FIFA Statutes
July 2012 edition

Fédération Internationale de Football Association
President:

Joseph S. Blatter

Secretary General:

Jérôme Valcke

Address:

FIFA
FIFA-Strasse 20
P.O. Box8044 Zurich
Switzerland

Telephone:+41-(0)43-222 7777

Fax:

+41-(0)43-222 7878

Internet:

www.FIFA.com

FIFA Statutes
Regulations Governing
the Applicationof the Statutes
Standing Orders of theCongress
July 2012 edition

2

INDEX

Page

4–5
6–9
10–15
16
17–19
20–43
21–27
28–31
32
33
34–43
44–47
48–50
51
52–53
54–55
56
57–59
57
58–59
60–61

ArticleGENERAL PROVISIONSDefinitions
1–8
I. General provisions
9–18
II. Membership19
III. Honorary president, honorary vice-president and honorary
member20
IV. Confederations
21–60 V. Organisation
22–29
A. Congress
30–31
B. Executive Committee
32
C. President
33
D. Emergency Committee
34–60
E. Standing committees
61–65 VI. Judicial bodies and disciplinary measures
66–68 VII. Arbitration
69–70 VIII. Submission to decisions of FIFA
71–72 IX. General secretariat
73–77 X. Finance
78–79 XI. Rights in competitions and events
80–84 XII. Competitions
80
A. FIFA final competitions
81–84
B. International matches and competitions
85–87 XIII. Final provisions

INDEX

Page

3

ArticleREGULATIONS GOVERNING THE APPLICATION OF THE STATUTES

62
63
64–66
67
68
69–70
71

1–2
I. Application for admission to FIFA
3–4
II. Match and players’ agents
5–8
III. Eligibility to play for representative teams
9
IV. Sporting integrity
10
V. Laws of the Game
11–13 VI. Referees and assistant referees
14–15 VII. Final provisions

72–79

1–13

Standing Orders of the FIFA Congress

4

DEFINITIONSGENERAL PROVISIONSThe terms given below denote the following:
1 FIFA: “Fédération Internationale de Football Association”.
2 Association: a football association recognised by FIFA. It is a member of FIFA,
unless a different meaning is evident from the context.
3 League: an organisation that is subordinate to an Association.
4 British Associations: the four Associations in the United Kingdom – The
Football Association, The Scottish Football Association, The Football Associationof Wales and The Irish Football Association (Northern Ireland).
5 IFAB: the International Football Association Board.
6 Confederation: a group of Associations recognised by FIFA that belong to thesame continent (or assimilable geographic region).
7 Congress: the supreme and legislative body of FIFA.
8 Executive Committee: the executive body of FIFA.
9 Member: an Association that has been admitted into membership of FIFA by
the Congress.

DEFINITIONS

10 Official: every board member, committee member, referee and assistantreferee, coach, trainer and any other person responsible for technical, medical
and administrative matters in FIFA, a Confederation, Association, League or
club.
11 Player: any football player licensed by an Association.
12 Association Football: the game controlled by FIFA and organised inaccordance with the Laws of the Game.
13 Official competition: a competition for representative teams organised byFIFA or any Confederation.

NB: Terms referring to natural persons are applicable to both genders.
Any term in the singular applies to the plural and vice-versa.

5

6

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1Name and headquarters

1. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is an association
registered in the Commercial Register in accordance with art. 60 ff. of the
Swiss Civil Code.
2. FIFA headquarters are located in Zurich (Switzerland) and may only betransferred to another location following a resolution passed by the Congress.

2

Objectives

The objectives of FIFA are:a) to improve the game of football constantly and promote it globally inthe light of its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values,
particularly through youth and development programmes;b) to organise its own international competitions;c) to draw up regulations and provisions and ensure their enforcement;d) to control every type of Association Football by taking appropriate steps
to prevent infringements of the Statutes, regulations or decisions of FIFA orof the Laws of the Game;e) to prevent all methods or practices which might jeopardise the integrityof matches or competitions or give rise to abuse of Association Football.

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

3

7

Non-discrimination and stance against racism

Discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of peopleon account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any otherreason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.

4

Promoting friendly relations

1. FIFA shall promote friendly relations:a) between Members, Confederations, clubs, Officials and Players. Every
person and organisation involved in the game of football is obliged toobserve the Statutes, regulations and the principles of fair play;b) in society for humanitarian objectives.
2. FIFA shall provide the necessary institutional means to resolve any disputethat may arise between Members, Confederations, clubs, Officials and Players.

5

Players

The Executive Committee shall regulate the status of Players and the provisions
for their transfer, as well as questions relating to these matters, in particular theencouragement of player training by clubs and the protection of representative
teams, in special regulations.

8

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

6

Laws of the Game

1. Each Member of FIFA shall play Association Football in compliance with theLaws of the Game issued by IFAB. Only IFAB may lay down and alter the Lawsof the Game.
2. IFAB is composed of eight members; four members are designated by FIFAand four by the British Associations.
3. The duties and responsibilities of IFAB are contained in special regulations.
4. Each Member of FIFA shall play futsal in accordance with the Futsal Laws of
the Game, as issued by the FIFA Executive Committee.

7

Conduct of bodies and officials

1. The bodies and Officials must observe the Statutes, regulations, decisions
and Code of Ethics of FIFA in their activities.
2. Executive bodies of Member Associations may under exceptional
circumstances be removed from office by the Executive Committee in
consultation with the relevant Confederation and replaced by a normalisationcommittee for a specific period of time.

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

8

Official languages

1. English, Spanish, French and German are the official languages ofFIFA. English is the official language for minutes, correspondence andannouncements.
2. Members are responsible for translations into the language of their country.
3. English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Arabic and Portuguese are theofficial languages at the Congress. Qualified interpreters shall translate into
these languages. Delegates may speak in their mother tongue if they ensureinterpretation into one of the official Congress languages by a qualified
interpreter.
4. The Statutes, Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes, theStanding Orders of the Congress, decisions and announcements of FIFA shallbe published in the four official languages. If there is any divergence in thewording, the English text is authoritative.

910

II. MEMBERSHIP

9

Admission, suspension and expulsion

The Congress shall decide whether to admit, suspend or expel a Member.

10Admission

1. Any Association which is responsible for organising and supervising footballin its country may become a Member of FIFA. In this context, the expression“country” shall refer to an independent state recognised by the international
community. Subject to par. 5 and par. 6 below, only one Association shall berecognised in each country.
2. Membership is only permitted if an Association is currently a member of a
Confederation. The Executive Committee may issue regulations with regard to
the admission process.
3. Any Association wishing to become a Member of FIFA shall apply in writing
to the FIFA general secretariat.
4. The Association’s legally valid statutes shall be enclosed with the application
for membership and shall contain the following mandatory provisions:a) always to comply with the Statutes, regulations and decisions of FIFAand of its Confederation;b) to comply with the Laws of the Game in force;c) to recognise the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as specified in these
Statutes.

II. MEMBERSHIP

11

5. Each of the four British Associations is recognised as a separate Member ofFIFA.
6. An Association in a region which has not yet gained independence may,with the authorisation of the Association in the country on which it isdependent, also apply for admission to FIFA.
7. This article shall not affect the status of existing Members.

11

Request and procedure for application

1. The Executive Committee shall request the Congress either to admit or
not to admit an Association. The Association may state the reasons for its
application to the Congress.
2. The new Member shall acquire membership rights and duties as soon as
it has been admitted. Its delegates are eligible to vote and be elected withimmediate effect.

12

Members’ rights

1. Members have the following rights:a) to take part in the Congress;b) to draw up proposals for inclusion in the agenda of the Congress;c) to nominate candidates for the FIFA presidency;

12

II. MEMBERSHIPd) to take part in competitions organised by FIFA;e) to take part in FIFA’s assistance and development programmes;f) to exercise all other rights arising from these Statutes and otherregulations.
2. The exercise of these rights is subject to other provisions in these Statutes
and the applicable regulations.

