Corporate & Sports Law Specialist | Partner, Lithos Legal Consult | Director of Legal, Nigerian Youth Football Development League
Abiodun Sonaike, Esq. is a Nigerian legal practitioner and Corporate and Sports Law specialist with extensive experience in football regulation, sports contracts, dispute resolution, corporate advisory, and sports governance.
He is a Partner and Co-founder of Lithos Legal Consult, a law firm with a strong focus on Corporate and Sports Law. He also serves as the Director of Legal of the Nigerian Youth Football Development League and as International Legal Adviser to Kanu International Football Academy (KIFA).
Called to the Nigerian Bar in 2015 after obtaining his LL.B. from the University of Abuja and his B.L. from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus, Mr. Sonaike commenced his legal career at Afe Babalola & Co. and subsequently worked with Musibau Adetunbi & Co. from 2016 to 2017.
His Sports Law practice covers football player contracts and transfers, FIFA regulations, training compensation and solidarity contribution, football dispute resolution, academy structures, sports governance, and regulatory compliance. He has also worked alongside Mr. Tosin Akinyemi in the celebrated football dispute Anthony Chineme v. Nasarawa United & Ors.
Beyond legal practice, Mr. Sonaike is regularly invited as a Guest Speaker at Sports Law programmes, seminars, and academic events in universities, including Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Lagos, both physically and virtually. He is also the Editor of The Mundial, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Magazine, and the Executive Director of Enterprise Law Forum, a legal podcast produced by Lithos Legal Consult for business professionals and entrepreneurs.
He is an Executive Committee Member of the Sports, Entertainment and Media Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL).
His professional interests lie at the intersection of Law, Football, Business, Governance and Sports Development, with a particular passion for using legal knowledge to strengthen the structure and sustainability of the sports industry.
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📅 Dates: 28–29 October 2026
📍 Venue: NECA House, Hakeem Balogun Street, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos
💻 Format: Hybrid — attend physically or join via Zoom
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