FIFA Governance

Regulations

December 2022 edition

Fédération Internationale de Football Association
President: Gianni Infantino
Secretary General: Fatma Samoura
Address: FIFA
FIFA-Strasse 20
P.O. Box
8044 Zurich
Switzerland
Telephone: +41 (0)43 222 7777
Internet: FIFA.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL PROVISIONS 6
Article 1: Purpose and scope of these regulations 7
Article 2: Implementation 7
Article 3: General conduct of members of FIFA bodies and FIFA employees 7
Article 4: Eligibility checks 7
Article 5: Independence  8
Article 6: D
 isclosure of compensation 9

II. DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS 10
A. ANNUAL MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS CONFERENCE 11
Article 7: Strategic football summits: the annual member associations conference 11

B. COUNCIL 12
Article 8: Duties, powers and responsibilities 12
Article 9: Meetings and decision-making 14
Article 10: Council members’ duties 15
Article 11: Expenses 15
Article 12: Bureau of the Council 15

C. PRESIDENT 16
Article 13: Contractual relationship with FIFA 16
Article 14: Role, duties, powers and responsibilities 16

D. SECRETARY GENERAL 18
Article 15: Secretary General 18
Article 16: Deputy Secretaries General 21
Article 17: Chief Legal & Compliance Officer and Compliance Subdivision 21

E. STANDING COMMITTEES 22
Article 18: Scope 22
Article 19: Powers and competences of the Council relating to standing committees 22
Article 20: Terms of office 22
Article 21: Organisation 23
Article 22: Compliance training 23
Article 23: Meetings and decision-making 23
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Article 24: Committee members’ duties 25


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Article 25: Expenses 25

Article 26: Relationship with the Council 25
Article 27: Finance Committee 26
Article 28: Development Committee and Development Bureau 26
Article 29: Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions 28
Article 30: Football Stakeholders Committee 29
Article 31: Member Associations Committee 30
Article 32: Referees Committee 31
Article 33: Medical Committee 33

F. INDEPENDENT COMMITTEES 34
Article 34: Institutional independence 34
Article 35: Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee 34
Article 36: Judicial bodies 42

III. FOOTBALL TRIBUNAL 43

Article 37: Football Tribunal 44

IV. ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT 45

A. GENERAL PROVISIONS 46
Article 38: Definitions 46
Article 39: Subject matter of this section 46
Article 40: Scope of application 46
Article 41: General principles 46
Article 42: Ad hoc electoral committees 46
Article 43: Calling elections 46
Article 44: Candidates 47
Article 45: Candidatures 48
Article 46: Eligibility 48
Article 47: Submission of candidatures 49
Article 48: Calculation of deadlines 49
Article 49: Matters not provided for 49

B. PROPOSAL AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF CANDIDATURES 50

Article 50: Announcement of candidatures 50

C. ELECTION FORMAT 51
Article 51: Time and place of election 51
Article 52: Secret vote 51
Article 53: Ballot papers 51
Article 54: Scrutineers 52
Article 55: Election 52
Article 56: Counting and declaring the results 52
Article 57: Safe-keeping of ballot papers 52
Article 58: Tied votes 52
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D. JURISDICTION OF THE ETHICS COMMITTEE AND DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE 53

Article 59: Principle 53

E. R
 OLE OF THE GOVERNANCE, AUDIT AND COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE IN THE
CONTEXT OF ELECTION PROCEDURES 54
Article 60: Special duties and competences of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee in
the context of election procedures 54
Article 61: Appeals 54

V. ELECTION OF THE COUNCIL 55

Article 63: Subject matter of this section 56
Article 64: Scope of application 56
Article 65: General principles 56
Article 66: Candidates 56
Article 67: Candidatures 57
Article 68: Proposals 57
Article 69: Submission of candidatures 57
Article 70: Eligibility criteria 58
Article 71: Election procedure 58
Article 72: Jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee and Disciplinary Committee 58
Article 73: Supervision of the election 59
Article 74: Appeal 59

VI. AUDITING 60
Article 75: Auditors 61
Article 76: Auditing of FIFA’s member associations 61
Article 77: Official languages 63
Article 78: Adoption and enforcement 63

VII. ANNEXE 1 – ELIGIBILITY CHECKS 64

Article 1: General provisions 65
Article 2: General provisions 66
Article 3: Eligibility questionnaire 66

VII. ANNEXE 2 – RELATED-PARTY DECLARATION 70

Article 1: Objectives 71
Article 2: Obligation 71
Article 3: Definitions and explanations 72
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Article 4: Related-Party Declaration form 72

Part 1 – Related-party transactions 73
Part 2 – Business and other relevant relations 73


INTRODUCTION
AND GENERAL
PROVISIONS

I.
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Article 1: Purpose and scope of these regulations

1.1 These FIFA Governance Regulations contain the basic principles and detailed
regulations regarding FIFA’s governance.

1.2 In particular, they specify, based on the fundamental structure as set out in the FIFA
Statutes, general principles regarding the internal organisation of FIFA. They further
specify, within the framework of the general regime of competences as set out in the
FIFA Statutes, general principles regarding the duties, powers and responsibilities
of certain bodies, units and other entities of FIFA as well as of the members of
those bodies and of the FIFA employees. Finally, they regulate the elections for the
Council and the FIFA presidency, thereby supplementing and specifying the relevant
provisions in the FIFA Statutes.

Article 2: Implementation
The Council, the President, the standing committees, the independent committees, the Football
Tribunal and the Secretary General are authorised to issue directives, guidelines, policies,
procedures, circular letters, manuals and similar documents for the implementation of these
regulations as part of their range of duties and powers, subject to the FIFA Statutes and the
provisions of these regulations.

Article 3: General conduct of members of FIFA bodies and FIFA employees

3.1 During their work and as part of their functions, members of FIFA bodies and FIFA
employees shall do everything possible that is conducive to fulfilling FIFA’s objectives
(cf. art. 2 of the FIFA Statutes) and refrain from any action that could be detrimental
to those objectives. Inside and outside FIFA, they shall know and comply with all
applicable laws and regulations, as well as with FIFA’s internal rules and regulations,
such as these regulations, the FIFA Code of Ethics, the FIFA Disciplinary Code and,
when applicable, the FIFA Team Handbook.
PROVISIONS
3.2 The Secretary General shall issue special provisions regarding the conduct of FIFA
employees.
provisions
GENERAL

Article 4: Eligibility checks

general

All members of the Council (including the President), of the standing committees, of the
Introduction andAND

independent committees, of the Football Tribunal as well as the Secretary General shall be
required to fulfil eligibility checks in accordance with Annexe 1 of these regulations prior to their
INTRODUCTION

(re-)election or (re)appointment and pursuant to the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes.

I.
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Article 5: Independence

5.1 The restrictions resulting from the requirement of independence of the members of
the relevant FIFA bodies are as follows:

Standing Chairpersons Members of the Other members of

committee and deputy investigatory the Governance,
members chairpersons of and adjudicatory Audit and
required to be the Governance, chambers of the Compliance
independent Audit and Ethics Committee Committee and
Compliance judicial bodies
Committee and (other than the
judicial bodies Ethics Committee)
Other official Not permitted Not permitted Not permitted Not permitted
function at for members for members for members for members
FIFA themselves and themselves and themselves and themselves and
their immediate their immediate their immediate their immediate
family, including family, including family, including family, including
during the four during the four during the four during the four
years preceding years preceding years preceding years preceding
the initial term the initial term the initial term the initial term
Other official Not permitted Not permitted Not permitted
function at a for members for members for members
confederation themselves and themselves and themselves,
or a member their immediate their immediate other than
association family, including family, including being a member
during the four during the four of a judicial
years preceding years preceding body at FIFA,
initial term the initial term confederation or
national level
Material Not permitted Not permitted
business for members for members
relationship themselves and themselves and
with FIFA, a their immediate their immediate
confederation family, including family, including
or a member during the four during the four
association years preceding years preceding
the initial term the initial term

5.2 “Immediate family” means, with respect to any person, such person’s spouse or domestic
partner, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, children (including any stepchild or adopted
child), grandchildren, son-, daughter-, father- or mother-in-law and the spouses of such
persons, and including anyone else, whether by blood or otherwise, with whom
the individual has a relationship akin to a family relationship for which such person
provides financial support.
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5.3 “Material business relationship” means, with respect to any person, that (i) such
person has been, or (ii) such person is a current director or executive officer or
employee of or owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the equity of any entity
that has made payments to or received payments from FIFA, any confederation, any
member association or any sponsor, auditor, outside counsel or other paid adviser
or contractor of any of FIFA, any confederation or any member association for
property or services in an amount which, in any single year, exceeds USD 125,000.
Any compensation or other amounts paid to any such person in their capacity as a
member of the Council or of an independent FIFA body shall not constitute a material
business relationship within the meaning of this provision.

5.4 Members of standing committees who are required to be independent as well as

chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of independent committees may
not attempt to form a business relationship with FIFA for a period of one year after
concluding their mandate on the respective committee.

Article 6: Disclosure of compensation

The individual annual compensation of the President, of the vice-presidents and members of
the Council, and of the Secretary General, as determined by the Compensation Sub-Committee
pursuant to art. 35 par. 14 (b) of these regulations, as well as the compensation of the chairperson
of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee and the costs of the judicial bodies shall be
published in the FIFA Annual Report.

general
Introduction andAND
INTRODUCTION PROVISIONS
provisions
GENERAL

I.
DUTIES, POWERS,
RESPONSIBILITIES
AND
ORGANISATION
OF FIFA BODIES
AND HOLDERS OF
KEY POSITIONS

II.
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A. ANNUAL MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS CONFERENCE

Article 7: Strategic football summits: the annual member associations

conference

7.1 The annual member associations conference provided for by the FIFA Statutes,
which is a strategic advisory forum for FIFA, may be conducted in the form of
annual strategic football summits and shall be organised under the direction of the
President.

7.2 The president of each member association shall be an ex officio member of the annual
strategic football summits. The president may be accompanied at these summits by
other association top executives, as the case may be.

7.3 The format of the annual strategic football summits as well as the venue and timing
of the meetings shall remain flexible in order to provide the appropriate platform of
discussion depending on the topics to be discussed.

7.4 The annual strategic football summits shall be dedicated to strategic discussions on
issues of high relevance for the football world as provided for in the FIFA Statutes, with
a particular focus on:

a) modernising the football regulatory framework;

b) growing revenues sustainably for further reinvestment in football;
c) increasing the efficiency and efficacy of the organisation;
d) ensuring the success of FIFA’s iconic competitions;

POSITIONs
FIFA
e) globalising FIFA’s competitions;

OF
ANDHOLDERSOFKEY
f) increasing global competitiveness;

ORGANISATION
g) maximising FIFA’s impact on global football development;
h) accelerating the growth of women’s football;
i) harnessing technology in football;
j) protecting positive values in football; and FIFABODIES
BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS
AND
k) impacting society through the power of football.
ANDORGANISATIONOF
RESPONSIBILITIES

7.5 The conclusions of these meetings shall constitute strategic advice to the FIFA Council
and the FIFA Congress.
RESPONSIBILITIES
POWERS,
DUTIES,POWERS,
DUTIES,

II.
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B. COUNCIL

Article 8: Duties, powers and responsibilities

8.1 The duties, powers and responsibilities of the Council are based on the applicable
FIFA Statutes and regulations, and on rulings and decisions applicable to the Council
passed by the appropriate FIFA bodies (e.g. by the judicial bodies).