13

Members’ obligations

1. Members have the following obligations:a) to comply fully with the Statutes, regulations, directives and decisions ofFIFA bodies at any time as well as the decisions of the Court of Arbitrationfor Sport (CAS) passed on appeal on the basis of art. 66 par. 1 of the FIFA
Statutes;b) to take part in competitions organised by FIFA;c) to pay their membership subscriptions;d) to ensure that their own members comply with the Statutes,
regulations, directives and decisions of FIFA bodies;e) to create a Referees Committee that is directly subordinate to theMember;f) to respect the Laws of the Game;

II. MEMBERSHIP

13g) to manage their affairs independently and ensure that their own affairs
are not influenced by any third parties;h) to comply fully with all other duties arising from these Statutes andother regulations.
2. Violation of the above-mentioned obligations by any Member may lead tosanctions provided for in these Statutes.
3. Violations of par. 1 (g) may also lead to sanctions even if the third-party
influence was not the fault of the Member concerned.

14

Suspension

1. The Congress is responsible for suspending a Member. The Executive
Committee may, however, suspend a Member that seriously violates its
obligations as a Member with immediate effect. The suspension shall last
until the next Congress, unless the Executive Committee has lifted it in themeantime.
2. A suspension shall be confirmed at the next Congress by a threequarter majority of the votes taken. If it is not confirmed, the suspension is
automatically lifted.
3. A suspended Member shall lose its membership rights. Other Members may
not entertain sporting contact with a suspended Member. The Disciplinary
Committee may impose further sanctions.
4. Members which do not participate in at least two of all FIFA competitions
over a period of four consecutive years shall be suspended from voting at theCongress until they have fulfilled their obligations in this respect.

14

II. MEMBERSHIP

15

Expulsion

1. The Congress may expel a Member:a) if it fails to fulfil its financial obligations towards FIFA; orb) if it seriously violates the Statutes, regulations, decisions or the Code of
Ethics of FIFA; orc) if it loses the status of an Association representing Association Footballin its country.
2. The presence of an absolute majority of Members entitled to vote at
the Congress is necessary for an expulsion to be valid, and the motion for
expulsion must be adopted by a three-quarter majority of the votes taken.

16

Resignation

1. A Member may resign from FIFA with effect from the end of a calendar
year. Notice of resignation must reach the general secretariat no later than six
months before the end of the calendar year and be sent by registered letter.
2. The resignation is not valid until the Member wishing to resign has fulfilled
its financial obligations towards FIFA and its other Members.

II. MEMBERSHIP

17

15

Independence of Members and their bodies

1. Each Member shall manage its affairs independently and with no influence
from third parties.
2. A Member’s bodies shall be either elected or appointed in that Association.
A Member’s statutes shall provide for a procedure that guarantees thecomplete independence of the election or appointment.
3. Any Member’s bodies that have not been elected or appointed incompliance with the provisions of par. 2, even on an interim basis, shall not berecognised by FIFA.
4. Decisions passed by bodies that have not been elected or appointed incompliance with par. 2 shall not be recognised by FIFA.

18

Status of Leagues and other groups of clubs

1. Leagues or any other groups affiliated to a Member of FIFA shall be
subordinate to and recognised by that Member. The Member’s statutes shalldefine the scope of authority and the rights and duties of these groups. The
statutes and regulations of these groups shall be approved by the Member.
2. Every Member shall ensure that its affiliated clubs can take all decisions
on any matters regarding membership independently of any external body.
This obligation applies regardless of an affiliated club’s corporate structure. In
any case, the Member shall ensure that neither a natural nor a legal person(including holding companies and subsidiaries) exercises control over morethan one club whenever the integrity of any match or competition could be
jeopardised.

16

III. HONORARY PRESIDENT, HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENT AND HONORARY MEMBER

19

Honorary president, honorary vicepresident and honorary member

1. The Congress may bestow the title of honorary president, honorary vicepresident or honorary member upon any former member of the FIFA Executive
Committee for meritorious service to football.
2. The Executive Committee shall make these nominations.
3. The honorary president, honorary vice-president or honorary member may
take part in the Congress. They may join in the debates but may not vote.

IV. CONFEDERATIONS

20

17

Confederations

1. Members that belong to the same continent have formed the following
Confederations, which are recognised by FIFA:a) Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol – CONMEBOLb) Asian Football Confederation – AFCc) Union des associations européennes de football – UEFAd) Confédération Africaine de Football – CAFe) Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association
Football – CONCACAFf) Oceania Football Confederation – OFC
2. FIFA may, in exceptional circumstances, authorise a Confederation to
grant membership to an Association that belongs geographically to anothercontinent and is not affiliated to the Confederation on that continent. The
opinion of the Confederation concerned geographically shall be obtained.
3. Each Confederation shall have the following rights and obligations:a) to comply with and enforce compliance with the Statutes, regulations
and decisions of FIFA;b) to work closely with FIFA in every domain so as to achieve the objectives
stipulated in art. 2 and to organise international competitions;c) to organise its own interclub competitions, in compliance with theinternational match calendar;

18

IV. CONFEDERATIONSd) to organise its own international competitions, particularly youth
competitions, in compliance with the international match calendar;e) to ensure that international Leagues or any other such groups of clubs
or Leagues shall not be formed without its consent and the approval ofFIFA;f) at the request of FIFA, to grant Associations applying for membershipthe status of a provisional member. This status shall grant Associations theright to take part in the Confederation’s competitions and conferences.
Any other rights and obligations of the provisional member shall be
regulated by the Confederation’s statutes and regulations. Provisional
members may not take part in FIFA final competitions;g) to appoint to the Executive Committee members to which they areentitled in compliance with these Statutes;h) to propose one candidate for the office of Representative of Women’s
Football based on proposals from its member associations;i) to nurture relations and cooperation with FIFA actively and constructively
for the good of the game through consultative meetings and to discussand resolve any problems relating to the interests of the Confederations
and FIFA;j) to ensure that the representatives appointed to FIFA bodies or the
Executive Committee carry out their activities on these bodies with mutual
respect, solidarity, recognition and fair play;k) to set up committees that work closely together with the corresponding
committees at FIFA;IV. CONFEDERATIONS

19l) exceptionally to allow, with FIFA’s consent, an Association from another
Confederation (or clubs belonging to that Association) to participate in acompetition that it is organising;m) with the mutual cooperation of FIFA, to take any action considerednecessary to develop the game of football on the continent concerned,
such as arranging development programmes, courses, conferences etc.;n) to set up the bodies necessary to fulfil the duties incumbent upon it;o) to procure the funds necessary to fulfil its duties.
4. The Executive Committee may delegate other duties or powers to theConfederations. To this end, FIFA may conclude an appropriate agreement witheach of the Confederations concerned.
5. The Confederations’ statutes and regulations shall be submitted to FIFA for
approval.

20

V. ORGANISATION

21

Bodies

1. The Congress is the supreme and legislative body.
2. The Executive Committee is the executive body.
3. The general secretariat is the administrative body.
4. Standing and ad-hoc committees shall advise and assist the Executive
Committee in fulfilling its duties. Their primary duties are defined in these
Statutes and their composition, function and additional duties are defined in
special regulations.

V. ORGANISATION

21

A. CONGRESS

22

Congress

1. A Congress may be an Ordinary or an Extraordinary Congress.
2. The Ordinary Congress shall be held every year. The Executive Committee
shall fix the place and date. The Members shall be notified in writing at least
three months in advance. The formal convocation shall be made in writingat least one month before the date of the Congress. This convocation shallcontain the agenda, the President’s report, the financial statements and theauditors’ report.
3. The Executive Committee may convene an Extraordinary Congress at anytime.
4. The Executive Committee shall convene an Extraordinary Congress if onefifth of the Members make such a request in writing. The request shall specify
the items for the agenda. An Extraordinary Congress shall be held within threemonths of receipt of the request.
5. The Members shall be notified of the place, date and agenda at least twomonths before the date of an Extraordinary Congress. The agenda of an
Extraordinary Congress may not be altered.

22

V. ORGANISATION

23

Vote, delegates, observers

1. Each Member has one vote in the Congress and is represented by its
delegates. Only the Members present are entitled to vote. Voting by proxy orby letter is not permitted.
2. Delegates must belong to the Member Association that they represent andbe appointed by the appropriate body of that Association.
3. Confederation delegates may take part in the Congress as observers.
4. During their term of office, members of the Executive Committee may not
be appointed as delegates for their Association.
5. The President shall conduct the Congress business in compliance with theStanding Orders of the Congress.

