Chapter II: Professional leagues

Articles in this section · 4

Article L132-2

French Sports CodeIn force

Updated 8 Nov 2023

With a view to ensuring the long-term future of sports associations and companies, promoting respect for sporting fairness and contributing to the economic regulation of competitions, federations which have set up a professional league shall set up a body within their federation or league with independent powers of assessment, empowered to refer matters to the competent disciplinary bodies and with the following remit:

1° To ensure the administrative, legal and financial control of sports associations and companies which are members of the federation or professional league or apply for membership of the federation or league;

2° Ensuring financial control of the activities of sports agents;

3° monitoring and assessing proposed purchases, disposals and changes of shareholders in sports companies.

Inspections of sports associations and companies may be carried out on the basis of documentary evidence and on site. Where the sports association or company is required to have its accounts certified by a statutory auditor, it shall forward the statutory auditor's report on its annual accounts to the body referred to in the first paragraph without delay. When a statutory auditor initiates a warning procedure pursuant to Articles L. 234-1 or L. 234-2 of the Commercial Code, the company or association shall inform the body mentioned in the first paragraph of this Article without delay.

Sports agents, sports associations and companies, as well as the bodies of federations and their professional leagues, are required to provide the body mentioned in the same first paragraph with any information or documents necessary for the performance of its duties. This body may also ask any natural or legal person with any legal connection whatsoever with the sports association or company to provide it with any information or document necessary for the performance of its duties.

The records of decisions of the body referred to in the said first paragraph are made public. Each year, within nine months of the end of the sporting season as determined by the regulations of the federation or, where applicable, the professional league, this body draws up a public report outlining its activities.

Mariela Petrova

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Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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