ISRAEL Law and Practice Contributed by: Tal Segev, Segev Tal Sports Law
From a commercial perspective, the opportunities are significant. Performance data can be monetised through broadcasters, fantasy sports platforms and, in particular, betting operators. Given the regulated nature of the sports betting market in Israel, this rep - resents a particularly relevant and expanding area. However, the legal framework has not fully kept pace with these developments. The Privacy Protection Law (1981) and its associated regulations impose a clear requirement for informed consent, meaning that any collection of personal data must be authorised by the individual concerned. This applies equally to athletes, fans and staff. In practice, clubs are therefore required to obtain explicit consent before collecting biometric, performance or behavioural data, creating a substan - tial compliance obligation that is not always consist - ently observed. 5.8 Data Protection The primary legal framework for data protection in Israel is the Privacy Protection Law (1981), togeth - er with the Information Security Regulations (2017). These require informed consent for the collection and processing of personal data, including athlete perfor - mance data, biometric information and fan-related data. As Israel benefits from an adequacy decision from the European Union, the General Data Protection Regula - tion (GDPR) also applies directly to Israeli organisa - tions that process the personal data of EU residents. Given the extent of cross-border activity in Israeli sport – such as player transfers, international com - petitions and broadcasting arrangements – this results in a genuine dual compliance obligation, with many organisations still in the process of adapting to these requirements. In practical terms, clubs must ensure that medical and performance data shared during transfers, as well as fan databases used for marketing purposes, comply simultaneously with both Israeli law and GDPR stand - ards. Ongoing reforms to Israeli privacy legislation, closely modelled on the GDPR, are expected to strengthen these obligations further. As a result, robust data gov -
ernance in the sports sector is increasingly becoming not only a matter of best practice, but a legal neces - sity.
6. Dispute Resolution 6.1 Role of National Court Systems
Israeli sports law grants federations the authority to establish independent judicial bodies responsible for handling disputes and disciplinary matters. These bodies are empowered to impose both sporting and financial sanctions, and may, for example, prohibit individuals from holding official positions within clubs or organisations. However, a significant tension exists between sports judicial bodies and the wider legal system, particu - larly in relation to employment rights – players being classified as employees under Israeli law. Specifical - ly, there is a considerable conflict between the ADR mechanisms of sports associations and the Israeli labour courts, which hold exclusive jurisdiction over disputes concerning mandatory employment rights. Whilst sports association arbitration bodies possess considerable expertise in the particular circumstances of professional athletes – such as the obligation to work on rest days, restrictions on freedom of move - ment, and the right to select rest days during the play - ing season – only the labour courts are competent to adjudicate on matters touching upon such fundamen - tal statutory rights. In response to this ongoing tension, the Israeli FA recently launched a parallel internal arbitration proce - dure, operational since July 2025, comprising retired labour court judges capable of handling mandatory rights disputes. This mechanism is still in its infancy, and it remains to be seen whether it can success - fully navigate the inherent conflict between the labour courts and sports associations’ ADR mechanisms. 6.2 ADR Mechanisms Most sports federations and associations in Israel maintain their own internal judicial bodies, which may include disciplinary committees and arbitration pan - els. As noted, the Israeli Sports Law expressly author - ises the establishment of such internal judicial bodies.
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