24

Candidates for the office of FIFA President, for the
Representative of Women’s Football and for thechairmen, deputy chairmen and members of the Audit
and Compliance Committee and the judicial bodies

1. Only Members may propose candidates for the office of FIFA President.
Members shall notify the FIFA general secretariat in writing of the name of acandidate for the FIFA presidency at least two months before the date of theCongress.
2. The general secretariat shall notify the Members of the names of proposed
candidates at least one month before the date of the Congress.

V. ORGANISATION23

3. Each Confederation may propose one candidate for the office ofRepresentative of Women’s Football based on proposals from its member
associations. Confederations must notify the general secretariat, in writing, ofa candidature for the office of Representative of Women’s Football at least fourmonths before the start of the Congress.
4. The Executive Committee may submit proposals for the offices of chairmen,
deputy chairmen and members of the Audit and Compliance Committee
and the judicial bodies. The Executive Committee shall determine in advancethe number of seats to be assigned to each Confederation in the relevant
committee. Proposals shall be submitted, in writing, to the general secretariat
at least four months before the start of the Congress. The procedure shall belaid down in the Organisation Regulations of FIFA.

25

Ordinary Congress agenda

1. The Secretary General shall draw up the agenda based on proposals fromthe Executive Committee and the Members. Any proposal that a Member
wishes to submit to the Congress shall be sent to the general secretariat inwriting, with a brief explanation, at least two months before the date of theCongress.
2. The Congress agenda shall include the following mandatory items:a) a declaration that the Congress has been convened and composed incompliance with the Statutes;b) approval of the agenda;c) an address by the President;d) appointment of five Members to check the minutes;e) appointment of scrutineers;

24

V. ORGANISATIONf) suspension or expulsion of a Member (if applicable);g) approval of the minutes of the preceding Congress;h) activity report (containing the activities since the last Congress);i) report from the Audit and Compliance Committee;j) presentation of the consolidated and revised balance sheet and the
profit and loss statement;k) approval of the financial statements;l) approval of the budget;m) admission for membership (if applicable);n) votes on proposals for amendments to the Statutes, the Regulations
Governing the Application of the Statutes and the Standing Orders of theCongress (if applicable);o) discussion of proposals submitted by the Members and the Executive
Committee within the period stipulated under par. 1 (if applicable);p) appointment of auditors (if applicable);q) election of the President and the Representative of Women’s Footballand installation of the vice-presidents and members of the Executive
Committee (if applicable);r) election or dismissal of the chairmen, deputy chairmen and members of
the judicial bodies and of the chairman, deputy chairman and members of
the Audit and Compliance Committee (if applicable).

V. ORGANISATION

25

3. The agenda of an Ordinary Congress may be altered, provided threequarters of the Members present at the Congress and eligible to vote agree tosuch a motion.

26

Amendments to the Statutes, Regulations
Governing the Application of the Statutes andthe Standing Orders of the Congress

1. The Congress is responsible for amending the Statutes, the Regulations
Governing the Application of the Statutes and the Standing Orders of theCongress.
2. Any proposals for an amendment to the Statutes must be submitted inwriting with a brief explanation to the general secretariat by a Member or by
the Executive Committee. A proposal submitted by a Member is valid, provided
it has been supported in writing by at least two other Members.
3. For a vote on an amendment to the Statutes to be valid, an absolutemajority (half of the Members plus one Member) of the Members eligible tovote must be present.
4. A proposal for an amendment to the Statutes shall be adopted only if threequarters of the Members present and eligible to vote agree to it.
5. Any proposal to amend the Regulations Governing the Application of the
Statutes and the Standing Orders of the Congress must be submitted in writing
with a brief explanation to the general secretariat by a Member or by the
Executive Committee.
6. A proposal for an amendment to the Regulations Governing the Applicationof the Statutes and the Standing Orders of the Congress shall be adopted only
if a simple majority of the Members present and eligible to vote agree to it.

26

V. ORGANISATION

27

Elections, other decisions, requisite majority

1. Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot.
2. Any other decision that requires a vote shall be reached by a show of hands
or by means of an electronic count. If a show of hands does not result in aclear majority in favour of a motion, the vote shall be taken by calling the roll,
members being called in English alphabetical order.
3. For the election of the President, two-thirds of the votes recorded and valid
are necessary in the first ballot. In the second and any other requisite ballot, anabsolute majority of the votes recorded is sufficient. If there are more than two
candidates, whoever obtains the lowest number of votes is eliminated as fromthe second ballot until only two candidates are left.
4. For the election of the chairmen, deputy chairmen and members of
the judicial bodies, of the Audit and Compliance Committee and of theRepresentative of Women’s Football, the candidate(s) who receive(s) themost votes in respect of the free seat(s) shall be elected. With regard to thechairmen, deputy chairmen and members of the judicial bodies and of the
Audit and Compliance Committee, the election may be conducted en bloc. At
the request of at least ten Members, however, a separate vote for a specificcandidate shall take place.
5. Unless otherwise stipulated in the Statutes, a simple majority is sufficient fora vote to be valid. The number of valid votes counted shall decide the simple
majority. Abstentions are disregarded in calculating the majority.

V. ORGANISATION

28

27

Minutes

1. The Secretary General shall be responsible for recording the minutes at theCongress.
2. The minutes of the Congress shall be checked by those Members
designated.

29

Effective dates of decisions

Decisions passed by the Congress shall come into effect for the Members sixty
days after the close of the Congress, unless the Congress fixes another date fora decision to take effect.

28

V. ORGANISATION

B. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

30

Composition, election of the President andthe Representative of Women’s Football,vice-presidents and members

1. The Executive Committee consists of 25 members:
1 President, elected by the Congress
8 vice-presidents,
1 Representative of Women’s Football, elected by the Congress, and15 members, appointed by the Confederations and Associations.
2. The President shall be elected by the Congress for a period of four years in
the year following a FIFA World Cup™. His mandate shall begin after the endof the Congress which has elected him. A President may be re-elected.
3. The Representative of Women’s Football shall be elected by the Congress.
The Representative of Women’s Football shall be a woman. The mandate shallbe for a period of four years, beginning after the end of the Congress at which
the Representative of Women’s Football was elected.
4. The members of the Executive Committee shall be appointed by therespective Confederations, with the exception of the vice-president
representing the four British Associations, who is elected by the latter. All
Confederations and the four British Associations shall pass a single decision as
to when they wish to appoint or elect their member(s) to the FIFA Executive
Committee. The subsequent Congresses of the Confederations and the four
British Associations shall take this decision within one year of these Statutes
coming into force. When making the appointments, a Confederation may
appoint or reappoint only half of its members (in the case of odd numbers,
half of the appointments plus or minus one), and only every two years. The
Executive Committee members’ mandates shall last for four years, starting
upon their installation by the FIFA Congress. If a Confederation or the four
British Associations decide to change the year for making appointments or

V. ORGANISATION

29

holding an election in its statutes, the mandate of the vice-president andmembers appointed to the FIFA Executive Committee will be extended by one
year, but only once.
An installed member of the Executive Committee may only be removed fromoffice by the FIFA Congress.
The Confederations are apportioned the following places:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)

CONMEBOL
AFC
UEFA
CAF
CONCACAF
OFC
the four British
Associations

vice-president
vice-president
vice-presidents
vice-president
vice-president
vice-president
vice-president

(1)
(1)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

members
members
members
members
members
membermember

(2)
(3)
(5)
(3)
(2)
(–)
(–)

5. Not more than one member from the same Association may serve on the
Executive Committee simultaneously.
6. The mandate of vice-presidents and members is for four years. They may be
re-elected.
7. If the President is permanently or temporarily prevented from performing his
official function, the longest serving vice-president shall represent him until thenext Congress. This Congress shall elect a new President, if necessary.
8. If the Representative of Women’s Football permanently ceases to perform
her official function, the Executive Committee may designate another
Representative of Women’s Football until the next Congress.
9. Any member of the Executive Committee who no longer exercises his official
function shall be immediately replaced by the Confederation or Associations
which appointed him for the remaining period of office.