8.2 The Council defines FIFA’s mission, strategic direction, policies and values, in
particular with regard to the organisation and development of football at
worldwide level and all related matters. In accordance with, and subject to, art. 34 of
the FIFA Statutes, the Council has, in particular, the following specific duties:

a) It deals with global strategies for football and its political, economic and social status.
b) It defines FIFA’s overall strategy, including with regard to sports-political and
business matters.
c) It oversees the activities of the standing committees and the overall management of
FIFA by the general secretariat.
d) It appoints and dismisses the chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of
the standing committees and of the chambers of the Football Tribunal, with the
exception of the members of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee,
who are elected by the Congress and may only be dismissed by the Congress.
e) It proposes to the Congress for election the chairpersons, deputy chairpersons
and members of the Disciplinary Committee, the Ethics Committee, the Appeal
Committee and the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, thereby striving
to ensure appropriate gender distribution.
f) It may decide to set up bureaus and/or sub-committees to the standing committees
and ad hoc committees if necessary at any time, as well as approve the set-up of a
bureau and/or sub-committee proposed by a standing committee.
g) It may decide to establish ad hoc electoral committees to assume certain duties that
are, in principle, assigned to the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee.
h) It appoints and dismisses the Secretary General upon the proposal of the President;
the Council may also dismiss the Secretary General without such a proposal, in
which case the President shall nevertheless still be obliged to sign the respective
termination notice with regard to the employment contract of the Secretary General.
i) It defines the standards, policies and procedures applicable to the awarding of
commercial contracts by FIFA.
j) It defines the standards, policies and procedures applicable to football development
grants.
k) It defines the standards, policies and procedures regarding the operational costs of
FIFA.
l) It defines the standards, policies and procedures regarding all other business- or
finance-related matters of FIFA.
m) It approves the budget prepared by the Finance Committee to be submitted to the
Congress for approval.
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n) It approves the accounts and annual audited financial statements, including

the consolidated financial statements, drawn up by the Secretary General to be
submitted to the Congress for approval.
o) It approves the annual report to be submitted to the Congress for approval;
p) It decides on the place and dates of the final competitions of FIFA tournaments and
the number of teams taking part from each confederation, except for the place of
the FIFA World Cup™ and FIFA Women`s World Cup™ final competitions.
q) It appoints the three representatives of FIFA who shall attend the general assembly
of The IFAB in addition to the President; furthermore, it is entitled to direct how the
representatives of FIFA shall vote in The IFAB.
r) It supports the full participation of women at all levels of football, including in
governance and technical roles.
s) It approves and issues FIFA regulations.

8.3 In accordance with art. 27 par. 7 of the FIFA Statutes, the Council shall determine the
number of seats to be assigned to each confederation in the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee and in the judicial bodies, and thereafter submit proposals,
in writing, for the members of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee and
the judicial bodies to the general secretariat at least four months before the start of
the relevant Congress.

8.4 The Council shall deal with all matters relating to FIFA that do not fall within the sphere
of responsibility of another body, in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.

8.5 The Council shall not be responsible for matters of an executive nature. Such matters

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
shall be dealt with by the FIFA general secretariat.

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

II.
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Article 9: Meetings and decision-making

9.1 The Council shall meet at least three times a year.

9.2 The President shall convene the meetings of the Council at least 14 days in advance
by way of letter and/or email, stating the date, time and place of the meeting as
well as the items of the agenda (the latter to be compiled by the President while
considering possible proposals from the other Council members). Meetings may
be held in person, by teleconference, by videoconference or by another means of
communication. If a meeting cannot be convened within an appropriate period
of time, decisions may be passed by other methods (e.g. circular resolution). The
required documents to enable the members to prepare properly for the meeting
shall be sent to the members at least seven days in advance by way of letter and/or
email. If justified by special circumstances, additional and/or new documents may be
distributed at the meeting. Meetings of the Bureau of the Council shall be convened
immediately.

9.3 If at least 19 members of the Council request a meeting, the President shall convene
it according to par. 2 above.

9.4 The President, as the chairperson of the Council, shall conduct the meetings in
accordance with the FIFA Statutes and these regulations. He shall open and close
the debates and give the floor to the Council members. If the President is unable
to attend, the longest-serving vice-president shall conduct the meeting as deputy
chairperson. If the longest-serving vice-president is prevented from conducting the
meeting, the next vice-president in line shall conduct the meeting.

9.5 If a vote is needed on any matter, a simple majority (more than 50%) of the valid votes
cast is required for a decision to be adopted. Each member of the Council has one
vote. As a rule, votes of the Council shall be conducted openly.

9.6 Decisions of the Council are signed by the President.

9.7 Council meetings are confidential.

9.8 The minutes of every meeting shall be recorded by the Secretary General, who
attends the Council meetings ex officio and as the secretary of the meetings without
voting rights. Should the Secretary General be unavailable, one of the two Deputy
Secretaries General shall deputise. The minutes shall, as a general rule, be signed by
the Secretary General.
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Article 10: Council members’ duties

10.1 The members of the Council shall participate in the meetings in person. Attendance
by teleconference, by videoconference or by another means of communication shall
also constitute presence.

10.2 Council members shall show mutual respect and protect the interests of FIFA in their
work. They shall read the agenda carefully as well as any documents sent to them
before the meeting. They shall take an active part in the discussions.

10.3 Council members shall adhere to all relevant FIFA rules and regulations in their work
on the committees, in particular to the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Code of Ethics but
also to any decisions issued by FIFA. They shall act faithfully, loyally and independently
and in the best interests of FIFA and the promotion and development of football at
global level.

10.4 In particular, Council members shall always be aware of, and comply with, the
provisions of art. 19 of the FIFA Code of Ethics (Conflicts of interest) and adjust their
conduct as necessary (e.g. abstain from performing their duties, notify the President
in cases of potential conflicts of interest).

10.5 Council members shall complete and submit two copies, one to the President
and one to the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, of the
Related-Party Declaration (included in Annexe 2 to these regulations) on an annual
basis. The President shall also complete and submit two copies, one to the Secretary
General and one to the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, of the

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
Related-Party Declaration.

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

10.6 Every member of the Council undertakes, and accepts responsibility, to faithfully,
loyally and independently act in the best interests of FIFA and the promotion and
development of football at global level.

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

Article 11: Expenses
Expenses of the Council members shall be reimbursed in accordance with the applicable FIFA
Expenses Regulations.

Article 12: Bureau of the Council

The provisions above shall also apply mutatis mutandis to the Bureau of the Council.

II.
16

C. PRESIDENT

Article 13: Contractual relationship with FIFA

In addition to the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes as well as of these and other FIFA
regulations, the details regarding the relationship between FIFA and the President including,
in particular, compensation matters, shall be regulated by a contract between the (incumbent)
President and FIFA. This contract shall be approved by the Compensation Sub-Committee and
signed on behalf of FIFA by the Secretary General and a second person having the power to sign
in accordance with the entry in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zurich.

Article 14: Role, duties, powers and responsibilities

14.1 The President represents FIFA generally (cf. art. 35 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes). He
chairs the Congress and the Council, and coordinates the Council. The President’s
duties, powers and responsibilities are based on the applicable FIFA Statutes and
regulations, and on rulings and decisions applicable to the President passed by the
appropriate FIFA bodies (e.g. by the judicial bodies).

14.2 The President shall aim to ensure that FIFA’s statutory objectives, mission, strategic
direction, policies and values are sustainably pursued and to foster a positive image
of FIFA. While performing his activities, the President shall be, and thus contribute
to FIFA being, a vanguard for promoting the following principles, rights and values, in
particular:

a) integrity, ethics and fair play;

b) human rights and humanitarian values;
c) non-discrimination, gender equality, equal treatment in general, and the
stance against racism;
d) solidarity and mutual respect in football as well as in society in general; and
e) promoting friendly and peaceful relations within FIFA as well as in society
in general for humanitarian reasons.

14.3 The President shall be recorded in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zurich
as having joint powers of signature (with one other person).
 17

14.4 In accordance with, and subject to, art. 35 of the FIFA Statutes, the President has, in
particular, the following specific duties:

a) To propose the guidelines for FIFA’s overall strategy to the Council; to

oversee, together with the Council, the implementation of the guidelines
for FIFA’s overall strategy; to appraise the Secretary General’s performance
b) To prepare the business of the Council and the Congress
c) To convene meetings of the Bureau of the Council and to notify the Council
immediately of the decisions passed by the Bureau of the Council
d) To propose the appointment or dismissal of the Secretary General
e) To engage the members of the Executive Office of the President and
terminate their employment

14.5 The President may delegate certain duties, powers and responsibilities that have
been assigned to him to the Secretary General or individual members of the Council.
In such cases, the Secretary General or the individual members of the Council shall
report to the President.

14.6 In accordance with art. 33 par. 7 of the FIFA Statutes, if the President is permanently
or temporarily prevented from performing his official function, the longest-serving
vice-president shall assume the powers and responsibilities of the President until the
next Congress. This Congress shall elect a new President, if necessary. If the longest-
serving vice-president is prevented from assuming the powers and responsibilities
of the President, the next vice-president in line shall assume the powers and

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
responsibilities of the President.

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

II.
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D. SECRETARY GENERAL

Article 15: Secretary General

15.1 The Secretary General is the chief executive officer (CEO) of FIFA. He chairs and heads
the Management Board.

15.2 The Secretary General shall be recorded in the Commercial Register of the Canton of
Zurich as having joint powers of signature (with one other person).

15.3 The Secretary General reports to the Council through the office of the President.

15.4 The Secretary General shall be employed by FIFA on the basis of an employment
agreement. The employment contract of the Secretary General shall be signed
on behalf of FIFA by the President and a second person having power to sign in
accordance with the entry in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zurich.

15.5 The organisation and structure of the general secretariat shall be dealt with through
directives issued by the Secretary General.

15.6 Powers and responsibilities

The duties, powers and responsibilities of the Secretary General are based in principle
on the FIFA Statutes and regulations applicable to the Secretary General, and on
rulings and decisions applicable to the Secretary General passed by FIFA bodies as
well as on any applicable legal provisions. The Secretary General has the responsibility
and authority to make decisions on all executive and administrative matters that do
not, based on the FIFA Statutes, these regulations or the regulations of other bodies,
come under the remit of another body or person. The Secretary General is authorised
to issue implementing regulations, directives, policies, procedures, circular letters,
manuals and similar documents as part of and within the framework of his duties and
powers as set out in the FIFA Statutes, the provisions of these regulations, and the
regulations of other bodies.

