In 2021 Dolf Segaar started his own company:
a boutique law firm dedicated to sport, governance and litigation.
The following information can be the first step towards a long lasting relationship of trust. A personal conversation is indispensable for this.
Dolf Segaar was awarded the medal of honour by NOC*NSF (Dutch Olympic Committee) for his involvement in sport. He is the first to go to lawyer when it comes to legal advice or litigation in the world of sports. Sport is becoming increasingly commercialized due to further digitalization, the development of e-sports and e-gaming, social media and the way in which the sports industry uses these. At the same time, new developments in sport raise new issues of compliance and governance.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements are top of mind in board meetings of enterprises. ESG-requirements are often complex and its importance may not be underestimated by sport organizations when dealing with those enterprises when they decide to invest in and make social impact through sport.
For specific assignments outside the scope of work of Segaar Law, specialists from the professional network of Dolf Segaar can be called upon. In consultation he will set up multidisciplinary project teams in consultation with the client in order to be able to advise and assist clients. This concerns both specialized legal work outside his field of interest and non-legal aspects in the field of media and marketing, for example, where the image and reputation management of athletes and sports federations are concerned.
SPORT
Within the sports world, Dolf Segaar has experience and expertise in all relevant subjects.
Dolf Segaar is an experienced litigator. Regarding sports law, he was among others involved as advocaat in several high-profile cases, such as assisting premier league and first division clubs, like FC Twente, Cambuur and De Graafschap in their defense towards the Royal Dutch Soccer Federation, he acted for adidas against Rafinha and he assisted Andre Onana against UEFA and before CAS in his doping case.
IP issues are at the core of sports law. They were mainly about image rights of players, but with further digitalization comes new data and applications. Privacy regulations have become essential factor. AI (Artificial Intelligence) will soon be unavoidable in all aspects of society. The sports sector will also have to prepare for this. Dolf Segaar has the required expertise and network to assist both athletes and clubs, federations and sponsors
Dolf Segaar was chairman of the Dutch Doping Authority and member of doping panels of International Federations. He is an expert in the field of doping, provides advice regarding all legal aspects of doping issues, including the representation of athletes in proceedings before their Federation and before CAS, on whereabout failures and on anti-doping policies. Dolf Segaar works together with scientific experts.
Dolf Segaar believes that player agents have a specialization that can hardly be taken over by a lawyer. However, lawyers specialized in sports law do have added value when drafting contracts, negotiating sponsorship agreements and image rights. In good cooperation with the player agent Dolf Segaar is on regular basis involved in transfers, player’s contracts and IP rights.
As one of the Dutch front runners in the legal world of e-sports Segaar has advised several clients, such as ESL GmbH and ESL Benelux BV on contractual and regulatory matters regarding the organization of and participation into international esports events and tournaments.
Read the article and powerpoint presentation of Dolf Segaar (both in Dutch) on e-sports.
Dolf Segaar advises football clubs, sports governing bodies, athletes and leading sports brands on drafting and negotiating a vast range of complex commercial deal agreements, including cooperation agreements, joint ventures, the protection and exploitation of image rights, media rights agreements, licensing and sponsorship agreements.
Dolf Segaar knows the dynamics of corporate organisations. He uses that knowledge and expertise, together with a thorough legal knowledge of Corporate Practice and Litigation in advising clients in governance related matters, not only in sports.
Sport is increasingly confronted with malpractices (doping, match fixing, corruption, exploitation and abuse of athletes etc). Through good governance, compliance to rules and -increasingly important- culture, organisations, must counterbalance and resist such malpractices. There are many governance and compliance issues related to the change of control in Dutch professionalfootball, more specifically related to `KYC-requirements’. The Dutch Royal Football Association (KNVB) has a very strict approach towards applying its rules in this respect and clubs and investors must prepare thoroughly when they intend to a change of ownership and apply for approval of the license committee of the KNVB.