30

V. ORGANISATION

31

Powers of the Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee shall pass decisions on all cases that do not comewithin the sphere of responsibility of the Congress or are not reserved for otherbodies by law or under these Statutes.
2. The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice a year.
3. The President shall convene the Executive Committee meetings. If at least
thirteen members of the Executive Committee request a meeting, the President
shall convene it.
4. The Executive Committee shall appoint the chairmen, deputy chairmen andmembers of the standing committees with the exception of those of the Audit
and Compliance Committee, who are elected by the Congress.
5. The President shall compile the agenda. Each member of the Executive
Committee is entitled to propose items for inclusion in the agenda.
6. The Executive Committee may decide to set up ad-hoc committees ifnecessary at any time.
7. The Executive Committee shall appoint the delegates from FIFA to IFAB.
8. The Executive Committee shall compile the regulations for the organisationof standing committees and ad-hoc committees.

V. ORGANISATION

31

9. The Executive Committee shall appoint or dismiss the Secretary General on
the proposal of the President. The Secretary General shall attend the meetingsof all the committees ex officio.
10. The Executive Committee shall decide the place and dates of the final
competitions of FIFA tournaments and the number of teams taking part fromeach Confederation.
11. The Executive Committee shall approve the Organisation Regulations of FIFA.

32

V. ORGANISATION

C. PRESIDENT

32

President

1. The President represents FIFA legally.
2. He is primarily responsible for:a) implementing the decisions passed by the Congress and the Executive
Committee through the general secretariat;b) supervising the work of the general secretariat;c) relations between FIFA and the Confederations, Members, politicalbodies and international organisations.
3. Only the President may propose the appointment or dismissal of theSecretary General.
4. The President shall preside over the Congress, the Executive and Emergency
Committee meetings and those committees of which he has been appointed
chairman.
5. The President shall have an ordinary vote on the Executive Committee and,
whenever votes are equal, shall have a casting vote.
6. If the President is absent or unavailable, the longest serving vice-president
available shall deputise.
7. Any additional powers of the President shall be contained in the
Organisation Regulations of FIFA.

V. ORGANISATION

33

D. EMERGENCY COMMITTEE

33

Emergency Committee

1. The Emergency Committee shall deal with all matters requiring immediate
settlement between two meetings of the Executive Committee. The committee
shall consist of the FIFA President and one member from each Confederation
appointed by the Executive Committee and chosen from among its members
for a period of four years.
2. The President shall convene the Emergency Committee meetings. If ameeting cannot be convened within an appropriate period of time, decisions
may be passed through other means of communication. Such decisions shallhave immediate legal effect. The President shall notify the Executive Committee
immediately of the decisions passed by the Emergency Committee.
3. All decisions taken by the Emergency Committee shall be ratified by the
Executive Committee at its next meeting.
4. If the President is unable to attend a meeting, the longest serving vicepresident available shall deputise.
5. The President is entitled to designate a deputy for any member who isunable to attend or has a conflict of interests. The deputy shall belong to the
Executive Committee and the same Confederation as the member who isunable to attend or has a conflict of interests.

34

V. ORGANISATION

E. STANDING COMMITTEES

34

Standing committees

1. The standing committees are:a) Finance Committeeb) Audit and Compliance Committeec) Strategic Committeed) Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup™
e) Organising Committee for the FIFA Confederations Cupf) Organising Committee for the Olympic Football Tournamentsg) Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 World Cuph) Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 World Cupi) Committee for Women’s Football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup™
j) Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cupk) Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cupl) Futsal Committee

V. ORGANISATION

35m) Beach Soccer Committeen) Committee for Club Footballo) Organising Committee for the FIFA Club World Cupp) Referees Committeeq) Football Committeer) Medical Committees) Development Committeet) Players’ Status Committeeu) Legal Committeev) Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibilityw) Media Committeex) Associations Committeey) Marketing and Television Committeez) Stadium and Security Committee
2. The chairmen and deputy chairmen of the standing committees shall bemembers of the Executive Committee with the exception of those of the Audit
and Compliance Committee, who may not belong to the Executive Committee.

36

V. ORGANISATION

3. The members of each standing committee shall be designated by the
Executive Committee on the proposal of the Members of FIFA, the President ofFIFA or the Confederations. The chairman, deputy chairman and members of
the Audit and Compliance Committee shall be elected by the Congress. The
chairmen, deputy chairmen and the members of the standing committees shallbe designated for a term of office of four years. Members may be re-appointed
and may also be relieved of their duties at any time, although the chairman,
deputy chairman and members of the Audit and Compliance Committee may
only be relieved of their duties by the Congress.
4. The composition, specific duties and powers of the individual committees
shall be stipulated in the Organisation Regulations of FIFA.
5. Each chairman shall represent his committee and conduct business incompliance with the Organisation Regulations of FIFA.
6. Each committee may, if necessary, set up a bureau and/or sub-committee tosettle urgent matters.
7. Each committee may propose amendments to its regulations to the
Executive Committee.

35

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall monitor the financial management and advise
the Executive Committee on financial matters and asset management. It shallanalyse the FIFA budget and the financial statements prepared by the Secretary
General and submit them to the Executive Committee for approval.

V. ORGANISATION

36

37

Audit and Compliance Committee

1. The Audit and Compliance Committee shall ensure the completeness andreliability of the financial accounting and review the financial statements, theconsolidated financial statement and the external auditors’ report.
2. The Audit and Compliance Committee shall advise and assist the Executive
Committee in monitoring FIFA’s financial and compliance matters and issue andmonitor compliance with the Organisation Regulations of FIFA.
3. Details on the Audit and Compliance Committee’s responsibilities, its internal
cooperation and other procedural matters are stipulated in the Organisation
Regulations of FIFA.
4. The chairman, deputy chairman and members of the Audit and Compliance
Committee shall be elected by the Congress for a period of four years and may
only be relieved of their duties by the Congress.
5. The chairman and deputy chairman of the Audit and Compliance
Committee shall fulfil the independence criteria as described in the Standing
Orders of the Congress.

37

Strategic Committee

The Strategic Committee shall deal with global strategies for football and its
political, economic and social status.

38

V. ORGANISATION

38

Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup™

The Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup™ shall organise the FIFA
World Cup™ in compliance with the provisions of the regulations applicableto this competition, the List of Requirements and the Organising Association
Agreement.

39

Organising Committee for the FIFA Confederations Cup

The Organising Committee for the FIFA Confederations Cup shall organise theFIFA Confederations Cup in compliance with the provisions of the regulations
applicable to this competition, the List of Requirements and the Organising
Association Agreement.

40

Organising Committee for the Olympic Football Tournaments

The Organising Committee for the Olympic Football Tournaments shall organise
the Olympic Football Tournaments in compliance with the provisions of theregulations applicable to these tournaments and the Olympic Charter.

41

Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 World Cup

The Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 World Cup shall organise the FIFA
U-20 World Cup in compliance with the provisions of the regulations applicableto this competition, the List of Requirements and the Organising Association
Agreement.

V. ORGANISATION

42

39

Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 World Cup

The Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 World Cup shall organise the FIFA
U-17 World Cup in compliance with the provisions of the regulations applicableto this competition, the List of Requirements and the Organising Association
Agreement.

43

Committee for Women’s Football andthe FIFA Women’s World Cup™

The Committee for Women’s Football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ shallorganise the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in compliance with the provisions of
the regulations applicable to this competition, the List of Requirements andthe Organising Association Agreement and deal with general issues relating to
women’s football.

44

Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup

The Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup shallorganise the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in compliance with the provisionsof the regulations applicable to this competition, the List of Requirements andthe Organising Association Agreement.

45

Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

The Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup shallorganise the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in compliance with the provisionsof the regulations applicable to this competition, the List of Requirements andthe Organising Association Agreement.

40

V. ORGANISATION

46

Futsal Committee

The Futsal Committee shall organise the FIFA Futsal World Cup in compliancewith the provisions of the regulations applicable to this competition, the Listof Requirements and the Organising Association Agreement, and deal withgeneral issues relating to futsal.

47

Beach Soccer Committee

The Beach Soccer Committee shall organise the FIFA Beach Soccer World
Cup in compliance with the provisions of the regulations applicable tothis competition, the List of Requirements and the Organising Association
Agreement, and deal with general issues relating to beach soccer.