More particularly, the main duties of the Secretary General are as follows:

a) To manage the FIFA general secretariat and ensure that all of FIFA’s executive
and administrative work is carried out smoothly, promptly and properly
b) To propose targets for the various divisions in accordance with FIFA’s overall
strategy as determined by the Council
c) To approve the organisational structures in each division at the proposal of
the respective Deputy Secretary General or chief officer; to propose the
creation of new divisions to the Council
d) To implement, subject to other rulings stating the contrary, the rulings
and decisions passed by the FIFA bodies, in particular decisions passed
by the Congress and the Council, under the supervision of the President and
adhering to the relevant guidelines and directives
 19

e) To prepare the administration and organisation of the Congress

f) To appoint and/or dismiss the chief officers of FIFA; to approve proposals
from the chief officers of the various divisions regarding the appointment
or revocation thereof of a deputy; to engage and dismiss personnel in the
FIFA general secretariat
g) To appoint and/or dismiss the Deputy Secretary General (Administration)
and the Deputy Secretary General (Football)
h) To decide, on behalf of FIFA, on the signing powers of members of FIFA bodies
and employees for the purpose of concluding legal transactions and signing
correspondence as an addition to these regulations, wherever these persons
are not recorded in the Commercial Register of the Canton of Zurich
i) To issue guidelines and regulations for all FIFA employees after consulting
the management concerned; to propose the salary structure (including
bonuses) as well as FIFA’s social benefits to the President for approval
j) To issue guidelines concerning procurement;
k) To approve any proposal regarding amendments to the material structure of FIFA’s
subsidiaries as well as regarding acquiring and selling holdings in companies
l) To determine persons for representation in subsidiaries and companies in
which FIFA has a full or partial holding and proposes their withdrawal
m) To ensure that the provisions of art. 3 of these regulations are also
implemented in the consolidated subsidiaries of FIFA to the extent permitted
by applicable law
n) To designate specific persons for overall projects (overall project leaders) and

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
submit the relevant project plans to the Council for approval

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

o) To manage and keep the accounts of FIFA according to industry standards;
to approve the guidelines proposed by the Finance Division; to prepare
the annual and quadrennial budgets; to prepare the annual audited financial
statements and publish the financial statements on the FIFA official website
once approved by the Congress

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

p) To manage asset and foreign exchange matters
q) To manage FIFA’s correspondence
r) To facilitate relations with the confederations and member associations
s) To compile the minutes for the meetings of the Congress, the Council, the
standing committees and the ad hoc committees

15.7 The President may devolve the following range of duties upon the Secretary General:

a) Reporting to the Congress and the Council;

b) Preparing decisions to be passed by the Congress and the Council.

II.
20

15.8 Moreover, the Secretary General has the following duties, powers and responsibilities
with regard to compliance:

a) To monitor compliance by FIFA employees with the law and with all relevant
FIFA rules and regulations.
b) To review reports directly submitted to the Secretary General by the Chief
Legal & Compliance Officer.
c) To implement appropriate measures in cases of non-compliance, alleged
corruption or other improper conduct by employees of FIFA and – to the
extent permitted by applicable law and FIFA’s rules and regulations – all
members of executive bodies and employees of FIFA’s consolidated
subsidiaries who are not bound by the FIFA Code of Ethics, except for the
Secretary General himself. In this respect, he ensures that the consolidated
subsidiaries of FIFA set up their own compliance units which exercise the
duties, powers and responsibilities in accordance with the applicable law,
and that such compliance units report to the FIFA Compliance Subdivision in
the absence of mandatory legal provisions to the contrary.
d) Based on reports and proposals from the FIFA Compliance Subdivision,
he implements appropriate measures in cases of non-compliance, alleged
corruption or other improper conduct by FIFA team members, except for the
Secretary General himself.
e) To report regularly (or, in cases of emergency, immediately) to the Governance,
Audit and Compliance Committee on the findings of the compliance
monitoring and on the cases reported and submitted to the Secretary General.
f) To report annually to the President and to the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee on the compliance-related activities.

15.9 The Secretary General may delegate duties to one of his deputies or to the chief
officers of the various divisions for a certain period and, in particular, delegate
mandatory reporting and minutes-taking of the standing committee and ad hoc
committee meetings to one of his deputies or to the chief officers of the various
divisions or advisory divisions.

15.10 The Secretary General shall consult with the President concerning major decisions
in order to ensure that the overall strategy, as defined by the Council, is reflected in
FIFA’s day-to-day business, in particular regarding par. 6 c), e), f), g), k), l) and n) of this
article.

15.11 If the Secretary General intends to deviate from the principles and provisions
contained in these regulations while performing his duties, he must obtain approval
from the Council prior to taking any relevant action.
 21

Article 16: Deputy Secretaries General

16.1 The Deputy Secretaries General deputise for the Secretary General if the latter is
temporarily absent or incapacitated with regard to performing his duties. One of the
Deputy Secretaries General further assumes the function of Acting Secretary General
if the Secretary General resigns or becomes permanently incapacitated with regard
to performing his functions during his term of office until a new Secretary General
has been appointed in accordance with the FIFA Statutes and these regulations.

16.2 The Secretary General may assign duties in certain areas to one of the Deputy
Secretaries General for a fixed period.

Article 17: Chief Legal & Compliance Officer and Compliance Subdivision

17.1 The Chief Legal & Compliance Officer reports to the Secretary General and
to the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee concerning FIFA compliance
matters.

17.2 The FIFA Compliance Subdivision is led by the Director of Compliance, who reports
to the Chief Legal & Compliance Officer.

17.3 The organisation and functions as well as any other details of the FIFA Compliance
Subdivision and the Director of Compliance are governed by directives issued by the
Secretary General.

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
17.4 In order to fulfil his duties, powers and responsibilities, the Chief Legal & Compliance

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

Officer has unrestricted right of access to and inspection of any organisational unit
of FIFA.

17.5 Appropriate funding from FIFA shall be provided for payment of any outside counsel,
experts or advisers to be engaged and for covering any ordinary administrative

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

expenses of the FIFA Compliance Subdivision.

II.
22

E. STANDING COMMITTEES

GENERAL RULES

Article 18: Scope

18.1 The provisions of this section refer to committees only. Notwithstanding this, they
apply to the FIFA standing committees as well as to their respective sub-committees
(if applicable).

18.2 The provisions contained in the subsequent section (specific rules for
individual committees) supersede any provisions of this section addressing the
same matter(s).

Article 19: Powers and competences of the Council relating to standing

committees

19.1 In addition to the duties set out in the FIFA Statutes and in arts 27 et seq. below, the
Council may delegate further duties to the committees at any time.

19.2 The Council may remove any member of a committee at any time. Proposals to remove
a particular committee member may, in particular, be submitted to the Council by the
President. Recurring failure to attend committee meetings is especially regarded as
a reason for relieving a member of his duties.

Article 20: Terms of office

20.1 The members of the standing committees are appointed for a term of office of four
years. Reappointments are possible.

20.2 If a member of a committee resigns or becomes permanently incapacitated with

regard to performing his functions during his term of office, or if he is relieved of his
duties pursuant to art. 19 par. 2 of these regulations, the Council shall, at the earliest
opportunity, appoint a replacement for the remaining term of office.
 23

Article 21: Organisation

21.1 The committees may work with other committees to deal with specific problems.

21.2 If necessary, the committees may set up working groups to conduct specific tasks
or examine specific issues. Such working groups may include experts who are not
members of the committees. The results of such working groups should then be fed
back to the respective committee.

21.3 The committees may call upon specialists at any time to address any urgent
and/or special business in accordance with the applicable procurement guidelines. If
such engagements incur expenses exceeding USD 100,000, they must be approved by
the Council. The chairperson of the committee concerned shall make an appropriate
request to the Council.

21.4 The committees may call upon staff from the general secretariat to assist and support
them in their work.

Article 22: Compliance training

22.1 All chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of all committees shall complete
initial compliance training within six months of assuming their positions.

22.2 All chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of all committees shall complete
additional compliance training at least once every two years.

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF
Article 23: Meetings and decision-making

23.1 The committees shall meet whenever pending matters so require. The chairperson
and the Secretary General shall draw up an annual plan to fix dates for meetings.

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

Meetings may be held in person, by teleconference, by videoconference or by another
means of communication. If a meeting cannot be convened within an appropriate
period of time, decisions may be passed by other methods (e.g. circular resolution).

23.2 The chairperson shall draw up the agenda in conjunction with the Secretary General.
Committee members may send written requests to the chairperson for items to be
included in the agenda.

II.
24

23.3 The agenda shall, as a general rule, include the following items:

a) Welcome from the President

b) Welcome of new members by the President and the chairperson (if applicable)
c) Chairperson’s remarks
d) Roll call
e) Approval of the agenda
f) Approval of the minutes of the last meeting
g) Agenda containing the items to be discussed and enclosures
h) Any other business
i) Next meeting

23.4 The Secretary General shall sign the agenda. The agenda and any enclosures shall
be sent to the committee members in good time before the meeting. The agenda
may be altered if a majority of the committee members present agrees to such a
proposal. Documents containing further information on the items to be discussed
may be distributed to the committee members at any time.

23.5 The chairperson shall open and conduct the meetings. The chairperson shall
open and close the debates and give the floor to the committee members. If the
chairperson is unable to attend, the deputy chairperson shall conduct the meeting.
If the latter is also unavailable, the committee shall choose a chairperson for that
meeting from the members present.

23.6 If a vote is needed on any matter, a simple majority (more than 50%) of the
valid votes cast is required for the decision to be adopted. Each member of the
committee has one vote. Votes are conducted openly. Voting by secret ballot is
prohibited.

23.7 Decisions of the standing committees are signed by the Secretary General.

23.8 The Secretary General, or a representative of the general secretariat duly appointed
by the Secretary General, shall attend committee meetings in an administrative
capacity without voting rights.

23.9 Committee meetings are confidential.

23.10 Minutes shall be recorded of every meeting.

 25

Article 24: Committee members’ duties

24.1 The committee members shall take part in the meetings in person. Attendance by
teleconference, by videoconference or by another means of communication shall also
constitute presence.

24.2 Committee members shall show mutual respect and protect the interests of FIFA in
their work on the committees. They shall review all documents sent to them before
the meeting. They shall take an active part in the discussions. Committee members
shall act faithfully, loyally and independently and in the best interests of FIFA and the
promotion and development of football at global level.

24.3 Committee members shall adhere to all relevant FIFA rules and regulations in their
work on the committees, in particular to the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Code of Ethics
but also to any decisions issued by FIFA.

24.4 In particular, committee members shall always be aware of, and comply with, the
provisions of art. 19 of the FIFA Code of Ethics (Conflicts of interest) and adjust
their conduct as necessary (e.g. abstain from performing their duties, notify the
chairperson in cases of potential conflicts of interest).

Article 25: Expenses

Committee members’ expenses shall be reimbursed in accordance with the applicable FIFA
Expenses Regulations.

