Guerrero Olivos counsels Azul Azul, the company holding the concession of all assets owned by the professional football club “Universidad de Chile” regarding all legal matters, especially in sports law, corporate matters, real estate issues and litigation before FIFA’s jurisdictional entities and CAS. Azul Azul is a public corporation, especially created to manage, Universidad de Chile’s assets for a minimum of a 30 year period. Guerrero Olivos has been their legal counsel since early stages, participating in its incorporation, its private offering and then in its IPO, and in the assets allocation process, during Universidad de Chile’s insolvency status.
During the last period Guerrero Olivos has been focused in various arbitration procedures for the collection of unpaid debts for the transfer of football players and last week the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) issued a court ruling that favored the firm's client. The dispute started on 2014 when Guerrero Olivos first filled a claim before FIFA’s Players' Status Committee to obtain payment from football team Jaguares de Chiapas de México, for the transfer of football player Isaac Diaz.
The first ruling rejected the firm's claim, due that the Players' Status Committee did not understood the link between Azul Azul and football team Universidad de Chile. This made Guerrero Olivos file an appeal before the superior tribunal; CAS, based in Laussane and to participate in an oral evidentiary hearing audience in Buenos Aires. After a long and complex written process and an oral hearing, the CAS, finally ruled to the benefit of Universidad de Chile, which is now entitled to receive full payment for the transfer of the football player. The arbitral ruling also established that Jaguares de Chiapas de Mexico has to pay interests, procedural costs and also other costs incurred for Universidad de Chile’s legal defense.
Lead partner of Guerrero Olivos’ sport & entertainment department, José Joaquín Laso commented, “This ruling is very relevant due that it altered previous FIFA’s jurisprudence that endangered legal entities as Azul Azul, as manager of football club Universidad de Chile. This due that Chilean Law permits and encourages football clubs to be managed by public corporations through the private concession system. Also, this is very significant because a large amount of Chilean football clubs are managed by these entities."