48

Committee for Club Football

The Committee for Club Football shall deal with issues relating to the interestsof club football worldwide.

49

Organising Committee for the FIFA Club World Cup

The Organising Committee for the FIFA Club World Cup shall organise the FIFAClub World Cup in compliance with the provisions of the regulations applicableto this competition, the List of Requirements and the Organising Association
Agreement.

V. ORGANISATION

50

41

Referees Committee

The Referees Committee shall implement and interpret the Laws of the Gameand may propose amendments to the Laws of the Game to the Executive
Committee. It shall appoint the referees and assistant referees for matches incompetitions organised by FIFA.

51

Football Committee

The Football Committee shall deal with football matters, particularly the
structure of the game and the relationship between clubs, Leagues, Members,
Confederations and FIFA, and also analyse the basic aspects of football training
and technical development.

52

Medical Committee

The Medical Committee shall deal with all medical aspects of football.

53

Development Committee

The Development Committee shall deal with FIFA’s global development
programmes. It shall devise and propose appropriate strategies, check thesestrategies and analyse and monitor support provided to Members andConfederations in this regard.

42

V. ORGANISATION

54

Players’ Status Committee

1. The Players’ Status Committee shall set up and monitor compliance with theRegulations on the Status and Transfer of Players and determine the status ofPlayers for various FIFA competitions. Its powers of jurisdiction are governed by
the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.
2. It shall also be responsible for the work of the Dispute Resolution Chamberin accordance with the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players andthe Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players’ Status Committee and the
Dispute Resolution Chamber.

55

Legal Committee

The Legal Committee shall analyse basic legal issues relating to football andthe evolution of the Statutes and regulations of FIFA, the Confederations andMembers.

56

Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility

The Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility shall deal with fair playmatters, promote the concept of fair play and fight discrimination in football
worldwide. It shall also deal with social responsibility and environmental
protection matters in connection with FIFA and its activities.

57

Media Committee

The Media Committee shall deal with the working conditions for the media atFIFA events and maintain relations with international media organisations.

V. ORGANISATION

58

43

Associations Committee

The Associations Committee shall deal with relations between FIFA and its
Members as well as the Members’ compliance with the FIFA Statutes and draw
up proposals for optimum cooperation. The committee shall also monitor theevolution of the Statutes and regulations of FIFA, the Confederations andMembers.

59

Marketing and Television Committee

The Marketing and Television Committee shall advise the Executive Committeewith regard to drafting and implementing contracts between FIFA and its
various marketing/television partners and analyse marketing and television
strategies that have been devised.

60

Stadium and Security Committee

The Stadium and Security Committee shall advise on the development andimplementation of modern stadium and security concepts and standards.
The committee shall issue and monitor compliance with the FIFA Security
Regulations. It shall also monitor relevant developments in the area of stadiums
and security.

44

VI. JUDICIAL BODIES AND DISCIPLINARY MEASURES

61

Judicial bodies

1. The judicial bodies of FIFA are:a) the Disciplinary Committee;b) the Ethics Committee;c) the Appeal Committee.
2. The judicial bodies shall consist of a chairman, a deputy chairman and a
specific number of other members. The composition of the judicial bodies
should respect the fair distribution of positions and take account of theMembers.
3. The judicial bodies are to be composed in such a way that the members,
together, have the knowledge, abilities and specialist experience that is necessary
for the due completion of their tasks. The chairmen and deputy chairmen of the
judicial bodies shall be qualified to practise law. The term of office shall be four
years. The members may be re-elected or relieved of their duties at any time,
although they may only be relieved of their duties by the Congress.
4. The chairmen and deputy chairmen of both chambers of the Ethics
Committee shall fulfil the independence criteria as described in the Standing
Orders of the Congress.
5. The chairmen, deputy chairmen and other members of the judicial bodies
shall be elected by the Congress and may not be members of the Executive
Committee or of a standing committee.
6. The responsibilities and function of the judicial bodies shall be stipulated in
the FIFA Disciplinary Code and the FIFA Code of Ethics.
7. The decision-making powers of certain committees remain unaffected.

VI. JUDICIAL BODIES AND DISCIPLINARY MEASURES

62

45

Disciplinary Committee

1. The function of the Disciplinary Committee shall be governed by the FIFA
Disciplinary Code. The committee shall pass decisions only when at least threemembers are present. In certain cases, the chairman may rule alone.
2. The Disciplinary Committee may pronounce the sanctions described in these
Statutes and the FIFA Disciplinary Code on Members, clubs, Officials, Players
and match and players’ agents.
3. These provisions are subject to the disciplinary powers of the Congress andExecutive Committee with regard to the suspension and expulsion of Members.
4. The Executive Committee shall issue the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

63

Ethics Committee

1. The function of the Ethics Committee shall be governed by the FIFA Code of
Ethics. It is divided into an investigatory chamber and an adjudicatory chamber.
The adjudicatory chamber shall take decisions if at least three members arepresent. The chairman may take decisions alone in specific cases.
2. The Ethics Committee may pronounce the sanctions described in these
Statutes, the FIFA Code of Ethics and the FIFA Disciplinary Code on Officials,
Players and match and players’ agents.
3. The Executive Committee shall issue the FIFA Code of Ethics.
4. The investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee shall execute integrity
checks for the chairman, deputy chairman and members of the Audit andCompliance Committee and for the members of the judicial bodies, and shallprepare a corresponding report, which shall be sent to the Members at least
one month before the Congress.

46

VI. JUDICIAL BODIES AND DISCIPLINARY MEASURES

5. The investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee shall review, at least
annually, that the independence criteria are met by the chairman and deputy
chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee.
6. The Audit and Compliance Committee shall conduct the reviews as set out
above in respect of candidates for the offices of chairmen, deputy chairmen or
members, or the incumbent chairmen, deputy chairmen or members of bothchambers of the Ethics Committee.
7. The procedure concerning integrity checks (par. 4-6 of this article) shall be
stipulated in the Organisation Regulations of FIFA.

64

Appeal Committee

1. The function of the Appeal Committee shall be governed by the FIFA
Disciplinary Code and the FIFA Code of Ethics. The committee shall passdecisions only when at least three members are present. In certain cases, thechairman may rule alone.
2. The Appeal Committee is responsible for hearing appeals against decisions
from the Disciplinary Committee and the Ethics Committee that are notdeclared final by the relevant FIFA regulations.
3. Decisions pronounced by the Appeal Committee shall be irrevocable andbinding on all the parties concerned. This provision is subject to appeals lodged
with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

VI. JUDICIAL BODIES AND DISCIPLINARY MEASURES

65

Disciplinary Measures

The disciplinary measures are primarily:
1. for natural and legal persons:a) a warning;b) a reprimand;c) a fine;d) the return of awards.
2. for natural persons:a) a caution;b) an expulsion;c) a match suspension;d) a ban from the dressing rooms and/or the substitutes’ bench;e) a ban from entering a stadium;f) a ban on taking part in any football-related activity;g) social work.
3. for legal persons:a) a transfer ban;b) playing a match without spectators;c) playing a match on neutral territory;d) a ban on playing in a particular stadium;e) annulment of the result of a match;f) expulsion;g) a forfeit;h) deduction of points;i) relegation to a lower division;j) replaying a match.

47

48

VII. ARBITRATION

66

Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)

1. FIFA recognises the independent Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) with
headquarters in Lausanne (Switzerland) to resolve disputes between FIFA,
Members, Confederations, Leagues, clubs, Players, Officials and licensed matchagents and players’ agents.
2. The provisions of the CAS Code of Sports-Related Arbitration shall apply tothe proceedings. CAS shall primarily apply the various regulations of FIFA and,additionally, Swiss law.

67

Jurisdiction of CAS

1. Appeals against final decisions passed by FIFA’s legal bodies and against
decisions passed by Confederations, Members or Leagues shall be lodged with
CAS within 21 days of notification of the decision in question.
2. Recourse may only be made to CAS after all other internal channels havebeen exhausted.
3. CAS, however, does not deal with appeals arising from:a) violations of the Laws of the Game;b) suspensions of up to four matches or up to three months (with the
exception of doping decisions);c) decisions against which an appeal to an independent and duly
constituted arbitration tribunal recognised under the rules of an
Association or Confederation may be made.