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF
Article 26: Relationship with the Council

26.1 The respective chairpersons shall represent the committees in dealings with the
Council and other FIFA bodies or institutions.

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

26.2 The chairpersons of the committees shall regularly report to the Council on the
committees’ work, either orally or in writing.

II.
26

SPECIFIC RULES FOR INDIVIDUAL COMMITTEES

Article 27: Finance Committee

27.1 Composition
a) The Finance Committee shall consist of at least three members and not
more than 12 members, all of whom must be qualified to deal with
financial matters.
b) No fewer than half of the committee’s members shall fulfil the independence
criteria defined in art. 5 of these regulations.

27.2 Powers and responsibilities

The Finance Committee shall determine FIFA’s strategy regarding financial and asset
management and advise the Council on these matters. In particular, the committee’s
main powers and responsibilities are as follows:

a) To prepare, in cooperation with the Secretary General, FIFA’s budget to be

submitted to the Council for approval;
b) To analyse the accounts and financial statements drawn up by the Secretary
General and to issue a recommendation to the Council as to whether or not
to approve them;
c) To draft policies, rules and guidelines regarding FIFA’s overall strategy in
financial and asset management matters and to submit them to the Council
for approval;
d) To ensure that budgets submitted for approval support the growth and
development of women’s football;
e) To deal with any other matters relating to FIFA’s finances as appropriate,
except for operational matters.

Article 28: Development Committee and Development Bureau

28.1 Composition of the Development Committee

a) The Development Committee shall consist of at least three members.

b) No fewer than half of the committee’s members shall fulfil the independence
criteria defined in art. 5 of these regulations.

28.2 Powers and responsibilities

The Development Committee shall deal with FIFA’s development programmes.

In this regard, it shall devise and propose appropriate strategies, check these
strategies periodically and analyse the support provided to the beneficiaries,
including member associations, confederations, zonal/regional associations
and, in exceptional circumstances, other football associations that are
non-FIFA members and that organise competitions and/or football projects. More
particularly, the committee’s main duties are as follows:
 27

a) Analysing the major development challenges at stake, taking into account the
relevant geographical, social, economic and football potential as well as the
principle of solidarity, and informing the relevant bodies within FIFA
b) Advising and assisting the Council on the implementation of FIFA development
programmes, including, but not limited to, the areas of governance, technical
development and management of the beneficiaries
c) Proposing new development programmes, strategies and orientations, and
addressing the related budget matters
d) Drawing up regulations for the FIFA development programmes and guidelines for
the specific support provided to the beneficiaries and submitting these guidelines
and regulations, through the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, to
the Council for approval
e) Issuing strategic orientations for the use of the financial support provided to the
beneficiaries
f) Reviewing and approving the contracts of agreed objectives presented by the
member associations and confederations together with the FIFA administration
g) Reviewing and approving specific project applications for the use of FIFA
development funds presented by the member associations and confederations,
within the framework of the FIFA development programmes and the contracts of
agreed objectives mentioned above
h) Monitoring the development and implementation of capacity-building support by
the FIFA administration within the framework of the FIFA development programmes
and the contracts of agreed objectives mentioned above

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
i) Approving the thematic focus, types of activity, budget allocation per continent
and/or per country in respect of new development programmes and special

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

projects
j) Ensuring that development activities, guidelines and regulations reinforce the
importance of developing and resourcing women’s football, and supporting the
full participation of women in governance, technical and administrative roles

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

k) Taking any other decision regarding the distribution of FIFA development funds
l) Instructing the administration on the execution of the Development Committee’s
decisions
m) Dealing with any other matters relating to development

28.3 Composition of the Development Bureau

The Development Bureau shall be composed of the chairperson and/or deputy

chairperson and at least one member of the Development Committee selected by
the chairperson or deputy chairperson.

No fewer than half of the Bureau’s composition shall fulfil the independence criteria
defined in art. 5 of these regulations.

II.
28

28.4 Specific powers and responsibilities of the Development Bureau

The Development Bureau shall be called upon whenever necessary to take on the
responsibilities and duties of the Development Committee as follows:

a) Approval of contracts of agreed objectives presented by the member associations

and confederations within the framework of the FIFA development programmes
b) Approval of specific project applications presented by the member associations
within the framework of the FIFA development programmes
c) Approval of requests presented by the member associations to use all or part of
their entitlement for operational/running costs to fund specific projects within the
framework of the FIFA development programmes
d) Approval of requests presented by the member associations to use all
or part of their entitlement for specific projects to cover their ongoing
operational/running costs within the framework of the FIFA development
programmes

Article 29: Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions

29.1 Composition

The Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions shall consist of an adequate number
of members.

29.2 Powers and responsibilities

The Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions shall oversee the organisation of
the following FIFA competitions in compliance with the provisions of the regulations
applicable to the respective competitions, the relevant hosting documents and the
hosting requirements contained or referred to therein:

a) FIFA World Cup™

b) Olympic Football Tournaments, thereby also taking into account the Olympic
Charter
c) FIFA U-20 World Cup™
d) FIFA U-17 World Cup™
e) FIFA Women’s World Cup™
f) FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™
g) FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™
h) FIFA Futsal World Cup™
i) FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™
j) FIFA Club World Cup™
 29

Moreover, the Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions shall advise

and assist the Council on all matters regarding the organisation of the
above-mentioned competitions, propose to the Council amendments to regulations
applicable to these competitions, the hosting documents and hosting requirements
contained or referred to therein, produce and publish an official report on these
competitions, and deal with any other matters related to the organisation of these
competitions. Furthermore, the Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions may
propose new competitions to the Council.

29.3 In addition, the Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions shall deal with global
strategies against match manipulation to protect the integrity of football. The
committee shall issue and monitor compliance with the FIFA Stadium Safety and
Security Regulations and monitor relevant developments in the area of stadium
security.

Article 30: Football Stakeholders Committee

30.1 Composition

The Football Stakeholders Committee shall consist of an adequate number of

members. Each confederation shall be represented in the Football Stakeholders
Committee. The Football Stakeholders Committee’s composition shall also reflect
the different stakeholders involved in association football.

30.2

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
Powers and responsibilities

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

The Football Stakeholders Committee shall advise and assist the Council on all
matters relating to football, particularly the structure of the game, as well as on all
technical matters. The committee shall also deal with the relationship between clubs,
players, leagues, member associations, confederations and FIFA as well as with issues
relating to the interests of club football worldwide. More particularly, the committee’s

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

main duties are as follows:

a) Making recommendations and proposals to be submitted to the Council

concerning the technical/structural development of football
b) Analysing relations between clubs, leagues, associations, confederations
and FIFA and proposing to the Council any measures that may
improve cooperation
c) Promoting football
d) Analysing the basic aspects of football
e) Combatting elements posing a threat to football, in particular related to
its integrity
f) Supporting and developing any projects benefiting supporters
g) Making recommendations to promote a healthy environment in football

II.
30

h) Addressing fair-play matters, promoting the concept of fair play, promoting

gender equality in football and fighting discrimination in football worldwide
i) Safeguarding the origins of football
j) Developing training methods for football
k) Dealing with matters relating to football pitches
l) Dealing with any other technical matters relating to football and with any
other matters relating to football in general

30.3 The main duties of the committee in connection with club football are as follows:

a) Making recommendations and proposals to be submitted to the Council

with a view to the structural development of club football
b) Observing the development of the regulatory framework in relation to club
football worldwide and formulating comments and/or proposals
c) Developing best-practice principles for club football governance
d) Making recommendations and proposals to promote the growth of club
football for women
e) Drawing up regulations governing club football
f) Dealing with any other matters relating to club football

Article 31: Member Associations Committee

31.1 Composition

The Member Associations Committee shall consist of an adequate number of

members, at least half of whom shall be knowledgeable about and experienced in
international affairs and/or government relations.

31.2 Powers and responsibilities

The Member Associations Committee shall advise and assist the Council on all
matters relating to the member associations. It shall deal with relations between
FIFA and its member associations as well as the member associations’ compliance
with the FIFA Statutes and draw up proposals for optimum cooperation.
The Member Associations Committee shall also monitor the evolution of
the Statutes and regulations the confederations and the member associations. More
particularly, the committee’s main duties are as follows:

a) Coordinating relations between FIFA and its member associations and drawing
up proposals to strengthen cooperation and coordination with and between local
stakeholders, including government authorities
 31

b) Devising projects for collaboration between FIFA and any member associations
with special requirements or problems
c) Advising the member associations on matters relating to good governance and
best-practice principles within their structures
d) Examining any requests from member associations affected by exceptional
circumstances, for presentation to the Council
e) Advising the member associations, on request, on how to improve their internal
organisation, especially at administrative level
f) Drawing up documents/policies and/or organising courses/seminars and
strategic development workshops designed to improve the member associations’
standards of administration as well as general best practices, in cooperation with
other organisations. FIFA has the final say on any proposals submitted by these
organisations
g) Submitting to the Council procedures for the affiliation of any association applying
for membership of FIFA and processing all the applications received in accordance
with the applicable provisions of the FIFA Statutes and regulations
h) Assisting any new FIFA member association in setting up and organising its
administration
i) Investigating any governance-related or regulatory issues arising in a member
association and proposing suitable measures or actions to the Council to resolve
the situation
j) Dealing with other matters relating to the member associations

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF
Article 32: Referees Committee

32.1 Composition

The Referees Committee shall be made up of two sub-committees: a Competitions

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

Sub-Committee and a Refereeing Development Sub-Committee. The chairperson and
the deputy chairperson of the Referees Committee shall be members of, and perform
their respective functions in, both sub-committees. In addition to the chairperson
and the deputy chairperson, the Competitions Sub-Committee and the Refereeing
Development Sub-Committee shall each consist of an adequate number of members.

32.2 Powers and responsibilities

The Referees Committee shall implement and interpret the Laws of the Game and
may propose amendments to the Laws of the Game to the Council. It shall appoint
the referees and assistant referees for matches in competitions organised by FIFA
and shall advise and assist the Council on all matters relating to refereeing, referees
and assistant referees. More particularly, the committee’s main duties are as follows:

II.
32

a) Implementing the Laws of the Game and interpreting their application

b) Approving the official translations of the Laws of the Game
c) Proposing to the Council any amendments to the Laws of the Game to be
submitted to The International Football Association Board (IFAB)
d) Approving the wording of the Laws of the Game in official FIFA publications
e) Compiling a list of referees and assistant referees eligible to officiate
at international matches from among the nominations submitted
by associations
f) Appointing referees and assistant referees for matches in competitions
or­ganised by FIFA or for any other tournaments, whenever requested
to do so
g) Establishing standard refereeing methods and ensuring the uniform
implementation of the Laws of the Game around the world
h) Establishing uniform criteria for the inspection of referees and assistant
referees for use by every member association
i) Organising courses for referees, assistant referees and referee instructors
j) Drawing up a list of instructors and speakers capable of conducting courses
for referees
k) Preparing and producing teaching materials on refereeing and
assistant refereeing
l) Ensuring that each member association has a properly constituted
referees’ and assistant referees’ committee and that this committee
functions properly
m) Monitoring and supervising the compliance of member associations
with the Regulations on the Organisation of Refereeing in FIFA
Member Associations
n) Dealing with other matters relating to referees and assistant referees

32.3 The Referees Committee shall also advise and assist the Council on all matters relating
to futsal, and shall, in particular:

a) draw up the Futsal Laws of the Game;

b) approve the official translations of the Futsal Laws of the Game; and
c) make decisions regarding the application of the Futsal Laws of the Game.

