International Centre for
Sports Studies

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2000 Neuchâtel
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News

Thu. 07 July 2022

“The Last Lessons”. FIFA Master June Report

As the conclusion of the FIFA Master draws closer, our class is savouring every moment in sunny Neuchâtel. Whilst June has been a busy month of law exams and exciting field trips, the students have enjoyed the vibrant lifestyle of Swiss summer by the lakeside.

The class has settled into a rhythm in Western Switzerland; regular football matches, basketball sessions and lakeside socialising has become part of our schedule. The coats and jackets are packed away, as Friday classes often finish with the class migrating to the lakeside for socialising, snacks, and refreshments. The autumn days of Leicester and winter time in Milano now seem a distant memory for many in the class.

Academically, it was a busy month in the calendar with a total of four exams in the first twenty days of June. Our June classes began by focussing on arbitration and dispute resolution, led by the highly qualified quartet of Pierre Cornu, Antonio Rigozzi, Sebastian Besson and Uli Haas. Our lessons were centred on learning the role, structure and proceedings of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This culminated in an exciting moot arbitration assessment, which the class was privileged to conduct under the supervision of the esteemed Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) General Secretary Andreas Zagklis and Professor Rigozzi. We thank Mr. Zagklis and FIBA for this unforgettable opportunity.

Alongside our academic studies we were joined in class by several excellent industry guest speakers who kindly shared their knowledge with the group on various aspects of European football’s organisation. Following our visit to the UEFA headquarters in late May, UEFA’s Tiziano Gaier and Didier Andrist presented their perspectives on UEFA Club Football, followed by TEAM Marketing’s John Barton on the UEFA Club Finals. Finally, the experienced Philippe Vajda introduced Event Risk Management to our class. Their perspectives on sport were extremely insightful as part of our studies and we thank all of them for imparting their wisdom to us.

June would also play host to several exciting field trips around Switzerland. We enjoyed insightful presentations during excursion to FIBA, the Federation Equestrian International (FEI), World Archery and the International Olympic Committee Museum. Their collective expertise, knowledge and advice to the class was greatly appreciated, opening new networks to enhance our Final Projects and preparing for working life after the FIFA Master finishes. To cap it all off, the class celebrated in style at the end of term, with an aperitivo event in Lausanne that proved to be a special celebration, continuing long into the night!

Post aperitivo, the next day would be our final day in the classroom for the whole Master, as several notable FIFA Master Alumni conducted an enthralling all-day presentation on entrepreneurship. Our curiosity was sparked by their many great ventures; from Austria to Malaysia, media solutions to sports development consulting, there was no shortage of excellence and bright ideas from our incredibly talented speakers. The class finished with a fiercely competitive Shark Tank-styled start-up challenge, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We thank Joao, Veronika, Nick, Tim and Kristina for sharing their career paths with us.

However, the final activity of the term was the much anticipated, FIFA Master Alumni Picnic Day, organised by the students. Early in the day, our sunny football match ended in a tense 3-3 draw, with goals by Melvin Mendy (2) and Harley Mitaros, and an excellent hat-trick to Alumni Branco Gianni de Kock. Later, the group headed to the lakeside to enjoy a barbecue, a swim, and socialising with the alumni. From midday to sundown at 10pm, the class enjoyed the company of old and new friends, dancing, laughing and comparing our FIFA Master experiences over the years. As well as a great day by Lake Neuchatel, the event suitably symbolised our edition’s evolution from students to alumni, and thus beginning the next significant step in our careers and lives.

With no further classes in July, the class is now firmly focused on our Final Projects by conducting interviews, completing research and long days of essay writing until the due date on 15th of July. As the end of the FIFA Master approaches, a bittersweet feeling dawns on the class, as we savour our last weeks together, knowing one of the most memorable and exhilarating periods of our lives is coming to an end. In nine short months, our class of 32 has become a tight knit family; studying, living, laughing, crying, and working hard together as one. Whilst there’s an inevitable sadness for the conclusion of the programme, we still remain eternally grateful for the life-changing opportunity that has been the FIFA Master.

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked No.1 Course in Europe 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 by the SportBusiness International global rankings.

Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (United Kingdom), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).

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