VII. ARBITRATION

49

4. The appeal shall not have a suspensive effect. The appropriate FIFA body or,
alternatively, CAS may order the appeal to have a suspensive effect.
5. FIFA is entitled to appeal to CAS against any internally final and binding
doping-related decision passed by the Confederations, Members or Leagues
under the terms of par. 1 and par. 2 above.
6. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is entitled to appeal to CAS against
any internally final and binding doping-related decision passed by FIFA, theConfederations, Members or Leagues under the terms of par. 1 and par. 2 above.
7. Any internally final and binding doping-related decision passed by the
Confederations, Members or Leagues shall be sent immediately to FIFA and
WADA by the body passing that decision. The time allowed for FIFA or WADA
to lodge an appeal begins upon receipt by FIFA or WADA, respectively, of theinternally final and binding decision in an official FIFA language.

68

Obligation

1. The Confederations, Members and Leagues shall agree to recognise CAS as
an independent judicial authority and to ensure that their members, affiliatedPlayers and Officials comply with the decisions passed by CAS. The sameobligation shall apply to licensed match and players’ agents.
2. Recourse to ordinary courts of law is prohibited unless specifically provided
for in the FIFA regulations. Recourse to ordinary courts of law for all types ofprovisional measures is also prohibited.
3. The Associations shall insert a clause in their statutes or regulations,stipulating that it is prohibited to take disputes in the Association or disputes
affecting Leagues, members of Leagues, clubs, members of clubs, Players,
Officials and other Association Officials to ordinary courts of law, unless theFIFA regulations or binding legal provisions specifically provide for or stipulate

50VII. ARBITRATION

recourse to ordinary courts of law. Instead of recourse to ordinary courts oflaw, provision shall be made for arbitration. Such disputes shall be taken to anindependent and duly constituted arbitration tribunal recognised under therules of the Association or Confederation or to CAS.
The Associations shall also ensure that this stipulation is implemented in the
Association, if necessary by imposing a binding obligation on its members.
The Associations shall impose sanctions on any party that fails to respect thisobligation and ensure that any appeal against such sanctions shall likewise be
strictly submitted to arbitration, and not to ordinary courts of law.

VIII. SUBMISSION TO DECISIONS OF FIFA

69

51

Principle

1. The Confederations, Members and Leagues shall agree to comply fully withany decisions passed by the relevant FIFA bodies which, according to these
Statutes, are final and not subject to appeal.
2. They shall take every precaution necessary to ensure that their own
members, Players and Officials comply with these decisions.
3. The same obligation applies to licensed match and players’ agents.

70

Sanctions

Any violation of the foregoing provisions will be punished in compliance with
the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

52

IX. GENERAL SECRETARIAT

71

General secretariat

The general secretariat shall carry out all the administrative work of FIFA under
the direction of the Secretary General.

72

Secretary General

1. The Secretary General is the chief executive of the general secretariat.
2. He shall be appointed on the basis of an agreement governed by private law.
3. He shall be responsible for:a) implementing decisions passed by the Congress and Executive
Committee in compliance with the President’s directives;b) managing and keeping the accounts of FIFA properly;c) compiling the minutes for the meetings of the Congress, Executive
Committee, Emergency Committee and standing and ad-hoc committees;d) FIFA’s correspondence;e) relations with the Confederations, Members and committees;f) organising the general secretariat;

IX. GENERAL SECRETARIATg) the appointment and dismissal of staff working in the generalsecretariat.
h) signing decisions on behalf of any FIFA committee, provided that noother ruling exists in the respective regulations.
4. The President shall appoint the managerial staff (directors) in the generalsecretariat on the proposal of the Secretary General.

53

54

X. FINANCE

73

Financial period

1. The financial period of FIFA shall be four years and shall begin on each 1
January in the year following the final competition of the FIFA World Cup™.
2. The revenue and expenditure of FIFA shall be managed so that theybalance out over the financial period. FIFA’s major duties in the future shall be
guaranteed through the creation of reserves.
3. The Secretary General is responsible for drawing up the annual consolidated
accounts of FIFA with its subsidiaries as at 31 December.

74

Auditors

The auditors shall audit the accounts approved by the Finance Committee andpresent a report to the Congress. The auditors shall be appointed for a periodof four years. This mandate may be renewed.

75

Membership subscriptions

1. Membership subscriptions are due on 1 January of each year. The annual
subscription for new Members for the year in question shall be paid within 30
days of the close of the Congress at which they were admitted.
2. The Congress shall fix the amount of the annual subscription every four
years on the recommendation of the Executive Committee. It shall be the samefor every Member and amount to no more than USD 1,000.

X. FINANCE

76

55

Settlement

FIFA may debit any Member’s account to settle claims.

77

Levies

1. Members shall pay FIFA a levy for every international match played between
two “A” representative teams. Matches played as part of the Olympic Football
Tournaments shall be regarded as international matches. The levy shall becalculated in compliance with the provisions in the Regulations Governing
International Matches on the basis of the gross revenue and shall be payable by
the Member in whose country the match is being played.
2. FIFA may demand a levy on international matches involving scratch teams
in compliance with the provisions in the Regulations Governing International
Matches.
3. The Confederations may demand their own levy independently of FIFA, in
accordance with the Confederations’ statutes and regulations.
4. Members may demand their own levy on matches played in their territory,
independently of FIFA and their Confederation, in accordance with theMembers’ statutes and regulations.

56

XI. RIGHTS IN COMPETITIONS AND EVENTS

78

Rights

1. FIFA, its Members and the Confederations are the original owners of allof the rights emanating from competitions and other events coming under
their respective jurisdiction, without any restrictions as to content, time,
place and law. These rights include, among others, every kind of financial
rights, audiovisual and radio recording, reproduction and broadcasting rights,
multimedia rights, marketing and promotional rights and incorporeal rights
such as emblems and rights arising under copyright law.
2. The Executive Committee shall decide how and to what extent theserights are utilised and draw up special regulations to this end. The Executive
Committee shall alone decide whether these rights shall be utilised exclusively,
or jointly with a third party or entirely through a third party.

79

Authorisation

1. FIFA, its Members and the Confederations are exclusively responsible forauthorising the distribution of image and sound and other data carriers offootball matches and events coming under their respective jurisdiction, without
any restrictions as to content, time, place and technical and legal aspects.
2. The Executive Committee shall issue special regulations to this end.

XII. COMPETITIONS

A. FIFA FINAL COMPETITIONS

80

Venue

1. The Executive Committee shall decide the venue for the final competitionsorganised by FIFA. As a rule, tournaments may not be held on the same
continent on two successive occasions. The Executive Committee shall issue
guidelines in this connection.
2. The FIFA World Cup™ regulations shall stipulate that a certain amount of
the gross revenue shall be utilised for development purposes.

57

58

XII. COMPETITIONS

B. INTERNATIONAL MATCHES AND COMPETITIONS

81

International match calendar

The Executive Committee shall compile an international match calendar
that shall be binding upon the Confederations, Members and Leagues, after
conferring with the Confederations.

82

International matches and competitions

1. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for issuing regulations fororganising international matches and competitions between representative
teams and between Leagues, club and/or scratch teams. No such matchor competition shall take place without the prior permission of FIFA, theConfederations and/or the Members in accordance with the Regulations
Governing International Matches.
2. The Executive Committee may issue further provisions for such matches andcompetitions.
3. The Executive Committee shall determine any criteria for authorising line-ups
that are not covered by the Regulations Governing International Matches.
4. Notwithstanding the authorisation competences as set forth in theRegulations Governing International Matches, FIFA may take the final decisionon the authorisation of any international match or competition.

XII. COMPETITIONS

83

59

Contacts

1. Players and teams affiliated to Members or provisional members of theConfederations may not play matches or make sporting contacts with players
or teams that are not affiliated to Members or provisional members of theConfederations without the approval of FIFA.
2. Members and their clubs may not play on the territory of another Member
without the latter’s approval.

84

Authorisation

Associations, Leagues or clubs that are affiliated to a Member may only join
another Member or take part in competitions on that Member’s territory under
exceptional circumstances. In each case, authorisation must be given by both
Members, the respective Confederation(s) and by FIFA.

