Mikhail Prokopets

Background

About Mikhail Prokopets

Sports Lawyer with extensive experience since 2005, specializing in sports law, labor law, contract law, bankruptcy, and dispute resolution. Currently a Partner at SILA International Lawyers based in Valencia, Spain, I focus on the sports industry and alternative dispute resolution methods. My professional background includes key roles such as Deputy Head of the Legal Department at the Football Union of Russia and Head of Sports Law Practice at YUST Law Company. I have served as Legal Counsel for FC Metalist and partnered with Legal Sport in Moscow before creating SILA International Lawyers. I have represented clients in high-profile cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, FIFA, UEFA, and other sports dispute resolution bodies. My expertise includes advising leagues, clubs, agents, athletes, and coaches on contractual, disciplinary, and anti-doping matters. I have handled over 270 disputes in arbitration courts, courts of general jurisdiction, mediation courts, and jurisdictional bodies of the Football Union of Russia, FIFA, UEFA, and CAS, including 60 cases in CAS and more than 160 in FIFA and NDRC. I have extensive sport arbitration experience, including roles as President of the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee Panel of the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ) from 2021 to 2023, Arbitrator of the National Center of Sports Arbitration (Russia) since 2022, Arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration for Sport of the Olympic Committee of Russia from 2006 to 2020, and Secretary and Member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Russian Football Union from 2005 to 2008. I have been actively involved in significant legal drafting, contributing to federal laws for major sports events like the FIFA 2018 World Cup. My work also includes consulting on governance, strategy, and the development of sporting organizations. In 2019 and 2021, I was named by "Best Lawyers" as one of the best lawyers in Russia in the category of Arbitration and Litigation. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, I was included in the Sport-Express "30 Most Influential People in Russian Football" ranking, being placed 25th, 28th, and 22nd respectively. In 2023, I was acknowledged as a leading lawyer in Russia in the categories of "International Projects" and "Labour Law." I am the author of two books:"Football Fair: The Book about the Football Agents"(2009) and "Resolution of the Football Disputes"(2012, with Frans de Weger), as well as over 40 articles in Russian and international sports law journals and resources.