Advice relating to these aspects to prevent excesses is an important part of the work of Dolf Segaar. This not only concerns internal (international) regulations of sport federations, but also European and National regulations regarding to compliance and the decision-making process, such as the EU Whistleblower Directive and Dutch Whistleblower Code forms part thereof.
Dolf Segaar works in this area together with professors of Change Management (Steven ten Have) and Cultural Economics (Arjo Klamer).
Read the article from ‘Goed Bestuur & Toezicht’
Read the article ‘How to address malpractices in sports?’ by Arjo Klamer and Dolf Segaar
Litigation is what distinguishes the ‘advocaat’ from any other regular legal service provider. Litigation is an ‘art’ and even experienced ‘advocaten’ prefer to stay away from court because of all the specific characteristics that surround court proceedings. Whether this will be before a court, a disciplinary tribunal or in (CAS) arbitration .
Dolf is arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and is frequently appointed as an arbitrator to decide in a variety of international sport disputes.
He is international visiting lecturer at the Dream Together Master on “sports law and (CAS-)arbitration” at the Seoul National University in South Korea.
‘Dolf Segaar is on the ball when it comes to litigation’. In his first years as ’advocaat’ he was already named best pleader of the Netherlands by winning the national litigation competitions in 1991. (article in Utrechts Nieuwsblad and Trouw)
Read ‘Van Gelder versus NOC*NSF:’ an analysis from Dutch (procedural) law and international sports law from ‘Tijdschrift voor Sport en Recht’
SELECTED EXPERIENCE
- Dolf Segaar has assisted the new, American owner of professional football club ADO Den Haag in its bid to acquire the shares of the club in 2021/2022.He assisted Vitesse in 2023/2024 in matters relating to its football license, the alleged influence of Abramovic on Vitesse and related sanction matters, and assisted Vitesse and its intended American new owner in questions relating to a change of control.
Dolf Segaar assisted Tour de Tietema BV (professional Cycling Team Unibet TdT) successfully in procedures initiated by its former partner Bingoal for damages for the alleged wrongful termination of a partnership agreement after changes in the Dutch Online Betting Regulation. The Court decided in two decisions in favor of Tour de Tietema that these changes justified the subject termination.
>> Uitspraken rechtspraak.nl
>> Uitspraken rechtspraak.nl
>> Rechtbank oordeelt Tour de Tietema hoeft Bingoal geen schadevergoeding te betalen
>> Rechtbank stelt Tour de Tietema in gelijk in zaak tegen bingoal
- Providing ongoing advice to one of the world’s largest sports brands on contractual and strategic issues, including litigation.
- Advising sport marketing agencies on contractual matters relating to events and (media-) rights.
- Advising various Dutch Premier League Clubs on football related matters and governance/compliance issues.
- Litigation on behalf of a Dutch premier League Club before CAS relating to football hooliganism.
- Litigation before CAS on behalf of Andre Onana against UEFA with regard to the doping sanction applied to him by UEFA.
>> Zaak Onana: Vrijspraak onwaarschijnlijk.
>> Ajax zet zwaar geschut in bij zaak onana
- Litigation on behalf of Mr. Jordania against Professional Football Club FC Den Bosch with regard to investment into the Club before the Ditrict Court of Den Bosch.
>> fc-den-bosch-is-kakhi-jordania-kwart-miljoen-schuldig
>> FC-Den-Bosch-moet-Georgische-zakenman-ruim-240000-euro-terugbetalen
>> uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl
- Litigation on behalf of two Dutch first Division football clubs relating to Covid 19 decisions of the Royal Dutch Football Federation not to apply promotion and relegation in the season 2019-2020. >>Omropfryslan.bbvms.com: video
- Litigation on behalf of adidas against the Barcelona player Rafinha over an alleged breach of contract.
>> adidas-are-suing-barcelonas-rafinha
>> barcelona-star-taken-court-adidas
>> uitspraken.rechtspraak
>> barcelone-adidas-reclame-une-fortune-a-un-blaugrana-pour-violation-de-contrat
- Litigated successfully on behalf of Premier League Club FC Twente on the sanction imposed by the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) to withdraw the Premier League License of FC Twente.
