Judicial bodies

The Disciplinary Committee pronounces the sanctions described in the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Disciplinary Code on member associations, clubs, officials, players, intermediaries and licensed match agents.

According to article 36 paragraph 3 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, the chairperson of the adjudicatory chamber may decide to publish the decision taken, partly or in full, provided that the names mentioned in the decision (other than the ones related to the party) and any other information deemed sensitive by the chairperson of the adjudicatory chamber are duly anonymised.

The following decisions have been notified by the Independent Ethics Committee since 1 January 2019.

New decisions of the FIFA Ethics Committee are uploaded every four months.

Latest update: 1 October 2024.

The Appeal Committee is responsible for hearing appeals against decisions from the Disciplinary Committee and the Ethics Committee that are not declared final by the relevant FIFA regulations.

FIFA is committed to guaranteeing the rights of individuals who lack the financial means to defend themselves properly in proceedings before the FIFA judicial bodies (Disciplinary Committee, Appeal Committee and Ethics Committee).

Scope

In line with article 46 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and article 40 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, the following types of legal aid may be provided:

For the avoidance of doubt, legal aid is limited to natural persons (individuals) and, as such, is not available to member associations, clubs or other entities that are not natural persons.

List of pro bono counsel

The current list of pro bono counsel selected by FIFA and who may act in proceedings before the FIFA judicial bodies can be viewed here.

How to apply for legal aid and pro bono counsel

An applicant may apply for legal aid and pro bono counsel by submitting a communication viathe FIFA Legal Portal under the relevant case, duly explaining the need for their application. In support of their application, the applicant must provide all necessary information required to establish their financial situation (bank statement(s), tax statement(s), etc.).

The chairperson of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee or the chairperson of the adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, as applicable, will decide on the request for legal aid at their sole discretion. Such decisions are final and without appeal.

For the sake of good order, it is to be noted that the relevant request will not be granted if it is clear that the applicant has sufficient financial means. The applicant may, however, request that their application be reconsidered should their financial situation deteriorate significantly after the initial review.

Legal aid and pro bono counsel may be requested by a defendant as soon as a case is opened against them. Although legal aid and pro bono counsel may be requested at any time during the proceedings, applicants are encouraged to submit their applications for legal aid and pro bono counsel as early as possible.

FIFA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the integrity of football worldwide, whilst also ensuring that the football stakeholders are supported by leading experts in disciplinary or ethics matters.

Scope In accordance with article 36 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and article 61 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, independent integrity experts may be entrusted by the Secretariat to the FIFA Judicial Bodies to support the necessary investigations into potential breaches of the FIFA regulations.

In particular, they may, as required:

List of independent integrity experts

The current list of independent integrity experts selected by FIFA may be accessed here.

A ban on registering new players either nationally or internationally (known as a registration ban) is one of the potential disciplinary measures (sanctions) that may be imposed on clubs by the FIFA judicial bodies.

In accordance with article 6 paragraph 3 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may impose bans on registering new players on legal persons only, specifically on clubs.

Once a registration ban has been imposed, the club in question will be prevented from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally and whether as amateurs or as professionals, for the full duration of the measure. The club will therefore only be able to register new players again after serving the ban in its entirety or in the event that the ban is lifted by the FIFA administration (usually upon the completion of one or more specific actions by the club).

For further details on registration bans, we kindly refer you, in particular, to FIFA circular no. 1843. This lays out, among others, the rules surrounding the enforcement of registration bans, the exceptional actions that do not contravene a ban, and the relevant information on the gender and status of the players concerned (i.e. male or female and amateur or professional) by such bans, as well as the discipline covered (i.e. 11-a-side football, futsal or beach soccer).

In this context, and in line with FIFA’s continued efforts to promote transparency and maintain full disclosure in relation to the activities of the FIFA judicial bodies, please note that a list of clubs currently subject to registration bans is available here.