UNESCO partners CBF project

UNESCO has entered into partnership with a CBF project
Gol do Brasil uses football to help vulnerable children
The partnership was part-financed by the FIFA World Cup Legacy Fund

INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin 27 April 2020 - 11 May 2020

FIFA statement

FIFA is deeply disappointed that the trial related to the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ will not take place because it has now become time barred.

COVID-19: a legal perspective on FIFA’s guiding principles for national football associations

Photo of FIFA FOOTBALL REGULATORY ISSUES APRIL 2020 document

Published Friday, 10 April 2020.

Fourth report by independent FIFA Human Rights Advisory Board published

The independent FIFA Human Rights Advisory Board (HRAB), which comprises eight international experts in human rights and related areas, has published its fourth report and recommendations. The report, which covers the period from May to December 2019, recognises the important progress that FIFA has made on human rights over the last few years, while also highlighting the need for the organisation to now focus on embedding accountability for human rights at the political and governance levels.

COVID-19: 10 legal considerations of extending the football season in England

Published Thursday, 02 April 2020.

Football in Nepal and Bhutan helping to combat COVID-19

Himalayan nations join the fight against coronavirus
Bhutan Football Federation donates money to royal foundation
All Nepal Football Association opens its doors

Stop Stand Still – why regulating football agents is more than just a cap on fees

Published Friday, 20 March 2020.

COVID-19: sport and the law of frustration and force majeure

Published Tuesday, 17 March 2020.

Rethinking agents’ regulations: why clubs & players should take more responsibility

Published Friday, 28 February 2020.

AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee bans two Laos players for life

Freedom! Should Scotland revoke the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ limiting the eligibility of Home Nation footballers? (Part 2)

Published Friday, 21 February 2020.

Inaugural FIFA Diploma in Football Law gets underway

First FIFA Diploma in Football Law begins in Miami
Students embark on 13-month long course
Diploma will take place across five continents

FIFA set to launch global fund for player salary protection

FIFA and FIFPRO, the World Players’ Union, have reached an agreement to establish the FIFA Fund for Football Players (FIFA FFP), which aims to provide financial support to players who have not been paid and have no chance of duly receiving the wages agreed with their clubs.

FIFA Disciplinary Committee sanctions four players for involvement in match manipulation

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has found several players guilty of having been involved in match manipulation in violation of art. 69 par. 1 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (2017 ed.) (unlawfully influencing match results).

Mauricio Macri appointed Executive Chairman of FIFA Foundation

The FIFA Foundation Board has appointed former Argentinian President Mauricio Macri as its Executive Chairman.

Australian football proudly celebrates inclusivity, equality and diversity with the Pararoos

First Pararoos match on home soil for more than 19 years supported through FIFA Forward programme
Almost 1200 fans in attendance, a record for a CP football match outside a Paralympic Games
Football Federation Australia (FFA) received FIFA Forward 2.0 funding which will also assist Australia's preparations for International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) Nations Championships this year

Reform proposals concerning football agents’ regulations

The Football Stakeholders Committee and the FIFA Council unanimously endorsed last year a series of reform proposals concerning football agents with the aim to protect the integrity of football and prevent abuses.

FIFA and hosts Qatar present joint FIFA World Cup™ Sustainability Strategy

Document outlines five commitments, including human rights, diversity and environmental protection, as well as 22 sustainability-related objectives
Over 100 organisations consulted in development process to ensure robust understanding of concerns and opportunities

In 2022, the FIFA World Cup™ will be held in the Arab world for the first time, in a fast-growing economy and in the most geographically compact area since the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1930. As any host, Qatar presents common and unique challenges to be addressed, as well as unparalleled opportunities to leave a lasting positive legacy beyond the event.

FIFA develops new and enhanced integrity resources for member associations and confederations

FIFA Integrity Officer Kit updated to help strengthen integrity initiatives and best practice in football
New resources to be integrated into existing FIFA Integrity education and prevention programmes
New handbook, e-Learning platform and promotional materials available on legal.fifa.com

FIFA has today launched a new and enhanced integrity toolkit that aims to protect the integrity of football and help member associations and confederations to strengthen and further enhance existing measures in place to protect national and regional-level football matches and competitions from match manipulation.

The problems facing footballers & coaches when signing with Asian clubs (and how FIFA is trying to help)

Published Tuesday, 14 January 2020.

INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin - 17 December 2019 - 6 January 2020

Sports law in 2020 - key issues to watch in Central & South America

Published Monday, 30 December 2019.

Sports law in 2020 - key issues to watch in UK & Ireland

Published Sunday, 29 December 2019.

A match to help the world

The FIFA Foundation will organise its first-ever official football match to raise funds for Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT), a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable global access to new coronavirus essential health technologies, including diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

COVID-19: Switzerland plans financial support to help international sports federations

Published Friday, 15 May 2020.

COVID-19: can esports help mitigate the impact on traditional sports?

Published Wednesday, 06 May 2020.