>> nos.nl: situatie-fc-twente-blijft-ook-na-kort-geding-onduidelijk
>> knvb.nl: commissie-van-beroep-vonnis-fc-twente
>> knvb.nl: samenvatting-vonnis-beroepscommissie-zaak-fc-twente
>> knvb.nl: beroepscommissie-fc-twente-behoudt-licentie-en-krijgt-boete
- Advised FC Twente on several matters relating to the aforementioned litigation, including arbitration before KNVB and Netherlands Arbitration Institute
>> knvb.nl: eindvonnis-wasserman
Current
2017-
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Topsport Amsterdam
2020
Chairman of the Integrity Committee of the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF), responsible for investigating complaints of athletes, trainers and officials with regard to discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and other integrity issues and advising the Executive Committee of IBSF on the outcome and actions to be taken.
Past
2000-2005
Chairman Audit Committee Doping NOC*NSF
2007-2015
Board Member / Chairman Dutch Doping Authority
2008-2020
Chairman of Zoneparc Foundation, a foundation for innovation of school yards
2010-2022
Member of the Board of the Fund for disabled athletes
2010- 2021
Chairman Doping Panel International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation
2012-2014
Member of the Advisory Committee of Over Amstel, Publishing House
2012-2020
Chairman Doping Panel International Boxing Association (AIBA)
2013-2021
Chairman of the Prokkel Foundation for inclusion of people with an intellectual disability
2015-2016
Legal Secretary to the Supervisory Board ADO Den Haag
2014-2015
Chairman of the Foundation Grand Depart Tour de France Utrecht
News
>> Sporters die betrapt gaan worden op doping zullen wijzen naar Zaak Sinner
>> NPO Radio 1: Langs De Lijn en Omstreken (eerste 12 minuten)
>> Dopingschorsing halep van vier jaar naar negen maanden weg vrij voor rentree (commentary Dolf Segaar Radio 1 included)
>> Zaak Onana: Vrijspraak onwaarschijnlijk
>> Ajax zet zwaar geschut in bij zaak Onana
>> FC Den Bosch is Kakhi Jordania kwart miljoen schuldig
>> FC Den Bosch moet Georgische zakenman ruim 240000 euro terugbetalen
>> Uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl
>>Omrop Fryslan: video
>> Adidas are suing Barcelonas rafinha
>> Barcelona star taken court Adidas
>> Uitspraken rechtspraak
>> Barcelone Adidas reclame une fortune a un blaugrana pour violation de contrat
>> nos.nl: Situatie FC Twente blijft ook na kort geding onduidelijk
>> knvb.nl: Commissie van beroep vonnis FC Twente
>> knvb.nl: Samenvatting vonnis beroepscommissie zaak FC Twente
>> knvb.nl: Beroepscommissie FC Twente behoudt licentie en krijgt boete
>> knvb.nl: Eindvonnis Wasserman
CONTACT
SEGAAR ADVOCATUUR B.V.
NIEUW-LOOSDRECHTSEDIJK 41
1231 KM LOOSDRECHT
T +31 6 55 78 33 51
DOLF@SEGAARLAW.EU
Segaar Law ontvangt geen derdengelden in de zin van de Verordening op de advocatuur en is daarom vrijgesteld van de verplichting een stichting derdengelden ter beschikking te hebben. Derdengelden worden indien van toepassing conform artikel 6.19, eerste lid van de Verordening op de advocatuur, direct naar de rechthebbende overgemaakt. Eventueel sluit Segaar Law zich alsnog aan bij een stichting derdengelden (en lopen de gelden dan via deze stichting). Alle regels omtrent derdengelden zijn dan van toepassing. Onder geen enkele omstandigheid ontvangt het kantoor derdengelden op de kantoorrekening.
