Benoît Keane
Solicitor, Keane Legal
Benoît Keane specialises in European sports law. Based in Brussels, he acts in cases before the European Commission and European Court of Justice as well as in cases before national courts where there is an EU law dimension. He has participated in many of the leading European sports law cases of recent years, including the competition law cases relating to financial fair play, third party ownership and sports eligibility rules. He has also appeared as a legal expert on EU law before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Benoît Keane specialises in European sports law. Based in Brussels, he acts in cases before the European Commission and European Court of Justice as well as in cases before national courts where there is an EU law dimension. He has participated in many of the leading European sports law cases of recent years, including the competition law cases relating to financial fair play, third party ownership and sports eligibility rules. He has also appeared as a legal expert on EU law before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Drawing upon this experience, he advises sports organizations, in particular governing bodies, on the impact of EU law for their commercial and regulatory activities. He also frequently works in cooperation with law firms to assist clients with EU law issues relating to sport.
Originally from Ireland, Benoît read law at University College Cork and then obtained a master’s degree in European law at the College of Europe (Bruges). He qualified as a Solicitor of England & Wales in 2003 having worked in the European Commission as part of his traineeship. Between 2003 and 2012, Benoît worked at international law firms in Brussels where he developed his expertise on the application of EU law to sport. In 2012, he set up his own practice, Keane Legal, to focus on European sports and media law.
He is now recognised as an “expert” in European sports law by Who’s Who Legal with the 2017 edition citing sources as saying that he is “the best sports lawyer in competition law”. Chambers Europe 2017 has also ranked him for competition law, observing that “he is very knowledgeable in the sport sector and the wider EU framework related to it”.
Global Summit 2024