Stefano Bastianon

Overview & Speciality — sports lawyer in ItalyStefano Bastianon is a leading sports lawyer in Italy with a practice that combines high‑level litigation, arbitration and academic scholarship. As a founding partner of Studio Legale Bastianon Garavaglia, Stefano Bastianon maintains an active practice advising clubs, athletes, agents, federations and commercial partners on transfers, registrations, representation agreements, regulatory compliance, competition law and dispute resolution before sporting and civil fora. The work spans national, European and international levels, reflecting a practice built at the intersection of EU law, competition law and lex sportiva.Professional Background & CredentialsStefano Bastianon is a Full Professor of European Union law and EU sports law at the University of Bergamo (Faculty of Law), where teaching and supervision of research are conducted at the highest academic level. Stefano Bastianon holds a law degree from the University of Milano and a Ph.D. in European Union law from the University of Bologna. Stefano Bastianon is admitted to the Italian Bar (Busto Arsizio district) and serves as a longstanding arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, as well as a member of the IV Division of the Collegio di Garanzia dello Sport at the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).Practice Focus & What Sets Him ApartStefano Bastianon’s practice emphasises complex sports regulatory disputes, competition/antitrust issues affecting sport, commercial negotiations and crisis management in the sports sector. Stefano Bastianon combines litigation and arbitration experience with specialist EU law expertise, enabling advising on how supranational decisions and CJEU/ECtHR jurisprudence affect federations’ regulatory autonomy and clubs’ commercial freedoms. Clients benefit from a dual perspective as a practitioner appearing before sporting courts and as a scholar mapping the evolving European legal landscape for sport.Recent Developments & Notable Work — Past YearIn the past year Stefano Bastianon has consolidated his profile as a reference figure in Italian sports law through new scholarly output and sustained public engagement. Stefano Bastianon published a major textbook, Manuale di diritto europeo dello sport (Giappichelli), released in September 2025, offering a systematic treatment of EU law’s application to sport and adopted as a reference for students and practitioners.In 2026 Stefano Bastianon authored a prominent commentary on Advocate General Spielmann’s Opinion in the joined cases C‑424/24 and C‑425/24 (FIGC & CONI), analysing the evolving tension between sporting autonomy and effective judicial protection under EU law; the commentary appeared in the Rivista di Diritto ed Economia dello Sport (RDES) and has been widely cited in academic and practitioner circles.Alongside scholarship, Stefano Bastianon co‑launched the “Sports Law Briefs” format with colleagues to provide short, practitioner‑oriented analyses of breaking decisions and policy developments in sport; the initiative has been promoted through the RDES platform and aims to bridge academic commentary and practical guidance for operators in the field.Active engagements during the 2025–2026 season included a speaker role at an international athlete safeguarding event (November 2025) and participation in seminars on EU law and sports arbitration (October 2025). An invitation as an international speaker to the Nordic Sports Law Conference followed in May 2026, underscoring ongoing demand for expertise on safeguarding, due process in sports proceedings and European case law’s impact on national governance.Academic Leadership & Editorial ContributionsStefano Bastianon combines practice with editorial leadership: he serves on the steering committee of Rivista di Diritto Sportivo and on the scientific committee of RDES, where he also contributes to editorial and strategic direction. Through long‑form scholarship and shorter practitioner pieces, Stefano Bastianon supports expanded practitioner outreach; in 2026, RDES was ranked Class “A” for legal scholarship, a recognition reflecting the editorial leadership of its team.Role In International & National Sports JusticeAs a CAS arbitrator and a member of CONI’s Collegio di Garanzia, Stefano Bastianon remains an active decision‑maker and counsel in sports disputes involving federation autonomy, contractual validity and competition law. Stefano Bastianon appears in CAS procedural bulletins and continues to participate in arbitrations and advisory work engaging both national sporting justice and supranational judicial review, underscoring practical experience with cross‑border remedies and enforcement.Why Specialist Sports Law Advice Matters In ItalyThe Italian sports sector is regulated by a dense mix of federation rules, national legislation and EU case law; recent CJEU and domestic decisions have materially affected how federations exercise regulatory powers and how competition rules apply to sporting activity. Specialist counsel who understand the interplay between CONI/federation procedures, civil litigation and EU remedies are essential for clubs, athletes and commercial partners seeking clear, enforceable outcomes. Stefano Bastianon’s combined judicial, arbitral and academic experience positions him to deliver that specialist guidance.Representative Matters & Advisory WorkWhile client confidentiality limits public disclosure of all mandates, Stefano Bastianon’s public contributions and editorial comments show sustained involvement in cases and policy debates touching federation governance, youth‑football competition regulation, agent conduct and the enforcement of disciplinary and anti‑doping sanctions. Stefano Bastianon advises on transactional matters such as commercial contracts and media rights, as well as disputes arising from registrations, transfers and disciplinary proceedings.Engagement & AccessibilityStefano Bastianon combines an academic voice with practical accessibility: the recent textbook and short briefs are designed to assist non‑lawyers and practitioners alike in understanding the practical effects of EU and sports case law. Stefano Bastianon is regularly solicited by newspapers and trade outlets for expert commentary and was interviewed by regional and cross‑border press during 2025–2026 on topical sports law developments. This mix of scholarly depth and media engagement helps clients and stakeholders navigate complex regulatory shifts.ConclusionStefano Bastianon remains one of Italy’s foremost sports lawyers, distinguished by a sustained record in arbitration, authoritative academic output and active participation in the institutional life of sports law in Italy. Over the past year Stefano Bastianon has strengthened that standing through a major textbook (September 2025), new editorial initiatives and a steady programme of teaching, writing and international speaking. For matters that require both tactical dispute‑management and a deep understanding of EU‑level legal risk, Stefano Bastianon’s profile represents a rare combination of theory, decision‑making experience and courtroom/arbitral practice.