32.4 The Referees Committee shall also advise and assist the Council on all matters relating
to beach soccer, and shall, in particular:

a) draw up the Beach Soccer Laws of the Game;

b) approve the official translations of the Beach Soccer Laws of the Game; and
c) make decisions regarding the application of the Beach Soccer Laws of the
Game.
 33

Article 33: Medical Committee

33.1 Composition

The Medical Committee shall consist of an adequate number of members, all of

whom shall be qualified in sports medicine, be specialised in football and, together,
represent as many areas of sports medicine as possible.

33.2 Powers and responsibilities

The Medical Committee shall deal with all medical aspects of football. It shall advise
and assist the Council on all matters relating to sports medicine. More particularly,
the committee’s main duties are as follows:

a) Advising on theoretical, practical and clinical aspects of medicine, physiology

and hygiene
b) Drawing up medical guidelines for coaches, players, referees and
assistant referees
c) Drawing up guidelines that enable players to improve their athleticism,
fitness and stamina
d) Drawing up recommendations for coaches and other team supervisors
regarding physical training for players
e) Drawing up guidelines on nutrition for players
f) Drawing up guidelines on general hygiene in sport that explain the effects
of certain substances on the body, such as alcohol, nicotine, medication

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
and drugs

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

g) Drawing up instructions regarding medical services at international matches
and tournaments
h) Investigating injuries sustained during matches and drawing up guidelines
for preventing injury and improving treatment

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

i) Advising the FIFA Anti-Doping Department in relation to drawing up the
FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations
j) Dealing with any other sports-medical matters connected with football

II.
34

F. INDEPENDENT COMMITTEES

Article 34: Institutional independence

In accordance with art. 48 of the FIFA Statutes, the independent committees as well as their
individual members shall conduct their activities and perform their duties entirely independently
but always in the interests of FIFA and in accordance with the Statutes and regulations of FIFA.

Article 35: Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee

35.1 Composition
a) The Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee shall consist of at least
three members and not more than 15 members, all of whom must not
belong to any other FIFA body.
b) The committee members shall be knowledgeable and experienced in
governance and/or financial and/or legal matters and may not be involved in
any decision affecting the operations of FIFA.
c) In accordance with these regulations, candidates for positions on, and
incumbent members of, the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee
shall be subject to eligibility checks carried out by the investigatory chamber
of the Ethics Committee. Such reviews shall be carried out at least prior to
any re-election or extension of mandate.
d) Candidates for any position on the Governance, Audit and Compliance
Committee as well as the incumbent members of the committee shall fulfil
the independence criteria defined in art. 5 of these regulations.
e) The committee’s incumbent members shall be subject to periodical
independence reviews by the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee.
Such reviews shall be carried out at least prior to any re-election or extension
of mandate.
f) The Review Committee shall comprise the chairperson of the Governance,
Audit and Compliance Committee and, based on the chairperson’s proposal,
two additional members appointed by the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee, who shall remain members of the plenary committee.
g) The Human Rights and Social Responsibility Sub-Committee shall comprise
the chairperson of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee
and, based on the chairperson’s proposal, one or more additional members
appointed by the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, who
shall remain members of the plenary committee. Additional experts in these
fields may be appointed as members by the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee, which may also appoint independent external
experts to advise the sub-committee.
 35

h) The Compensation Sub-Committee shall comprise the chairperson of the

Finance Committee, the chairperson of the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee and a third member to be jointly appointed by
the two chairpersons. This third member shall fulfil the independence
criteria defined in art. 5 of these regulations.

35.2 Organisation

a) The committee may work with other committees to deal with specific problems.
b) The committee shall establish a Review Committee, a Human Rights and
Social Responsibility Sub-Committee and a Compensation Sub-Committee
in accordance with art. 35 par. 1 f) to h) of these regulations.
c) The committee may call upon specialists or set up additional sub-committees
at any time to settle any special and/or urgent business.
d) The committee may call upon staff from the FIFA general secretariat to carry
out its work. Furthermore, the committee may retain such outside counsel,
experts, and other advisers as it determines appropriate to assist it in carrying
out its duties.
e) Unless the committee by resolution determines otherwise, any action
required or permitted to be taken by the committee may be taken without
a meeting of all members if all members consent thereto in writing, and the
written consent is filed together with the committee meeting minutes.

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
35.3 Relationship with other FIFA bodies and officials

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

a) The chairperson shall represent the Governance, Audit and Compliance
Committee in dealings with other FIFA bodies and officials. If the chairperson
is unable to represent the committee, the deputy chairperson shall deputise.
If the latter is also unable to represent the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee, this task shall be assumed by a member designated

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

by the members of the committee.
b) The chairperson of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee shall
periodically meet separately with the appropriate chief officers of FIFA and
the external auditors.
c) The chairperson of the committee shall annually report to the Congress
and, on request by the Council, inform the President and the Council on the
committee’s work, either orally or in writing.

II.
36

35.4 Funding

Appropriate funding from FIFA shall be provided for payment of any outside counsel,
experts or advisers to be engaged and for covering any ordinary administrative
expenses of the committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its
duties. The expenses of the committee members shall be reimbursed in accordance
with the applicable FIFA Expenses Regulations.

35.5 Meetings and decision-making

a) The committee shall meet whenever pending matters so require. Meetings

may be held in person, by teleconference, by videoconference or by
another means of communication. If a meeting cannot be convened within
an appropriate period of time, decisions may be passed by other methods
(e.g. circular resolution).
b) The chairperson shall draw up the agenda. Members may send written
requests to the chairperson for items to be included in the agenda.
c) T he agenda shall, as a general rule, include the following items:
- Chairperson’s remarks
- Roll call
- Approval of the agenda
- Approval of the minutes of the last meeting
- Agenda containing the items to be discussed and enclosures
- Any other business
- Next meeting
d) The agenda and any enclosures shall be sent to the members in good time
before the meeting. The agenda may be altered if a majority of the members
present agrees to such a proposal. Documents containing further information
on the items to be discussed may be distributed to the members at any time.
e) The chairperson of the committee shall conduct the meetings. He shall
open and close the debates and give the floor to the committee members. If
he is unable to attend, the deputy chairperson shall deputise. If the latter
is also unavailable, the committee shall choose a chairperson for that
meeting from the members present.
f) If a vote is needed on any matter, a simple majority (more than 50%) of the
valid votes cast is required for the decision to be adopted. Each member of
the committee has one vote. Votes are conducted openly. Voting by secret
ballot is prohibited.
g) Decisions of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee are signed
by the committee’s chairperson.
 37

h) Committee meetings are confidential.

i) Minutes shall be recorded of every meeting.
j) The committee shall review and approve the minutes, which shall be filed
with the Secretary General for retention. Copies of such minutes shall be
made available to the Council.

35.6 Committee members’ individual duties

a) The committee members shall take part in the meetings in person.

Attendance by teleconference, by videoconference or by another means of
communication shall also constitute presence.
b) The Congress may remove any member of the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee at any time. Recurring failure to attend committee
meetings is especially regarded as a reason for relieving a member of
his duties.
c) Committee members shall show mutual respect and protect the interests of
FIFA in their work on the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee.
They shall review the agenda and any documents sent to them before the
meetings. They shall take an active part in the discussions.
d) Committee members shall adhere to all relevant FIFA rules and regulations in
their work on the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, in
particular to the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Code of Ethics but also to any
decisions issued by FIFA applicable to them.
e) In particular, committee members shall always be aware of, and comply
with, the provisions of art. 19 of the FIFA Code of Ethics (Conflicts of

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
interest) and adjust their conduct as necessary (e.g. abstain from performing

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

their duties, notify the chairperson in cases of potential conflicts of interest).
f) The incumbent deputy chairperson and members of the Governance, Audit
and Compliance Committee shall consult with the chairperson before
accepting membership on the audit committee of any other organisation

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

or company.

II.
38

35.7 Powers and responsibilities of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee in
general

With regard to general matters, the committee’s main duties are as follows:

a) The Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee shall ensure the

completeness and reliability of the financial accounting and review the
financial statements, including the consolidated financial statements and
the external auditors’ report.
b) The committee shall furthermore advise, assist and oversee FIFA’s financial,
governance and compliance matters including, in particular, the distribution
and flow of development-related funds, and suggest to the appropriate FIFA
bodies any action that it deems necessary as a result of such monitoring.
c) As part of performing its duties as set out above, the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee shall consider FIFA’s current risk profile. It may
request any kind of relevant information from all bodies, units, officials and
other individuals within FIFA and shall be entitled to conduct or authorise
risk-based reviews into any matters within the scope of its duties.
Representatives of the committee may also take part, as observers, in all
meetings and other activities of FIFA bodies and units at any time. These
powers are subject to applicable confidentiality obligations.
d) The Congress may delegate further duties to the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee at any time.

35.8 Powers and responsibilities of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee
with regard to operational matters

With regard to operational matters, the committee’s main duties are as follows:

a) Monitoring the internal control environment

b) Dealing with other matters relating to the monitoring of FIFA’s finances
c) Reviewing the external auditors’ reports in order to ensure that appropriate
action is taken if shortcomings have been detected in internal controls
or procedures
d) Reviewing, at least annually, tax matters, including the status of income tax
reserves and governmental tax audits and developments in this area
e) Reviewing the Related-Party Declarations submitted by the members of the
Council in accordance with art. 10 par. 5 of these regulations and informing
the President and the Council of any issues that it identifies during
such review
 39

35.9 Powers and responsibilities of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee
with regard to financial reporting matters

With regard to financial reporting matters, the committee’s main duties are as follows:

a) Ensuring the accuracy of the financial statements and other published

financial information
b) Ensuring compliance with the applicable accounting standards
c) Working with the external auditors in order to ensure that the audits of the
annual financial statements, including the consolidated financial statements,
are being carried out properly
d) Reviewing major issues regarding accounting policies and financial
statement presentations, including any significant changes or applications
of accounting principles
e) Providing the Finance Committee and the Council with an opinion on the
approval of the financial statements
f) Monitoring and reviewing related-party transactions at least annually
g) Reviewing the reports of the yearly independent audits that the FIFA member
associations are subject to pursuant to art. 15(k) of the FIFA Statutes

35.10 Powers and responsibilities of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee
with regard to governance, compliance and risk-management matters

With regard to governance, compliance and risk-management matters, the

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
committee’s main duties are as follows:

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

a) Monitoring material changes to FIFA’s governance-related regulations as well
as the introduction of new such regulations, and proposing material changes
to FIFA’s other regulations as well as the introduction of new such regulations
b) Dealing with any other issues relating to FIFA governance matters

