2006

The CIES Football Observatory publishes its first Annual Review. These are specialised publications that will make CIES stand out in the field of demography and the migration of professional football players in Europe. This publication will be soon recognised as a source of information as well as a tool to assist in the essential decisions that many actors in the football industry, such as federations, clubs, agents and media.

The CIES Football Observatory firms its grasp on the mechanisms at play in the football industry.

CIES continues its research at a steady pace with the publication of no less than 4 books in 2006 – covering law, sociology, history and sports economics, plus an extensive report on violent supporterism. CIES also holds a hugely successful conference at the University of Neuchatel on this central topic.

CIES continues its research at a steady pace with the publication of no less than 4 books in 2006 – covering law, sociology, history and sports economics, plus an extensive report on violent supporterism. CIES also holds a hugely successful conference at the University of Neuchatel on this central topic.

The FIFA Master Alumni Association takes advantage of the gathering of 100 of its alumni in Munich for the 2006 FIFA World Cup to launch its website.

2007

Three years in, the FIFA/CIES Programme in Sports Management is going strong. The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the University of South Africa join the network with 2 new courses, while the University of Cairo offers the first course in Arabic.

7 years after its creation, the flexible curriculum of the FIFA Master allows it to stay up to date with the demands of the international sports industry. In 2007, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, is brought in to enrich the programme with a course on sport and communication.

The FIFA Master programme is regularly updated to make sure it meets the current needs of the international sports industry.

2008

The CIES Football Observatory continues its research. Their work highlights how scientific knowledge is lagging dangerously behind industry practice on the selection, training, employment and mobility of the main players in European football. It is working hard to close the gap by collecting data on the career paths of all players employed by the Big-5 clubs. It also collects previously unpublished data on the main characteristics (age, height, origin, etc.) of footballers playing in the top-level competitive leagues in 30 UEFA member countries. In addition to the Annual Review, these results are published annually from 2008 onwards as the "Demographic Study of Footballers in Europe".

CIES publishes a major work on supporterism and violent extremism that is still considered seminal in Switzerland. It focuses on the origins, motivations and victims of this phenomenon with contributions from sociology, law and criminal sciences.

CIES has made a name for itself in researching supporterism and will be invited to participate in projects that want to benefit from this rich pool of knowledge.

2009

Another of CIES’ founding partners celebrates a centennial – this time it is the University of Neuchâtel! CIES joins the festivities with a conference on doping. Leaders and athletes from around the world convene under the eyes of 20 media representatives and 500 attendees to discuss this pressing topic.

CIES’ leadership also sees a shift in 2009. Following the departure of President Jean-Louis Juvet (in office since 1999) and General Secretary Patrick Blatter (in office since 2002), Bertrand Reeb, Judge at the Swiss Federal Court, takes over as President of the CIES Foundation Council (from 2009-2016). Vincent Schatzmann, CIES’ former legal counsel, takes on the role of General Secretary (from 2009 - present). They will consolidate CIES’ achievements, while working on internationalising and diversifying its activities and mandates.

Bertrand Reeb (President of the CIES Foundation Council, from 2009-2016) and Vincent Schatzmann (CIES General Secretary, from 2009 - present).

The FIFA/CIES Programme in Sports Management just keeps growing in its efforts to provide training across the globe. It can now boast of 11 members, from Central and Latin America (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago), Africa (Senegal, 2 in South Africa, Egypt), Eastern Europe (Ukraine) to the Near and Middle East (Turkey and Palestine). Coordinating such an extensive network is both a challenge and a great opportunity.

2010

2010 is certainly a year of celebrations! CIES marks its 15th anniversary and the FIFA Master its 10th. In 2010, CIES keeps doing what it does best: developing knowledge and sharing it with students and the international sporting sector.

Two highly acclaimed publications, one by Prof. Denis Oswald, the other by Raffaele Poli, inaugurate a new collection called "Savoirs sportifs" with the Peter Lang publishing house.

The CIES Football Observatory's annual publications on European football players have gained a stellar reputation for themselves amongst industry professionals. Prestigious sports organisations, such as FIFA and UEFA, engage the Observatory to carry out a significant number of mandates on major issues.