Get Guidance
Which Tribunal?Figure out roughly where a sports dispute belongs›
A dispute purely within Nigeria — against a Nigerian club, for instance — generally goes through the Nigeria Football Federation’s own dispute resolution structures first, not straight to FIFA. Only once those domestic avenues are exhausted, or if the matter genuinely has no proper domestic forum, does an international route become relevant.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →An international dimension — a foreign club, a cross-border transfer, an agent based abroad — typically means FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber has jurisdiction. From there, either side can generally appeal an unfavourable decision to CAS within 21 days of notification.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →A purely domestic dispute — with a player, another Nigerian club, or the NFF itself — is generally a matter for Nigerian football’s own domestic structures, not FIFA directly.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →Disputes with an international dimension — an overseas player, a cross-border transfer disagreement, or an international agent — generally fall to FIFA’s Football Tribunal, with CAS available as the appeal route from there.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →A dispute between an agent and a Nigerian club or player, entirely domestic in character, is typically a matter for domestic football structures or, depending on the contract, ordinary civil dispute resolution.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →Disputes specifically involving a FIFA-licensed agent, where the matter has an international dimension, are handled by the Agents Chamber of the FIFA Football Tribunal.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →Disputes involving CAF or the Nigeria Football Federation, confined to Africa, typically go through CAF’s own Disciplinary Board and Appeal Board in the first instance.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →Where a federation-level dispute has genuine international reach — involving FIFA directly, or another confederation — FIFA’s own disciplinary bodies are usually the starting point, with CAS as the final appellate forum.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →A coach’s dispute confined to a domestic contract with a Nigerian club is generally a matter for domestic structures, in the same way as a player’s purely domestic employment dispute.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →An international coaching contract dispute — our library’s Fédération Centrafricaine de Football v. Raoul Savoy case is a real example — typically proceeds through FIFA’s Players’ Status Chamber, with CAS available on appeal.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →I Received a FIFA DecisionA guided walkthrough of what to check, and how urgently›
This tool is built around final decisions specifically. Preliminary, provisional, or interim rulings follow different rules and often move on much shorter timelines — get advice now rather than waiting to see how things develop.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →The appeal clock generally only starts running once a decision has been properly notified to you. If you are not sure whether or when that happened, this is worth confirming urgently — do not assume you have more time than you do.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) may be available to you. This is time-critical — the 21-day window (or your federation’s specific deadline) does not pause for anything, including the time it takes to find a lawyer.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →The standard appeal window may have already passed, or you may not be certain of the exact deadline that applied to your decision. Limited exceptions exist in some circumstances — get advice immediately rather than assuming the door is closed.
Speak to Our Sports Arbitration Team →Sports Law Deadline CalculatorCalculate a sourced appeal deadline from your notification date›
Reference Table — Where Each Deadline Comes From
| Situation | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Appeal to CAS from a final FIFA decision | 21 days | FIFA’s general rule for appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, applied throughout our Case Analysis library.See our CAS Procedure FAQ. |
| Announcing intent to appeal a CAF Disciplinary Board decision internally, to the CAF Appeal Board | 3 days | Confirmed from a real CAF Disciplinary Board decision, which states the party intending to appeal must announce that intention in writing within three days of notification.The full petition and grounds of appeal are then governed separately by the CAF Disciplinary Code’s own Article 55 — confirm the specific submission deadline directly rather than assuming it matches the 3-day notice period. |
| Appeal to CAS from a CAF Appeal Board decision, under competition-specific regulations | Varies — can be shorter than 21 days | In the AFCON 2025 final forfeiture dispute, the Senegalese Football Federation was given just 10 days to appeal the CAF Appeal Board’s ruling to CAS — not the general 21-day window.This is not included in the calculator above because it is competition-specific, not a general rule. Always confirm the exact deadline under the regulations of the specific competition involved. |
Nigerian law changes fast. Most people find out too late.
Get a short, no-fluff note only when something actually changes that affects you or your business.
You’re on the list.
Watch your inbox — we’ll only write when something actually changes that matters to you.