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

c) Reviewing the status of FIFA’s compliance with the law and FIFA’s rules and
regulations relating to compliance
d) Annually reviewing the effectiveness of FIFA’s internal control system
e) Reviewing the effectiveness of the internal audit and risk management processes
f) Reviewing reports directly submitted to the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee by the Chief Legal & Compliance Officer
g) Reviewing FIFA employees’ compliance with the law and all relevant FIFA
rules and regulations
h) Reviewing the processes and procedures relating to the Secretary General’s
monitoring of FIFA employees’ compliance with all relevant FIFA rules
and regulations

II.
40

i) Reviewing FIFA’s rules and regulations relating to compliance with regard to

their effectiveness
j) Reviewing and assessing the external auditors’ qualifications and independence
k) Taking note of all non-audit-related services to be provided by the external
auditors and any fees for such services. The chairperson of the committee
may take note of any such services in advance of the committee’s
regular meetings
l) Issuing guidelines regarding compliance matters
m) Making recommendations regarding any changes, amendments, and
modifications to FIFA’s rules and regulations relating to compliance
n) Reviewing any major legislative and regulatory developments that may have
a significant impact on FIFA
o) Handling cases of alleged non-compliance
p) Regularly evaluating the effectiveness of FIFA’s governance, risk management
and control processes based on the results of internal audits
q) Regularly reviewing FIFA’s risk profile, including key risks, and evaluating the
effectiveness of risk-treatment plans
r) Promoting risk management as a strategic tool in the organisation
s) Approving the annual risk-based internal audit plan
t) Approving the internal audit charter

In order to fulfil its duties relating to compliance matters, the committee will obtain
and review information and reports submitted by the Secretary General on a regular
basis or on special request.

35.11 Powers and responsibilities of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee
with regard to elections

a) The duties of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee in the

context of election procedures relating to the FIFA President are set out in
art. 38 et seq. of these regulations.
b) The duties of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee in the
context of election procedures relating to the FIFA Council are set out in
art. 73 of these regulations.
 41

35.12 Specific powers and responsibilities of the Human Rights and Social Responsibility
Sub-Committee

a) Advising the FIFA Council on matters relating to human rights, safeguarding

and child protection, sustainable events and the environment
b) Preparing regular reports for the attention of the FIFA Council as discussed
by the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee

35.13 Specific powers and responsibilities of the Review Committee

a) Conducting, in accordance with Annexe 1, the eligibility checks as required

by these regulations, except for the candidates for, or holders of, positions
on the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee
b) Conducting the independence reviews with regard to the candidates for, or
holders of, the positions requiring such independence, except for the
candidates for, or holders of, positions on the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee itself

35.14 Specific powers and responsibilities of the Compensation Sub-Committee

a) Defining Compensation Rules, which shall define the competent body and
proper proceedings for determining the compensation as well as the
principles and components of the compensation
b) Determining the compensation of the President, the vice-presidents and

DUTIES,POWERS,RESPONSIBILITIESANDORGANISATIONOFFIFABODIESANDHOLDERSOFKEYPOSITIONs
members of the Council, and the Secretary General

DUTIES, POWERS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ORGANISATION OF

c) Approving the contract of the President. This contract shall be signed on
behalf of FIFA by the chairperson of the Finance Committee and the
Secretary General
d) Approving the contract of the Secretary General
e) Monitoring compliance with the Compensation Rules

FIFA BODIES AND HOLDERS OF KEY POSITIONS

II.
42

Article 36: Judicial bodies

36.1 The composition, powers and responsibilities as well as the proceedings of the FIFA
judicial bodies (the Disciplinary Committee, the Ethics Committee and the Appeal
Committee) are set forth in the FIFA Statutes, the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and the FIFA
Code of Ethics.

36.2 Appropriate funding from FIFA shall be provided for payment of any outside counsel,
experts or advisers to be engaged and for covering any ordinary administrative
expenses of the judicial bodies that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out
their duties. The expenses of the individual members of the judicial bodies shall be
reimbursed in accordance with the applicable FIFA Expenses Regulations.

36.3 According to the FIFA Statutes, candidates for any positions as members of the judicial
bodies shall be subject to eligibility checks in accordance with Annexe 1 of these
regulations. The incumbent members of the judicial bodies shall, at least annually
and prior to re-election or extension of the mandate, be subject to eligibility reviews.

36.4 Candidates for the offices of chairperson, deputy chairperson or member of the
Disciplinary Committee, of each of the two chambers of the Ethics Committee and of
the Appeal Committee shall fulfil the independence criteria defined in art. 5 of these
regulations.

36.5 The incumbent chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and members of the Disciplinary
Committee, of each of the two chambers of the Ethics Committee and of the Appeal
Committee shall, at least prior to re-election or extension of the mandate, be subject
to independence reviews.
FOOTBALL
TRIBUNAL

III.
44

Article 37: Football Tribunal

37.1 The Football Tribunal shall consist of three chambers: the Dispute Resolution Chamber,
the Players’ Status Chamber and the Agents Chamber. The composition, powers and
responsibilities as well as the proceedings of the Football Tribunal are set forth in the
FIFA Statutes and the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal. The Football
Tribunal is competent to pass decisions on specific football-related disputes and
regulatory applications in accordance with the applicable regulations.

37.2 According to the FIFA Statutes, candidates for any positions as members of
the Football Tribunal shall be subject to eligibility checks in accordance with
Annexe 1 of these regulations. The incumbent members of the Football Tribunal
shall, at least prior to re-election or extension of the mandate, be subject to
eligibility reviews.
ELECTION OF THE
PRESIDENT

IV.
46

A. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 38: Definitions

Unless indicated otherwise, terms used in this section that correspond to terms included in the
Definitions section of the FIFA Statutes shall be understood as described there.

Article 39: Subject matter of this section

This section governs:
- The election for the position of President;
- The special duties and competences of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee in
this regard.

Article 40: Scope of application

The provisions of this section shall apply to all bodies of FIFA, the confederations, member
associations, officials and candidates involved or participating in the election for the position of
President.

Article 41: General principles

Any election for the position of President shall be conducted in accordance with the fundamental
principles of FIFA as laid down in the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Code of Ethics, such as democracy,
separation of powers, transparency and openness.

Article 42: Ad hoc electoral committees

In accordance with art. 8 par. 2 g) of these regulations, the Council may decide to establish ad hoc
electoral committees to assume certain duties related to elections that are, in principle, assigned
to the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee. If such ad hoc electoral committees are
established, the provisions of this section regarding the Governance, Audit and Compliance
Committee shall apply mutatis mutandis to them.

Article 43: Calling elections

43.1 Implementation of the call

A FIFA presidential election shall be called by the Council in accordance with the
relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes and the pertinent FIFA regulations before a
Congress and shall be included in the agenda of the Congress.
 47

43.2 Content of the call

The call for election shall contain, at a minimum, the following:

a) The electoral period, which shall last from the opening of the Congress
taking place before the Congress during which the election will take place,
until the end of that Congress
b) The electoral calendar, which shall respect the deadlines established in
the FIFA Statutes, the Standing Orders of the Congress and the
Governance Regulations

43.3 Announcing the call

The call shall be sent to the FIFA member associations and to the confederations. It
shall also be published on the official FIFA website.

Article 44: Candidates

44.1 Candidates within the meaning of these regulations are all individuals who are
proposed by FIFA member associations as a candidate for the office of President, as
from the moment that those persons are proposed in accordance with art. 27 par. 1
of the FIFA Statutes and art. 47 of these regulations.

44.2 In addition, candidates for the FIFA presidency are all individuals who, irrespective
of whether they have already been proposed as a candidate, declare themselves to
be candidates or potential candidates for the position of President. If an individual
engages in campaign or similar activities that give the appearance that he is a
candidate, the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, or – if applicable –
the relevant ad hoc electoral committee, shall give him a deadline of ten days to
formally state, in writing, his intention of becoming a candidate. If the individual
responds in the affirmative, he will be subject to these regulations from the time of
the relevant declaration onwards. This shall also apply for the incumbent President.
Notwithstanding this, in order to be eligible for admission as a candidate, the
individual concerned must still be proposed as a candidate in accordance with art.
27 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes.
ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT

IV.
48

Article 45: Candidatures

45.1 Candidatures and electoral campaigns shall be carried out by the candidates in a
fair and reputable manner and, more generally, in a spirit of respect for fundamental
ethical principles and FIFA regulations.

45.2 Candidates shall conduct all campaigns with dignity and moderation and with respect
for any other candidate(s), for FIFA itself and for its member associations.

45.3 Candidates shall refrain from carrying out any electoral campaigning prior to the start
of the electoral period. Electoral campaigning shall be understood, for the purposes
of these regulations, as all activities undertaken by candidates or those working for
them with the aim of canvassing votes.

45.4 Candidates within the meaning of art. 44 of these regulations acknowledge and
submit themselves to the relevant electoral calendar.

45.5 Candidates who hold official positions within FIFA, the confederations, the FIFA
member associations and/or any other body in association football are permitted to
remain in office during the election campaign.

Article 46: Eligibility

46.1 Candidates for the office of President must meet the following requirements:

a) The candidate shall have played an active role in association football

(e.g. as a player or an official within FIFA, a confederation or an association,
etc.) for two of the last five years before being proposed as a candidate
and must pass an eligibility check carried out by the Review Committee
(cf. art. 27 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes).
b) The candidate shall have been proposed by a member association in
accordance with art. 27 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes and art. 47 of
these regulations.
c) The candidate shall present declarations of support from at least five
member associations (cf. art. 27 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes). Being proposed
as a candidate by a member association shall be understood as a declaration
of support. Each member association may only present a declaration
of support for one person. If a member association presents declarations of
support for more than one person, all of its declarations shall become invalid.

46.2 Member associations must notify the FIFA general secretariat, in writing, of a
candidature for the office of President within the deadline stipulated in the FIFA
Statutes.
 49

Article 47: Submission of candidatures

47.1 Candidatures for the office of President shall be proposed by member associations
by the deadline specified in art. 27 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes, by a written proposal
submission signed by the interested party and addressed to the FIFA general
secretariat, including the candidate’s identification details and declarations of support
from at least five member associations.

47.2 The FIFA general secretariat shall forward all candidatures without any undue delay
to the FIFA Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, or – if applicable – the
relevant ad hoc electoral committee, for examination and for passing a decision on
admission of the candidate.

Article 48: Calculation of deadlines

The deadlines and time frames contained in these regulations shall be understood to refer to
calendar days.

Article 49: Matters not provided for

Any matters not provided for in this section of these regulations shall be dealt with by the
FIFA Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, or – if applicable – by the relevant ad hoc
electoral committee.

ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT

IV.
50

B. PROPOSAL AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF CANDIDATURES

Article 50: Announcement of candidatures

50.1 Upon receipt of the proposed candidatures, the Review Committee shall carry out
the eligibility check in accordance with Annexe 1 and within the deadline specified in
art. 60 of these regulations and review the candidatures.

