In this interview, we were able to engage Ajibola Oluwadamilola, the Head of Moot, and Oluwadarasimi Ogunnowo in a dynamic conversation in recognition of their successful win as the 1st runner up at the recently concluded Football Law Annual Moot (FLAM) Competition.
Enjoy!
Lk: What motivated you to pursue sports law, and how did this competition align with your interests?
Damilola: Well, my major motivation towards sports law emanated from my love/passion for football in general. I'm a die-hard fan of my club so I've always been interested in sports.
Immediately I had the chance to learn about sports law, it went smoothly because I was not a newcomer in the field.
FLAM helped me align my interest in sports law because it allowed me to see sports law from a different angle and to notice the intricacies and technicalities around it as well.
Oluwadarasimi: The passion I have for football and sports generally is the main motivation. Since I couldn't pursue a career in football and play so well on the pitch as I didn't have the flair for it, I felt like I could pursue this career without having to play on the pitch. With this, I was able to work behind the scenes of football by knowing football contracts, and the rules behind the sport and learning to advocate for clubs or players when disputes occur.
Also, the advent of this competition was what furthered my interest in this area of law.
Lk: How did you prepare for the competition, and what skills do you think contributed to your success?
Oluwadarasimi: The erstwhile Attorney General of this society contributed a lot to the preparations because I had little knowledge about mooting before this competition. Before the first round, we had to read the provisions of the FIFA RSTP and the FIFA Clearing House Regulations(FCHR) as regards the theme of the competition before we finally drafted our briefs for the first round. It was after this that we had a series of rehearsals and WhatsApp calls in preparation for the first round of the virtual rounds.
Skills? The main thing should be God and confidence as confidence is key while arguing orally. You could have prepared good arguments but when confidence isn't there, it may not be useful as you think. It would be hard to convince the judge why judgment should be given in your favor.
Damilola: My preparations for the competition were quite tedious because I had no prior knowledge about sports law and it isn't also a popular sector of law in Nigeria.
Moreover researching was quite stressful at times, we had to get foreign cases, among others.
My zeal to learn and my advocacy skills are what ultimately contributed to my success.
Lk: What are the intricacies between the legal and sporting aspects of sports law?
Oluwadarasimi: Sports and law intersect in various ways. Talking from the perspective of football, it is what goes on behind the scenes. It is trite that before players play on the pitch for their clubs, they would've signed contracts with their clubs and the parties are bound by whatever the contract provides. Just in case any of the parties breach the contract, the law comes in to regulate the behavior of the parties. Also, there are a lot of rules that guide the conduct of clubs, one is the Financial Fair Play Rules (FFP) established to prevent clubs from spending more than they earn in pursuit of their success. This is also one of the ways sports and law intersect. There is a lot that can be said but we should leave it here.
Damilola: The intersection between sports and law is quite funny but then very important.
Sometimes, people focus on the entertainment part of sports, forgetting that it has its legal side to it.
Law is important in every sphere of life, to maintain order and sports law isn't excluded from that.
Lk: How did you handle challenging questions or opposing arguments from judges or opponents?
Damilola: I handle them the way I handle normal day-to-day questions, listen attentively, understand why the question is asked and also make sure to always pause before giving a reply.
Oluwadarasimi: It's about coming prepared. When you're prepared already to face certain questions or opposing arguments, it may not be as challenging for you as you would already know the appropriate ways to address them when they come.
Lk: How did you work with your teammate and your coach to prepare and present your arguments?
Oluwadarasimi: It all boils down to being open to learning from them because they were more experienced in this area than I was. So we were able to discuss the case and how the laws apply to it. With that, we were able to give different opinions which later formed our arguments.
Damilola: Working with my teammate and coach was quite straightforward because I'd say both of them were wonderful people. They made the competition easier and less stressful for me, especially on the part of my coach.
Lk: What do you think are the most pressing issues in sports law today?
Damilola: I'd say the most pressing issues are the lack of promotion of youth development, employment disputes, contract formulation and maintenance etc.
Oluwadarasimi: From the perspective of an African football lover, I would say it's the lack of adequate representation from Africa when laws are being made.
Lk: What advice would you give to others interested in pursuing sports law?
Oluwadarasimi: I also still need advice too
But then, it's just about developing interest alongside passion and not restricting oneself to the environment one finds himself in. If we are to go with this environment, there's no way a person can pursue the interest well here as the facilities for it are not here because we don't study sports law here nor do we have a club for it. So once you have that interest, you develop the passion to read more about it and do more research about this area of law.
Damilola: Be committed and focused on it.
But then, sports law is one to look out for in subsequent years as it's still gaining traction.
Thanks for reading.
Lk... Making a statement
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