James Kitching

Independent Consultant & Former Director of Football Regulatory, FIFA

James Kitching is an experienced senior international sports manager and lawyer, specialising in sports regulation and governance, with an expertise in football.

James is currently an independent consultant advising the global sports industry on regulation, governance, integrity, and strategy matters.

James was previously Director of Football Regulatory at FIFA where he managed a multinational and multidisciplinary subdivision with 5 departments and approximately 60 staff, which oversaw all aspects of the FIFA football regulatory framework. Among other matters, James was directly responsible for the implementation of 2 key projects aligned with the FIFA Vision 2020-23: the FIFA Clearing House, and the regulation of football agents. In addition, his role encompassed all operational aspects of the football transfer system (e.g. enforcement of rules, assessment of applications, dispute

resolution, regulatory policy), relations with professional football stakeholders, assisting the public affairs team in relations with international institutions, eligibility to participate for national teams, and implementation of FIFA governance standards in associations.