50.2 Upon receipt of the results of the eligibility checks carried out by the Review
Committee, the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, or – if applicable – the
relevant ad hoc electoral committee shall announce all candidatures it has admitted.
 51

C. ELECTION FORMAT

Article 51: Time and place of election

The President shall be elected by the Congress for a term of office of four years in the year
following a FIFA World Cup™ (cf. art. 33 par. 2 of the FIFA Statutes). No person may serve as
President for more than three terms of office (whether consecutive or not). Previous terms
served as a vice-president or as a member of the Council shall not be considered in determining
the term limits of a President.

Article 52: Secret vote

52.1 Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot (cf. art. 30 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes).

52.2 The ballot(s) for the election of the President shall be conducted by means of ballot
papers (cf. art. 10 par. 1 of the Standing Orders of the Congress).

52.3 Notwithstanding the above, where there is only one candidate, the Congress may
decide to elect him by acclamation (cf. art. 30 par. 3 of the FIFA Statutes).

Article 53: Ballot papers

53.1 The ballot papers shall conform to the official model established by the Governance,
Audit and Compliance Committee, or – if applicable – by the relevant ad hoc electoral
committee, and any vote cast using a different ballot paper shall be deemed invalid.

53.2 The number of ballot papers that have been distributed shall be announced by the
chair of the Congress before the count (cf. art. 10 par. 2 of the Standing Orders of the
Congress).

53.3 If the number of ballot papers returned is equal to or fewer than the number of
ballot papers distributed, the election shall be declared valid. If the number returned
exceeds that of the ballot papers distributed, the vote shall be declared null and void
and another vote shall be taken immediately (cf. art. 10 par. 3 of the Standing Orders
of the Congress).

53.4 The ballot papers shall contain the name(s) of the admitted candidate(s), and the voters
ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT

must mark one candidate only. Ballot papers on which more than one candidate is
marked or on which no candidate is marked shall be deemed invalid.

IV.
52

Article 54: Scrutineers

At the beginning of the first session, the Congress shall appoint an adequate number of scrutineers
(cf. art. 28 par. 2 (e) of the FIFA Statutes and art. 3 of the Standing Orders of the Congress). The Secretary
General, assisted by the scrutineers, shall conduct the distribution and counting of the ballot papers
(cf. art. 10 par. 1 of the Standing Orders of the Congress) and be responsible for ensuring that the
process is properly documented.

Article 55: Election

55.1 Each member association has one vote in the election of the President.

55.2 Before the voting is opened, the candidates shall each have the opportunity to
present their programme to the Congress. The Governance, Audit and Compliance
Committee shall determine the length of time that each candidate is allowed to speak.

55.3 For the election of the President, where there are two or fewer candidates, a simple
majority (more than 50%) of the valid votes cast is necessary. If there are more
than two candidates for the election of the President, two-thirds of the votes of the
member associations present and eligible to vote are necessary in the first ballot. As
from the second ballot, whoever obtains the lowest number of votes is eliminated
until only two candidates are left.

Article 56: Counting and declaring the results

56.1 The counting and declaring of the results shall take place in accordance with the
relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes and the Standing Orders of the Congress.

56.2 Any person elected as President shall state whether or not he accepts his election
immediately after such election. In the affirmative, his mandate shall begin after the
end of the Congress that has elected him (cf. art. 33 par. 2 of the FIFA Statutes).

Article 57: Safe-keeping of ballot papers

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
(cf. art. 10 par. 5 of the Standing Orders of the Congress).

Article 58: Tied votes

In the event of a tied vote, there shall be a decisive vote with regard to the candidates having
obtained an equal number of votes. The candidate with the highest number of votes in the
decisive vote shall be elected.
 53

D. JURISDICTION OF THE ETHICS COMMITTEE AND DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE

Article 59: Principle

59.1 As from the moment that these regulations apply to a particular candidate
(cf. art. 44 of these regulations), that candidate shall be subject to the FIFA Code of
Ethics if he is not otherwise already bound and covered prior to that time.

59.2 As from the moment that these regulations apply to a particular candidate, he shall
also be subject to the FIFA Statutes as well as to all other FIFA regulations if he is not
otherwise already bound and covered prior to that time.

59.3 Any violation of these regulations shall be dealt with by the Ethics Committee or
the Disciplinary Committee, in accordance with the FIFA Code of Ethics or the FIFA
Disciplinary Code, as the case may be.

59.4 The Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, or – if applicable – the relevant
ad hoc electoral committee, shall be obliged to notify the competent bodies of FIFA, in
writing and in a substantiated manner, of any possible infringements of the provisions
of these regulations that may be committed during the course of the electoral process
within 24 hours of obtaining direct knowledge of such infringements or being made
aware of them by any of the candidates, member associations or confederations.

ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT

IV.
54

E. R
 OLE OF THE GOVERNANCE, AUDIT AND COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE IN THE
CONTEXT OF ELECTION PROCEDURES

Article 60: Special duties and competences of the Governance, Audit and
Compliance Committee in the context of election procedures
The duties of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee with regard to election
procedures shall include, in particular:

a) Supervising the administrative process relating to the election for the position of President and
monitoring compliance with these regulations as well as with any other guidelines as required
in the performance of its duties.
b) Ensuring the correct application of the FIFA Statutes, regulations and provisions, as well as the
contents of these regulations, in matters relating to the electoral process.
c) Issuing instructions for the application of the Governance Regulations as necessary before
and during the entire electoral process.
d) Admitting and announcing candidatures. In this regard, the Governance, Audit and Compliance
Committee, or – if applicable – the relevant ad hoc electoral committee, shall assess whether
a candidate meets the profile specifications provided for by art. 27 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes
as well as art. 46 of these regulations.

The duties of the Review Committee with regard to election procedures shall include, in particular,
carrying out the eligibility check with regard to all candidates for the position of President within
a reasonable amount of time.

Article 61: Appeals

The decisions of the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee in the context of elections
may be appealed against directly with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
ELECTION OF
THE COUNCIL

V.
56

Article 62: Definitions

Unless indicated otherwise, terms used in this section that correspond to terms included in the
Definitions section of the FIFA Statutes shall be understood as described there.

Article 63: Subject matter of this section

This section governs:
- The elections for the vice-presidents and members of the Council.
- The special duties and competences of the Review Committee in this regard.

Article 64: Scope of application

The provisions of this section shall apply to all bodies of FIFA, the confederations, member
associations, officials and candidates involved or participating in the elections for the position of
vice-president or member of the Council.

Article 65: General principles

65.1 Each confederation president shall be a vice-president ex officio of the Council.

65.2 The additional vice-presidents and the members of the Council shall be elected by
the member associations in accordance with the fundamental principles of FIFA
as laid down in the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Code of Ethics, such as democracy,
separation of powers, transparency and openness, on the occasion of their respective
confederation congresses.

65.3 No more than one representative from the same member association may serve on
the Council simultaneously, unless one of the two representatives is a designated
female representative, in which case a maximum of two representatives of the same
member association applies.

65.4 A member of the Council may serve for no more than three terms of office (whether
consecutive or not).

Article 66: Candidates

Candidates within the meaning of this section are all individuals who are proposed by a member
association as a vice-president or member of the Council.
 57

Article 67: Candidatures

67.1 Candidatures and electoral campaigns shall be carried out by the candidates in a
fair and reputable manner and, more generally, in a spirit of respect for fundamental
ethical principles and FIFA regulations.

67.2 Candidates shall conduct all campaigns with dignity and moderation and with respect
for any other candidate(s), for FIFA itself and its member associations.

Article 68: Proposals

68.1 Only member associations may propose candidates for the position of member of
the Council. Such proposals shall be submitted to the confederation concerned.

68.2 Each member association is entitled to submit one proposal for a member of the
Council. If a member association presents proposals for more than one individual,
all of its proposals shall become invalid.

68.3 The members of each confederation must ensure that they elect at least one female
member to the Council. In the event that no female candidate is elected by the
members of a confederation for the Council, the seat reserved for a female member
of such confederation will be deemed forfeited by all members of such confederation
and shall remain vacant until the next election of members of the Council.

68.4 Upon request, the responsible body within the confederation shall inform a member
association whether a person has already been proposed for the position of member
of the Council.

Article 69: Submission of candidatures

69.1 Pursuant to art. 27 par. 3 of the FIFA Statutes, candidatures for the positions of vice-
president or member of the Council, including the candidate’s identification details
and the position he is proposed for, shall be submitted to the relevant confederation
at least three months before the start of the respective confederation congress on
ELECTION OF THE COUNCIL

the occasion of which the said election shall take place. The confederations shall notify
the FIFA general secretariat of all candidatures submitted to them within five days of
expiry of the three month deadline.

69.2 The FIFA general secretariat shall forward all candidatures without any undue delay
to the Review Committee to carry out the eligibility check.

V.
58

Article 70: Eligibility criteria

70.1 Candidates shall be required to fulfil the eligibility check in accordance with Annexe
1 conducted by the Review Committee.

70.2 The Review Committee shall carry out the eligibility check within 21 days of receipt
of the respective candidature from the FIFA general secretariat.

70.3 Based on the eligibility check carried out by the Review Committee, the Review
Committee shall pass a decision on the eligibility of the candidate concerned.

Article 71: Election procedure

71.1 Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot (cf. art. 30 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes) or,
where permitted by the applicable confederation’s statutes, by acclamation.

71.2 The ballot(s) may be conducted by using televoters (cf. art. 10 par. 1 of the Standing
Orders of the Congress).

71.3 Each member association shall have an equal number of votes in the election.

Article 72: Jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee and Disciplinary

Committee

72.1 As from the moment that this section applies to a particular candidate (cf. art. 66
of these regulations), that candidate shall be subject to the FIFA Code of Ethics, the
FIFA Statutes and all other FIFA regulations if he is not otherwise already bound and
covered prior to that time.

72.2 Any violation of this section shall be dealt with by the competent body in accordance
with the FIFA Code of Ethics or the FIFA Disciplinary Code, as the case may be.

72.3 Any official who may become aware of any possible infringements of the provisions of
this section that may be committed during the course of the electoral process shall
be obliged to notify the competent bodies thereof, in writing and in a substantiated
manner, as soon as he has direct knowledge of such infringements or is made aware
of them by any of the candidates, member associations or confederations.
 59

Article 73: Supervision of the election

The elections of the vice-presidents and members of the Council at the confederation congresses
shall be monitored by persons appointed by the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee.
The persons appointed shall in particular monitor compliance with the FIFA Statutes and
regulations.

Article 74: Appeal

Decisions of the Review Committee in the context of elections may be appealed against directly
with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

ELECTION OF THE COUNCIL

V.
AUDITING

VI.
 61

Article 75: Auditors

75.1 Pursuant to art. 62 of the FIFA Statutes, the FIFA auditors shall audit the accounts and
financial statements approved by the Council and present a report to the Congress.
The audit shall be a full audit conducted by external auditors within the meaning of
art. 69b pars 1 and 3 of the Swiss Civil Code. The provisions of art. 727 et seq. of the
Swiss Code of Obligations apply mutatis mutandis.