60

XIII. FINAL PROVISIONS

85

Unforeseen contingencies and force majeure

The Executive Committee shall have the final decision on any matters notprovided for in these Statutes or in cases of force majeure.

86

Dissolution

If FIFA is disbanded, its assets shall be transferred to the supreme court of thecountry in which its headquarters are situated. It shall hold these assets in trust
as “bonus pater familiae” until FIFA is re-established.

87

Enforcement

These Statutes were adopted at the Congress in Budapest on 25 May 2012
and come into force on 25 July 2012.
The judicial bodies, the Audit and Compliance Committee and theRepresentative of Women’s Football shall be elected for the first time at the2013 FIFA Congress. At the 2012 FIFA Congress, the Executive Committee shallpresent to the Congress for ratification the names of the individuals proposed
to serve as the chairmen of the Audit and Compliance Committee and ofboth chambers of the Ethics Committee until the 2013 Congress. If any of theindividuals proposed is not ratified by the Congress or resigns during the termof office before the 2013 Congress, the Executive Committee shall appoint a
replacement. In the event of an election at the 2013 Congress, the incumbent
office-holder’s first one-year term of office shall not be taken into account.
Until the 2013 Congress, the Executive Committee shall be responsible forappointing the deputy chairman and members of the Audit and Compliance
Committee, the deputy chairmen and members of both chambers of the Ethics

XIII. FINAL PROVISIONS

Committee, the chairmen, deputy chairmen and members of the Disciplinary
Committee and the Appeal Committee as well as the Representative of
Women’s Football.

Budapest, 25 May 2012

For the FIFA Executive Committee

President
Joseph S. Blatter

Secretary General
Jérôme Valcke

61

62

I. APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO FIFAREGULATIONS GOVERNING THE APPLICATION OF THE STATUTES

1

Application for admission

The Executive Committee may lay down the procedure for admission in special
regulations.

2

Confederations

1. The Executive Committee shall decide whether the Association fulfils therequirements for admission to FIFA based on the Confederation’s final report.
2. If the requirements have been fulfilled, the next Congress shall decide
whether to admit the Association or not.

II. MATCH AND PLAYERS’ AGENTS

3

63

Match agents

1. Match agents may be employed to arrange matches.
2. Match agents hired to organise matches between teams from the same
Confederation shall be recognised by the Confederation concerned (licensed).
The Confederation shall issue appropriate rules.
3. Match agents hired to organise matches between teams from different
Confederations shall hold a FIFA licence. The Executive Committee shall issue
appropriate rules.
4. FIFA is only entitled to intervene to enforce the contracts concluded between
match agents and teams in the following cases:a) if the match or tournament at the source of the dispute involves teams
from different Confederations;b) if the match agent in question holds a FIFA licence.

4

Players’ agents

Players may use the services of agents to negotiate transfers. Only players’
agents in possession of a licence may carry out this work. The Executive
Committee shall issue appropriate provisions to this end.

64

III. ELIGIBILITY TO PLAY FOR REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS

5

Principle

1. Any person holding a permanent nationality that is not dependent on
residence in a certain country is eligible to play for the representative teams of
the Association of that country.
2. With the exception of the conditions specified in article 8 below, any
Player who has already participated in a match (either in full or in part) in an
official competition of any category or any type of football for one Association
may not play an international match for a representative team of another
Association.

6

Nationality entitling players to represent
more than one Association

1. A Player who, under the terms of art. 5, is eligible to represent more thanone Association on account of his nationality, may play in an international
match for one of these Associations only if, in addition to having the relevant
nationality, he fulfils at least one of the following conditions:a) He was born on the territory of the relevant Association;b) His biological mother or biological father was born on the territory of
the relevant Association;c) His grandmother or grandfather was born on the territory of therelevant Association;d) He has lived continuously on the territory of the relevant Association for
at least two years.

III. ELIGIBILITY TO PLAY FOR REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS

65

2. Regardless of par. 1 above, Associations sharing a common nationality may
make an agreement under which item (d) of par. 1 of this article is deletedcompletely or amended to specify a longer time limit. Such agreements shall belodged with and approved by the Executive Committee.

7

Acquisition of a new nationality

Any Player who refers to art. 5 par. 1 to assume a new nationality and who
has not played international football in accordance with art. 5 par. 2 shall be
eligible to play for the new representative team only if he fulfils one of thefollowing conditions:a) He was born on the territory of the relevant Association;b) His biological mother or biological father was born on the territory of
the relevant Association;c) His grandmother or grandfather was born on the territory of therelevant Association;d) He has lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of
18 on the territory of the relevant Association.

8

Change of Association

1. If a Player has more than one nationality, or if a Player acquires a newnationality, or if a Player is eligible to play for several representative teams
due to nationality, he may, only once, request to change the Association forwhich he is eligible to play international matches to the Association of anothercountry of which he holds nationality, subject to the following conditions:66

III. ELIGIBILITY TO PLAY FOR REPRESENTATIVE TEAMSa) He has not played a match (either in full or in part) in an official
competition at “A” international level for his current Association, and at
the time of his first full or partial appearance in an international matchin an official competition for his current Association, he already had thenationality of the representative team for which he wishes to play.
b) He is not permitted to play for his new Association in any competitionin which he has already played for his previous Association.
2. If a Player who has been fielded by his Association in an international
match in accordance with art. 5 par. 2 permanently loses the nationalityof that country without his consent or against his will due to a decision
by a government authority, he may request permission to play for another
Association whose nationality he already has or has acquired.
3. Any Player who has the right to change Associations in accordance with par.
1 and 2 above shall submit a written, substantiated request to the FIFA generalsecretariat. The Players’ Status Committee shall decide on the request. The
procedure will be in accordance with the Rules Governing the Procedures of
the Players’ Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber. Once thePlayer has filed his request, he is not eligible to play for any representative team
until his request has been processed.

IV. SPORTING INTEGRITY

967

Principle of promotion and relegation

1. A club’s entitlement to take part in a domestic league championship shalldepend principally on sporting merit. A club shall qualify for a domestic league
championship by remaining in a certain division or by being promoted orrelegated to another at the end of a season.
2. In addition to qualification on sporting merit, a club’s participation in adomestic league championship may be subject to other criteria within thescope of the licensing procedure, whereby the emphasis is on sporting,infrastructural, administrative, legal and financial considerations. Licensing
decisions must be able to be examined by the Member’s body of appeal.
3. Altering the legal form or company structure of a club to facilitate its
qualification on sporting merit and/or its receipt of a licence for a domestic
league championship, to the detriment of the integrity of a sports competition,is prohibited. This includes, for example, changing the headquarters, changing
the name or transferring stakeholdings between different clubs. Prohibitive
decisions must be able to be examined by the Member’s body of appeal.
4. Each Member is responsible for deciding national issues, which may not
be delegated to the Leagues. Each Confederation is responsible for deciding
issues involving more than one Association concerning its own territory.
FIFA is responsible for deciding international issues involving more than one
Confederation.

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V. LAWS OF THE GAME

10

Amendments to the Laws

1. FIFA shall notify its Members of any amendments and decisions regarding
the Laws of the Game within one month of the ordinary annual meeting of
IFAB.
2. The Members shall enforce these amendments and decisions no later than
1 July following IFAB’s annual meeting. Exceptions may be granted only toMembers whose football season has not terminated by this date.
3. Members may apply such amendments and decisions as soon as they havebeen issued by IFAB.

VI. REFEREES AND ASSISTANT REFEREES

11

69

Nomination

1. Each referee and assistant referee appointed to an international matchshall belong to a neutral Member unless otherwise previously agreed by theMembers concerned.
2. The referee and assistant referees chosen to officiate at an international
match shall be included in the official FIFA List of International Referees andAssistant Referees.

12

Report1. The referee of every international “A” match shall send a report within 48
hours of the match both to FIFA and the Member on whose territory the match
was played.
2. This report shall be made on the official form given to the referee by theMember under whose jurisdiction the match was played.
3. The report shall record all the disciplinary measures taken and the reasonsfor these measures.