FIFA starts immediate financial support to member associations in response to COVID-19 impact

FIFA will release all operational funding due to member associations for the years 2019 and 2020 in the coming days as the first step of a relief plan to assist the football community impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This measure will mean that a total of around USD 150 million will be distributed among the 211 national football governing bodies around the world.

FIFA guidelines to address legal consequences of COVID-19

Following the unprecedented disruption caused by COVID-19 at all levels of football, FIFA has worked on a series of recommendations and guidelines to address some of the key practical issues arising from the pandemic, especially with regard to player contracts and the transfer system generally.

Dedicated COVID-19 working group proposes recommendations after first meeting

The FIFA-Confederations working group which was recently established by the Bureau of the FIFA Council to address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and which includes the FIFA administration and secretary generals and top executives from all confederations, has unanimously approved a series of recommendations following its first meeting, which was organised via conference call today.

Relive the FIFA-RFEF 8th International Congress in Football Law

On 27 and 28 September 2019, the FIFA RFEF 8th International Congress in Football Law took place at the HQ of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), in Las Rozas, Madrid.

The 2020 changes to FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players

Published Friday, 27 March 2020.

Bureau of the FIFA Council decisions concerning impact of COVID-19

The Bureau of the FIFA Council chaired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino convened by conference call today to address the exceptional circumstances created by the COVID-19 virus outbreak and decided unanimously:

To include the new dates of the CONMEBOL Copa América and the UEFA EURO (11 June to 11 July 2021) in the International Match Calendar and to decide at a later stage when to schedule the new FIFA Club World Cup which was due to take place in June/July 2021;
To create a FIFA-Confederations working group, monitoring the evolving situation, working closely together and agreeing on a coordinated approach addressing the consequences of this pandemic:

Normalisation committee appointed for Trinidad and Tobago

The Bureau of the FIFA Council has today decided to appoint a normalisation committee for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) in accordance with art. 8 par. 2 of the FIFA Statutes.

Football stakeholders agree further steps in the reform of the transfer system

Meeting today in Zurich, the FIFA Football Stakeholders Committee took further steps to reform the transfer system with the establishment of a new system for training rewards and with the confirmation that, as of July 2020, limits on player loans will be introduced.

Adjudicatory chamber of the Independent Ethics Committee sanctions Wilmar Valdez

The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has found Mr Wilmar Valdez, former President of the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) and a former member of both the FIFA Council and the CONMEBOL Executive Committee, guilty of having infringed his duty of loyalty, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

Freedom! Should Scotland revoke the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ limiting the eligibility of Home Nation footballers? (Part 1)

Published Friday, 21 February 2020.

FIFA’s transfer report: Big 5 accounted for almost three quarters of global spending in January 2020

The winter 2020 edition of FIFA’s Big 5 Transfer Window Analysis is now available. The report is a summary of the activity in the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) involving clubs from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain (the “Big 5”).

FIFA establishes working group to develop next steps for VAR technology

The video assistant referee (VAR) system has become a household name in the industry and has a major role to play in enhancing the transparency and quality of the game of football. This technology not only provides a supportive tool to improve referees’ decision-making process but also heightens the fairness of the game.

FIFA mission in CAF successfully completed

The six-month mission agreed between FIFA and CAF to help accelerate the implementation of the reform process in the African governing body has been completed with the delivery of a set of findings, recommendations and proposals.

Switching nations: why FIFA’s definition of ‘nationality’ is causing confusion

Published Monday, 27 January 2020.

FIFA reports show further upward trend in both men’s and women’s transfer markets

Spending in men’s football reaches new high of USD 7.35 billion, 5.8% more than in 2018
Number of international transfers (+19.7%) and transfer fees (+16.3%) in women’s football also on the rise

FIFA has just released the new edition of the Global Transfer Market Report. For the second consecutive year, it is offered in two versions: one covering men’s football and another covering women’s football.

Can player contracts be made conditional on passing a medical examination? Comparing the approaches in football and basketball

Published Tuesday, 21 January 2020.

An overview of FIFA’s new data protection regulations

Published Friday, 17 January 2020.

Tackling bridge transfers in football: An important ruling from the Royal Spanish Football Federation

Published Wednesday, 15 January 2020.

Syria welcomes first FIFA mission in seven years

Syrian Premier League gathers 14 teams on a home and away basis, with match attendances sometimes reaching 30,000 fans
FIFA mission recently visited the country for the first time since 2012 to assess the situation and observe the SFA Elective Congress in December 2019
In the past few years, FIFA has assisted the country’s national teams with accommodation and flights via its tailor-made FIFA Forward development Programme

In spite of considerable challenges in recent years, football development in Syria has continued ever since the military conflict broke out in 2011. It was considerably difficult for the country's football community to maintain the game, but the Syrian Football Association (SFA) has been undertaking tremendous efforts to ensure the beautiful game continues to thrive knowing that for many Syrians, football represented the only joy and consolation during these difficult times.

Infantino elected to International Olympic Committee

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has joined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after being elected during the 135th IOC Session, which took place in Lausanne earlier today.