75.2 The FIFA auditors shall be appointed by the Congress for a period of three years. This
mandate may be renewed. Notwithstanding this, the person who manages the audit
may exercise his mandate for a total duration of seven years at the most. Such person
may only accept the same mandate again after an interruption of three years.

75.3 The FIFA auditors shall fulfil the independence criteria set forth in art. 728 of the Swiss
Code of Obligations.

Article 76: Auditing of FIFA’s member associations

76.1 All FIFA member associations shall subject themselves to yearly independent audits of
their financial statements. These audits shall be carried out by local, external auditors
with adequate qualifications in accordance with local law or by any qualified external
auditors that the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee deems appropriate.

76.2 The auditors shall further undertake audit-related services on the development funds
provided by FIFA on the basis of annual instructions provided by FIFA. These reports
shall be submitted to the FIFA administration by each member association following
the financial year under review.

76.3 The FIFA member associations shall supply all means of proof that FIFA and/or the
auditors consider(s) necessary.

76.4 The Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee and/or the Chief Legal &
Compliance Officer may appoint a consultant for each member association
concerned, who shall be given unrestricted access to all accounts, documents, etc.
that the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee and/or the auditors deem(s)
necessary.
AUDITING

VI.
FINAL
PROVISIONS

VII.
 63

Article 77: Official languages

These regulations are issued in English, French and Spanish. If there are any discrepancies in
the interpretation of the different versions of these regulations, the English text is authoritative.

Article 78: Adoption and enforcement

These regulations, together with their annexes, which form an integral part of these regulations,
were approved by the FIFA Council at its meeting on 16 December 2022 and come into force
immediately after adoption.

Zurich, 16 December 2022

For FIFA

President: Secretary General:
Gianni Infantino Fatma Samoura

FINAL PROVISIONS

VII.
ANNEXE 1 –
ELIGIBILITY
CHECKS
 65

Article 1: General provisions

1.1 The eligibility checks with regard to candidates for, and holders of, official positions
within FIFA that are subject to such checks shall be conducted by the appropriate
body in accordance with the provisions of this annexe. The appropriate body may, at
its sole discretion, in the context of conducting such eligibility checks, call on external
specialised professional resources.

1.2 Candidates for, and holders of, official positions subject to eligibility checks are obliged
to comply with a screening and self-disclosure process as outlined below. Prior to the
screening process, every candidate for, or holder of, the official position concerned
shall give his written consent to said process. If such written consent is not provided,
the eligibility check shall be deemed as not passed.

1.3 Candidates for, and holders of, official positions subject to eligibility checks are
obliged to collaborate to establish the relevant facts. In particular, they shall comply,
upon reasonable notice, with requests for any documents, information or any
other material of any nature held by them. In addition, they shall comply with the
procurement and provision of documents, information or any other material of any
nature not held by them but which they are entitled to obtain. Non-compliance with
such requests may lead to sanctions imposed by the appropriate FIFA body.

1.4 In the context of carrying out eligibility checks, the relevant body in charge has a
wide margin of appreciation in evaluating and weighing the information gathered
with regard to specific individuals. Notwithstanding this, an eligibility check shall,
in principle, be deemed as not passed if the individual concerned is found to have
committed misconduct that has a direct material connection to the position he holds
or is a candidate for.

1.5 Subject to the relevant provisions regarding disclosure and forwarding of

the information and related data obtained in the context of eligibility
checks in accordance with this annexe, all such information and all related data
must be treated as strictly confidential by the body conducting the eligibility checks
concerned.

1.6 Incomplete or false information submitted in the context of eligibility checks is subject
to sanctions by the appropriate body.
ANNEXE 1 – ELIGIBILITY CHECKS

VII.
66

Article 2: General provisions

2.1 Identification check

At the beginning of the screening process, every individual subject to eligibility checks
shall undergo an identification check (“ID check”). In this context, he must submit a
copy of his current valid passport to the body in charge of performing the eligibility
check. The ID check shall include verification/identification of the following:

a) Name
b) Address (place of residence)
c) Country of residence
d) Date and place of birth
e) Nationality/nationalities

2.2 Self-disclosure

Every individual subject to an eligibility check shall be subject to a self-disclosure

process, including completing the attached eligibility questionnaire (cf. art. 3 below).

2.3 Additional information

The body in charge of performing the eligibility check may conduct independent
research and/or investigations in order to obtain further relevant information on a
particular individual, which may include information on intermediaries and related
parties, mandates, potential conflicts of interest and significant participations as well
as civil and criminal proceedings/investigations.

Article 3: Eligibility questionnaire

First name(s):

Surname(s):

Date of birth:

Member association:

Nationality/nationalities:

Profession:
 67

3.1 Have you been previously convicted by a final decision of any intentional indictable
offence or of any offence corresponding to a violation of the rules of conduct set out
in part II section 5 of the FIFA Code of Ethics?

No_________ Yes

If yes, please specify:

3.2 Has a sports governing body ever imposed any disciplinary or similar sanction or
measure on you in the past for actions which amount to a violation of the rules of
conduct set out in part II section 5 of the FIFA Code of Ethics?

No_________ Yes

If yes, please specify:

3.3 Are you the subject of any pending civil, criminal or disciplinary proceedings
or investigations?

No_________ Yes
ANNEXE 1 – ELIGIBILITY CHECKS

If yes, please specify:

VII.
68

3.4 I am fully aware that I am subject to the provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics and to the
provisions of the Statutes and other regulations of FIFA that address integrity issues,
and I fully comply with such provisions. In this respect, I have in particular taken due
note of the fact that the FIFA Code of Ethics also applies to conduct which occurred
before it entered into force (cf. art. 3 of the FIFA Code of Ethics).

3.5 I currently hold the following positions in football:

3.6 The following facts and circumstances may give rise to potential conflicts of interest
regarding me (cf. in particular art. 19 of the FIFA Code of Ethics and the FIFA
Governance Regulations in this respect):

3.7 Remarks and observations which may be of potential relevance in this context:

3.8 I am fully aware and agree that this questionnaire is made available to the members
of the appropriate FIFA bodies.

3.9 I am fully aware and confirm that I must notify the body conducting the eligibility check
of any relevant facts and circumstances arising after the eligibility check has been
completed, and that failure to do so may be subject to sanctions by the appropriate
body.

3.10 I am fully aware and confirm that I am obliged to collaborate to establish the relevant
facts with regard to the eligibility check I am subject to. In particular, I will comply with
requests for any documents, information or any other material of any nature held
by me. In addition, I will comply with the procurement and provision of documents,
information or any other material of any nature not held by me but which I am entitled
to obtain. I am fully aware and confirm that non-compliance with such requests may
lead to sanctions imposed by the appropriate body.
 69

3.11 I am fully aware and confirm that the body conducting the eligibility check may also
request information on possible sanctions (questions 1 and 2 above) directly from the
relevant confederation or FIFA member association as well as from other institutions
such as the Court of Arbitration for Sport or the International Olympic Committee.
In this regard, I hereby release the relevant institutions from any obligation of
confidentiality relating to the information concerned.

3.12 I am fully aware and confirm that the body conducting the eligibility check may collect
further information on me in accordance with art. 2 par. 3 of Annexe 1 to the FIFA
Governance Regulations.

________________ ________________

(Place and date)_ (Signature)

ANNEXE 1 – ELIGIBILITY CHECKS

VII.
ANNEXE 2 –
RELATED-PARTY
DECLARATION
 71

Article 1: Objectives

1.1 The objectives of the provisions of this annexe are:

a) to ensure that FIFA’s financial statements contain, with regard to the

members of the Council, the disclosures necessary to draw attention to the
possibility that its financial position and profit or loss may have been affected
by transactions and outstanding balances, including commitments, with
Council members; and
b) to ensure appropriate transparency with regard to the business and other
relevant relations of Council members that may affect the members’
conduct and activities in the context of the Council.

Article 2: Obligation

2.1 Pursuant to art. 10 par. 5 of these regulations, the members of the Council shall
complete and submit the Related-Party Declaration, using the form provided in art.
4 of this annexe, on an annual basis.

2.2 The Council members shall submit such a declaration for each calendar year. They
shall do so by 15 January of the following year at the latest.

2.3 The Related-Party Declarations are to be submitted in two copies: one to the President
and one to the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee. The President shall
also submit two copies of the Related-Party Declaration, one to the Secretary General
and one to the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee.

RELATED-PARTY
Annexe 22––Related-party
ANNEXE DECLARATION
declaration

VII.
72

Article 3: Definitions and explanations

3.1 Related-party transactions

Under the heading of “Related-party transactions”, Council members shall disclose

all transactions carried out or agreed upon between themselves, a close member of
their family or a company or other entity significantly influenced by them on the one
hand, and FIFA or a FIFA subsidiary on the other.

The term “transactions” covers any transfer of resources, services or obligations.

It includes purchases and sales of goods, services, property or other assets, lease
agreements, transfers of research and development, transfers under licence
agreements, and financing activities such as loans, and settlement of liabilities. This
enumeration is merely exemplary and thus not exhaustive.

3.2 Business and other relevant relations

Under the heading of “Business and other relevant relations”, Council members shall
disclose any and all involvements in, and relations to, individuals and entities (e.g.
companies) that might be relevant with regard to the objectivity of their activities as
Council members. Relations that might be relevant under art. 19 of the FIFA Code of
Ethics (Conflicts of interest) are of particular interest.

Such relations include board positions in, or business relations with, companies
active in the field of production and/or selling of sports equipment, sports marketing,
purchasing and selling of media rights, or sports betting; involvement (e.g. in the
form of holding official positions) in confederations, FIFA member associations and/
or affiliated entities; involvement in, or business relations with, FIFA subsidiaries. This
enumeration is merely exemplary and thus not exhaustive.

Article 4: Related-Party Declaration form

4.1 Related-Party Declaration for members of the Council for the year:

Surname(s):

First name(s):

Member of the Council since:

 73

Part 1 – Related-party transactions

As a member of the Council, I hereby declare, for myself, the following related-party transactions
within the meaning of art. 3 par. 1 of Annexe 2 to the FIFA Governance Regulations:

Note: Please specify for each transaction carried out or agreed upon between yourself, a close
member of your family or a company or other entity significantly influenced by yourself or a close
member of your family on the one hand, and FIFA or a FIFA subsidiary on the other:

a) The relevant date or period of time

b) The exact counterpart on behalf of FIFA or the FIFA subsidiary concerned
c) The nature and contents of the transaction

Part 2 – Business and other relevant relations

As a member of the Council, I hereby declare, for myself, the following business and other
relevant relations within the meaning of art. 3 par. 2 of Annexe 2 to the FIFA Governance
Regulations:

Note: Please specify for each relation:

I. The relevant commencement date or period of time

II. The nature and contents of the relation

________________ ________________

(Place and date)_ (Signature)

RELATED-PARTY
Annexe 22––Related-party
ANNEXE DECLARATION
declaration

VII.