Access to Justice: Out of Competition Independent Adjudication
The resolution of sporting disputes in Asia is increasingly becoming an area of interest that is ripe for development now that Asia is gaining traction as a venue for the hosting of internationally acclaimed games. In Malaysia, the resolution of sporting disputes is governed by Sections 23 and 24 of the Sports Development Act, 1997. As part of the AIAC’s commitment to promote international best practices and encourage their implementation in the region, this evening talk aims to educate and inform individuals interested in this area of the law on the framework and mechanisms of an independent sports tribunal in the adjudication of sporting disputes. The talk will draw from the experience of a distinguished sports law practitioner who will detail the intricacies of sporting references and governance of sporting disputes in New Zealand and how its existing set up could be relevant in the Malaysian sporting scene.
Speaker:
The Hon Sir Bruce Robertson, KNZM; VGSM; BA, LLB Otago; LLM University of Virginia; Hon LLD Otago - is Chairman of the NZ Sports Tribunal since 2013. He was a lawyer in Dunedin and a part-time lecturer at the University of Otago for 20 years prior to his appointment as a High Court Judge in 1987. He was President of the NZ Law Commission from 2001 to 2005 and then having been a Divisional Judge in the Court of Appeal for a decade, he became a permanent member for 5 years until an early retirement. Currently he is also Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants in NZ, President of the Court of Appeal of Pitcairn, presiding Judge in the Vanuatu Court of Appeal, a member of the Qatar International Civil and Commercial Court and a member of the Judicial Control Authority for Racing. His past roles include Chairman of the 2011 Rugby World Cup Authority, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Otago , Harkness fellow of the Commonwealth Fund of New York, Editor of Adams on Criminal law and a number of charitable and educational roles.
Izham holds a Law degree from University of Malaya, where he was the former President of University Malaya Students Representative Council and an active member of University Malaya Law Society. He presented a paper entitled ‘Elevating The Status of Football in Malaysia For A More Sustainable Sports Industry’ at National Students Consultative Council 2013 chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister. He was a fellow at Deputy Prime Minister’s Office under the Perdana Fellows Programme. Izham is the youngest committee member of National Football Development Programme under Ministry of Youth and Sports.
He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFA Malaysia) and FIFPro Asia/Oceania Board Member, where he represents professional footballers across the country and Asian region. He has managed more than 300 cases involving overdue payables and unfair contractual termination of professional footballers in Malaysia since 2014.