Late last year, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued new guidance around what is informally being dubbed “the sports law”. These are now the primary vehicle for the Ministry of Interior to oversee safety and security at sports events in the country, leveraging the police, civil defence and other authorities.

This is a cornerstone law for the UAE sports industry ... so it is critical that those operating within it — including event organisers, private security firms, regulators, fans and teams — understand their obligations to avoid falling foul of it, which at its most punitive carries criminal charges.

While the law’s headline-grabbing element relates to unruly fan behaviour, it actually has a wide-ranging impact — from the planning, coordination and safety behind event organisation, through to on-field conduct. There remains some uncertainty around how the rules will be enforced. However, knowing what they are — and ensuring you operate within them — is the best way to be confident of your legal position.

Despite the breadth of the law, its touchpoints can be grouped under three areas of application: addressing safety and security at sporting events through facility or venue and organiser practices, fan conduct and anticorruption.

Facility or venue and organiser practices

The bulk of the law relates to this area, with organisers and venue managers subject to specific new compliance requirements and oversight, aimed at ensuring the UAE is aligned with best practice. All sporting events should have a flexible administrative and organisational guide, featuring details on the nature and scope of the event, as well as venue specifics.

The guide is subject to approval by a designated police contact.

For some sophisticated event organisers, designing, submitting and implementing their event management plans, in accordance with their approved guide, will mean substantial change to their modus operandi. However, they will also need to take additional steps to comply with specific protocols under the new law.

These requirements are welcome, such as the need for a designated and qualified ‘event security officer’ to coordinate with a police observer; and the use of new technology in communications and crowd management. This effectively mandates a blend of common sense with modern capabilities to increase safety and security as appropriate for modern day sporting entertainment.

Facilities, venues and event organisers can be subject to fines up to Dh500,000 for non-compliance.

Fan conduct

Sports fans face tougher fines for criminal actions conducted at events or venues. The law does not replace the existing Penal Code but it does complement it. This means that committing any offence at a sporting event will now be considered an aggravating factor, and so would likely attract greater punishment than if it had been committed elsewhere.

There will also now be formalised crowd restrictions on entering the field of play, bringing prohibited or dangerous materials into a venue, taking to or acquiring weapons inside a venue, violent conduct, throwing materials, insulting or racially abusing or gesturing, disregarding facility rules, and using a venue for political purposes.

There are numerous other restrictions, but legally speaking the changes bring the UAE into line with global best practice when it comes to the conduct of fans.

Breaking the law can now have dramatic consequences. Depending on the severity of the crime, it can result in imprisonment of three months and fines up to Dh30,000.

Anti-corruption

Given what is unfolding in global sport — with the likes of FIFA and IAAF facing intense scrutiny around their actions — this aspect of the UAE law is not only timely, but in some ways pioneering. In essence, it removes a chunk of self-regulation from sporting bodies and brings it under federal law.

Cheating, fraud or corruption in gaining rights to host a sporting event can now be punishable by a fine of up to Dh1 million, plus liability for certain costs.

We should keep an eye on the interpretation and enforcement of this provision, to see if it could be used more widely to address issues like match-fixing and cheating, which have plagued international sport in recent times.

With this in mind, the UAE could be taking a positive and proactive position to protect the integrity of its sporting events. The law could provide a platform for the broader tackling of corruption in sports, identified and punishable through a sports-specific statute, in addition to the Penal Code already applicable to such conduct.

Of course the implementation and impact of these new rules is yet to be seen, but we know they are far reaching in scope. They should be welcomed in terms of trying to ensure that the UAE, which already hosts some of the world’s most popular events, and may aspire to host The Olympics, remains at the forefront of the global sporting industry.

Nonetheless, new rules need to be understood for companies and individuals to act within their boundaries. Getting this right will take time and effort but guarantees the law is a success in practice and not just in theory.

The writer is Regional Head of Sports Law and Events Management at Al Tamimi & Co.