, its activity demanded a review of the original regulatory framework (both from a voluntary arbitration standpoint and a deontological standpoint), which allows for critical thinking about the adequacy of the current legal statutes regarding the specificities of sports litigation. Some suggestions are made to assist in reaching the goals set forth by the legislator in 2013-2014.