Bichara Abidão Neto

Bichara Abidão Neto specialises in dispute resolution, governance and regulation.

He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sports Law (ANDD) and composes the list of arbitrators of the Brazilian Centre of Mediation and Arbitration (CBMA).

He is also a member of the working group that continuously revises CBF’s regulations on the status and transfer of football players, as well as the ones governing the activities of intermediaries.

He has vast experience as counsel in arbitration procedures before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where he frequently deals with contractual matters, ethics and discipline, doping, employment-related disputes and international transfers of footballers.

His expertise also extends to the structuring of football clubs and to advising different stakeholders acting in the business of sport, including but not limited to clubs, athletes, intermediaries, national associations, federations, confederations, etc.

In terms of Olympic sports, Bichara stands out as the chairman of Brazil’s Superior Court of Sports Justice for Equestrian (STJD) and for his prominent work before the CAS ad hoc and anti-doping divisions during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Further to directly acting as counsel for several athletes, Bichara was invited by the Rio de Janeiro Bar Association (OAB/RJ) to coordinate with the Bichara e Motta Advogados team in the training of the pro bono arbitration counsel programme for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Bichara is listed in Who is Who Legal as a Global and National Leader “highly regarded by peers and clients alike for his work in CAS arbitrations and as a trusted adviser to athletes, agents and associations.

At an academic level, he is frequently a visiting lecturer to postgraduate and MBA courses in labour law, sports management and sports law in Brazil and abroad; and is the author of several publications in sports and labour law.