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VI. REFEREES AND ASSISTANT REFEREES

13

Reimbursement

1. Referees and assistant referees at international matches shall be entitled to:a) a daily allowance;b) reimbursement of travel expenses.
FIFA’s Expenses Regulations shall determine the amounts, travel category andnumber of days due for reimbursement to which referees and assistant referees
are entitled.
2. The amount owed to the referees and assistant referees shall be paid tothem in an easily convertible currency on the same day as the match by theorganising Member.
3. The expenses for hotel and board incurred by referees and assistant refereesof international matches shall be borne by the organising Member.

VII. FINAL PROVISIONS

14

71

Objectives

1. FIFA shall ensure that its objectives are achieved and secured solely by using
suitable material and human resources either of its own or by delegating
to Members or Confederations or by working with the Confederations inaccordance with the FIFA Statutes.
2. With reference to art. 2 (e) of the FIFA Statutes, FIFA shall take action
especially, but not exclusively, against irregular betting activities, doping andracism. These activities are prohibited and subject to sanctions.

15

Enforcement

The Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes were adopted at theCongress in Budapest on 25 May 2012 and come into force on 25 July 2012.

Budapest, 25 May 2012

For the FIFA Executive Committee

President
Joseph S. Blatter

Secretary General
Jérôme Valcke

72

STANDING ORDERS OF THE CONGRESS

1

Participation in the Congress

1. Each Member may be represented at the Congress by a maximum of threedelegates, all of whom may take part in the debates.
2. The names of the delegates, including the one with the right to vote, shallbe notified to the general secretariat before the opening of the Congress. The
general secretariat enters the delegates mentioned on to a list (numbered 1 to
3). The delegate with the right to vote is entered as number 1. If the delegatewith the right to vote leaves the Congress during the debates, the delegate
entered as number 2 on the Member’s delegation list is entitled to vote. If thisdelegate is also absent, the delegate entered as number 3 is entitled to vote.
3. FIFA shall bear the costs of travel and accommodation for three delegates ofeach Member taking part in the Congress. The Executive Committee shall issue
appropriate directives in this connection.

2

Chair

1. The President shall chair the Congress. If the President is unable to attend,
the longest serving vice-president available shall deputise. If none of the vicepresidents is present, the Congress shall elect a member of the Executive
Committee as chairman.
2. The chair shall ensure that the Congress is conducted in strict compliancewith these Standing Orders, open and close the Congress and debates, and,
unless the Congress decides otherwise, grant delegates permission to speakand conduct all discussions.

STANDING ORDERS OF THE CONGRESS73

3. The chair shall be responsible for maintaining order during debates. He may
take the following action against any Congress participant who disturbs thedebates:a) a call to order;b) a reprimand;c) exclusion from one or more sessions.
4. If an appeal is made against such action, the Congress shall decide
immediately without debate.

3

Scrutineers

At the beginning of the first session, the Congress shall appoint an adequate
number of scrutineers to count the votes and to assist the Secretary General in
distributing and counting voting papers issued for the elections. The Executive
Committee may decide to use electronic equipment to determine the results ofa vote.

4

Interpreters

Official interpreters shall be appointed to translate into the official languages of
the Congress. They shall be appointed by the Secretary General.

74

STANDING ORDERS OF THE CONGRESS

5

Debates

1. Debates on each item on the agenda shall be preceded by a short report:a) by the chair or a member of the Executive Committee designated forthis purpose;b) by a representative of the committee designated by the Executive
Committee to give a report;c) by a delegate from the Member that requested the item be included in
the agenda.
2. The chair then opens the debate.

6

Speakers

1. Permission to speak is granted in the order in which it is requested. A
speaker may not begin speaking until he has obtained permission to doso. Speakers shall address the Congress from the rostrum intended for thispurpose.
2. A speaker may not speak for a second time on the same item until all otherdelegates who have requested permission to speak have spoken.

STANDING ORDERS OF THE CONGRESS

775

Proposals

1. All proposals shall be submitted in writing. Proposals which are not relevantto the subject under discussion shall not be admitted to the debate.
2. Any amendment shall be drawn up in writing and passed to the chair before
being put to the debate.

8

Procedural motions and closing of debates

1. If a procedural motion is made, discussion on the main question shall besuspended until a vote has been taken on the motion.
2. If a motion is made to close the discussion, it shall immediately be put to thevote without debate. If the motion is approved, permission to speak shall only
be granted to those Members who have asked to speak before the vote wastaken.
3. The chair shall close the discussion unless the Congress decides otherwise bya simple majority of those voting.

76

STANDING ORDERS OF THE CONGRESS

9

Votes

1. Voting by secret ballot is prohibited.
2. Before each vote, the chair, or the person designated by him, shall read thetext of the proposal aloud and explain the voting procedure (quorum) to theCongress. If an objection is raised, the Congress shall decide immediately.
3. Votes may be taken by roll call if requested by at least 15 of the Memberspresent and entitled to vote.
4. No-one is compelled to vote.
5. As a rule, votes are taken by a show of hands (voting cards) or by the use ofelectronic equipment.
6. Proposals shall be put to the vote in the order in which they are submitted.
If there are more than two main proposals, they shall be put to the vote insuccession and the delegates may not vote for more than one of the proposals.
7. Alterations to amendments shall be put to the vote before the amendments
proper, and amendments before the main proposal.
8. Proposals without a vote against are regarded as having been passed.
9. The chair shall check the results of the vote and announce it to theCongress.
10. No-one is permitted to speak during the vote and until after the result has
been announced.

STANDING ORDERS OF THE CONGRESS

10

77

Elections

1. Elections shall be carried out by secret ballot with ballot papers or by using
televoters, electronic vote counters that guarantee the secrecy of the election.
Elections of the President shall not be carried out by using televoters. The
Secretary General, assisted by the scrutineers, shall conduct the distribution
and counting of the ballot papers or the distribution and evaluation of the
televoters.
2. The number of ballot papers that have been distributed shall be announced
by the chair before the count.
3. If the number of ballot papers returned is equal to or less than the numberof ballot papers distributed, the election shall be declared valid. If the number
returned exceeds that of the ballot papers distributed, the vote shall bedeclared null and void and another vote shall be taken immediately.
4. The absolute majority shall be calculated on the basis of the number of valid
ballot papers collected. Empty ballot papers or invalid votes are disregarded. If
two or more votes are given in support of one candidate on one ballot paper,
only one vote shall be valid.
5. The chair shall announce the result of each ballot.
6. The Secretary General shall put the ballot papers that have been collected
and counted into envelopes intended for this purpose and seal them
immediately. The general secretariat shall keep these envelopes and destroy
them 100 days after the end of the Congress.

78

STANDING ORDERS OF THE CONGRESS

11

Independence

1. A candidate for the office of chairman or deputy chairman of the Audit
and Compliance Committee or of either of the two chambers of the Ethics
Committee shall not be considered independent if, at any time during thefour years preceding his term, he or any family member (spouse, children,
stepchildren, parents, siblings, domestic partner, parents of spouse/domestic
partner and siblings and children of domestic partner):• held any paid position or material contract (directly or indirectly) withFIFA and/or any Member, Confederation, League or club (including any of
their affiliated companies/organisations);• was employed by FIFA’s outside legal counsel or by FIFA’s auditor (andwas engaged in auditing FIFA);• held any paid or voluntary position with a non-profit organisation towhich FIFA and/or any Member, Confederation, League or club makes
annual payments in excess of USD 100,000.
2. Details are stipulated in the Organisation Regulations of FIFA.

12

Integrity check

The President, the Representative of Women’s Football, the members of the
Audit and Compliance Committee and the members of a judicial body who
require election by the Congress shall be subjected to a prior integrity check by
the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee. The integrity check shall be
conducted again prior to a re-election or extension of the mandate. The Audit
and Compliance Committee shall conduct the aforementioned integrity checkfor the chairmen, deputy chairmen and members of both chambers of the
Ethics Committee.

STANDING ORDERS OF THE CONGRESS

13

Enforcement

These Standing Orders of the Congress were adopted by the Congress in
Budapest on 25 May 2012 and come into force on 25 July 2012.

Budapest, 25 May 2012

For the FIFA Executive Committee

President
Joseph S. Blatter

Secretary General
Jérôme Valcke

79

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