Lecturers

Pierre FRANÇOIS' profile

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Pierre FRANÇOIS

General Manager of Standard de Liège

Pierre François is General Manager of Standard de Liège, bringing more than four decades of experience at the intersection of business law, club management and league governance in European football.

A business lawyer at the Liège Bar from 1978 to 2002, he built a strong reputation in corporate law before moving fully into football management. Between 2003 and 2012 he served as CEO of Standard de Liège, playing a central role in the club’s return to the top of Belgian football, a period marked by two league titles, a domestic cup and several notable European campaigns.

Since 2012, Pierre François has combined executive roles with high-level regulatory responsibilities, which gives him a nuanced understanding of sports governance. He was CEO of the Belgian Pro League from 2015 to 2022, overseeing the collective interests of professional clubs in an era of tightening financial regulation, changing media markets and integrity challenges. Since 2020, he has also been a member of the UEFA Appeals Body, participating in disciplinary decision-making at European level, and in 2022–2025 he led RFC Liège as CEO before returning to Standard as General Manager in 2025.

This blend of club, league and UEFA experience positions Pierre François as a knowledgeable voice on the key legal, economic and geopolitical challenges facing European football over the next 5 to 10 years: increasing judicial and regulatory scrutiny of football’s governance structures, the search for sustainable financial models amid slowing broadcast growth, and the need to preserve competitive balance in a market shaped by state-backed investment and expanding international competitions.

From his current role in Belgium and his involvement in UEFA structures, he is directly engaged with debates on financial regulation, revenue distribution, fixture congestion and player welfare, all of which will determine how European football adapts to a more complex and contested global landscape.

Excellence meets
Expertise

The combination of the best academic professors and renowned active experts in Law, Economics and Geopolitics in sports is the ideal formula for you to be in contact with professional and up-to-date reality.

The pedagogical skills of the lecturers of this program, together with their knowledge and professional profile, are key to their selection in this educational team. And they ensure you the best possible training.

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This Executive Program is NOT about packaging up information. This Executive Program is about career transformation and game-changing results.

The WHY of this Executive Program is: Master the key rules of the sports industry. Use them. Or change them.

It will equip you with a sense of anticipation—the ability to discern what is likely to come next—enabling you to stay ahead of the curve and lead rather than follow.

The curriculum has been carefully identified and developed to cover the knowledge and skills participants need to achieve their professional goals in the sports industry.

The lecturers are not just university professors or academics but also and mainly, each one in his field, among the most respected, renowned and successful professionals in the sports industry. They practise what they teach, at the highest level, every day.

The lecturers represent all stakeholders in the sports industry which ensures you learn all sides of law, economics and geopolitics in sport, and not only the one inspired by the interests of sports governing bodies. You learn all points of view.

Hence, our aim is to provide you with the tools that will enable you to learn more objectively, to think more accurately and to act more effectively. Our final ambition is to enable you to flourish in a complex but exciting sector.

If this is what you are looking for, this Executive Program is right for you.

We think so and have designed it to be so. There are many “masters in sports law”, which usually include one economics subject or another. Some of these masters are excellent. But those that are worthwhile generally last one academic year and represent a considerable investment of time and money.

“Law, Economics and Geopolitics of Professional Sports: How to be successful, globally and locally” is a very high-quality, time and cost-effective alternative to the traditional approach: in 44 hours of curated online Lectures and 4 hours of Live Group Sessions, world-class lecturers and key players in the sector will highlight and summarize for you the essentials of their knowledge and expertise.

In addition, at the end of each module, they will provide you with a detailed list of the best readings and sources, which will enable you - if you wish - to delve deeper into a particular aspect of the subject.

In short, in 48 hours of curated, dense and practical Masterclasses, you will acquire a comprehensive and effective knowledge of law, economics and geopolitics applied to professional sport. At the highest level. Faster.

This Executive Program has been designed so that each participant has strong chances to reach their desired end outcome:

  • Get a job within the sports industry
  • Obtain a senior/executive level position
  • Get a salary increase
  • Manage people and projects
  • Change job function/occupation
  • Change job industry
  • Be self-employed/entrepreneur
  • Expand network

As long-time professionals in this sector, we have already gone through these challenges and know from firsthand what is necessary to succeed in them.

  1. Career Trajectory

One way this Executive Program provides a return on investment is the expansion and acceleration of your career. The program provides the hard and soft skills to be an effective contributor and leader in sports business. You’ll learn how to solve complex problems and make decisions. These skills are highly valued in leaders and can not only help you land roles with increasing responsibility but lead your team through difficult challenges.

  1. Earning Potential

Along with career acceleration comes increased earning potential. There’s an investment on your part, but the return on investment from a purely financial standpoint can be compelling. Especially in an industry that’s used to managing important amounts of money. The program sets you up to earn more than you would without it.

  1. Connections

Finally, this Executive Program provides immense value in the form of connections. It is a transformative experience. Any time you go through a transformative experience with others, it creates bonds that will last a long time. The connections you’ll make in this Executive Program, both with participants and lecturers, can enhance your personal life and lead to professional opportunities to advance your career.

So yes, if you aim to accelerate your career and become a well-connected professional in the sports industry, this Executive Program will definitely help.

If you don’t enjoy the program, you will enjoy our love it or leave it unconditional money-back guarantee! We are so confident that this Executive Program does what it is supposed to do for you that if you eventually decide that it is not for you, no hard feelings. If you are not happy, we are not happy.

For any reason whatsoever, if you want to cancel your inscription and get 100% of your money back, you just have to let us know by email before starting the fourth module of the program.

We will pay you back without asking questions and without conditions.