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All-time high of 18,353 cases, applications and enquiries received
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The Football Tribunal is part of FIFA’s ongoing commitment towards modernising the football regulatory framework and the FIFA dispute resolution system
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Report highlights a series of landmark achievements and regulatory changes
FIFA has today published the second edition of the Football Tribunal Report, which covers the period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.
The report provides a comprehensive overview of the Football Tribunal’s activities as well as those of the FIFA Players’ Status Department, which is part of the FIFA Legal & Compliance Division and acts as a secretariat to the Football Tribunal. During the period in question, the department received a record number of 18,353 cases, applications and enquiries, compared to 14,540 in the 2021/2022 period, with 2022/2023 representing a new all-time high for the Players’ Status Department.
The Football Tribunal, which is composed of three chambers: the Players’ Status Chamber, the Dispute Resolution Chamber and the Agents Chamber, was implemented on 1 October 2021 to consolidate the existing FIFA decision-making bodies into a single umbrella body.
As Emilio Garcia Silvero, FIFA Chief Legal and Compliance officer has iterated: “FIFA will continue to modernise its regulatory framework and dispute resolution system in line with its vision for 2020-2023 in order to further facilitate and streamline all proceedings before the decision making and judicial bodies, while maintaining the highest level of quality, transparency and traceability for all football stakeholders.”
In this context, since 1 May 2023, all proceedings before the Football Tribunal outside the FIFA Transfer Matching system are exclusively initiated and conducted through the FIFA Legal Portal which was launched a year earlier. The portal is a modern online platform that enables football stakeholders and legal representatives to lodge a claim and follow the relevant proceedings before the Football Tribunal in a fully digital, user-friendly environment.
The Football Tribunal Report 2022/2023 is available here and at www.fifa.com/legal.
TO THE MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS OF FIFA
Circular no. 1856
Zurich, 1 September 2023
SG/agr/gde
Anti-discrimination measures for the preliminary competition of the FIFA World Cup 2026™
Dear Sir or Madam,
Below you will find information regarding the anti-discrimination measures that apply for all qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, and that require your active support, especially as a home member association. The information is structured as follows:
I. Procedure for discriminatory incidents (including the three-step procedure for referees)
II. Anti-discrimination monitoring system
III. Recommendations to support preventive measures of the participating member associations
We kindly ask you to carefully read the following instructions and inform the relevant departments in your association accordingly in order to ensure a diverse and discrimination-free competition.
I. Procedure for discriminatory incidents (including the three-step procedure for referees)
A. Safety and security measures
In general, the security personnel responsible for home matches must be informed of the measures in place to ensure respect for diversity and anti-discrimination. These could be instructions or discussions with spectators, as well as the removal of discriminatory banners and other items or of spectators from the stadium. We recommend the Fare network’s Global Guide to Discriminatory Practices in Football as a useful aid to identifying discriminatory behaviour: https://farenet.org/global-guide-to-discriminatory-practices-in-football.
B. Proactive pre-match stadium announcement
For the purpose of informing spectators, a stadium announcement text is available on the FIFA Competitions extranet which shall be read or broadcast as preventive measure before each match. The home association is responsible for ensuring implementation in the relevant languages.
C. Reactive stadium announcement without interrupting the match
FIFA provides you with a stadium announcement text on the FIFA Competitions extranet, which allows you to respond directly to discriminatory incidents during a match in the stadium (based on article 4 of the FIFA Statutes and article 15 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code), without interrupting the match. The fourth official informs the referee after every stadium announcement in response to an incident. The home association is responsible for ensuring implementation in the relevant languages.
In addition, FIFA also welcomes the use of your own event-related announcements or video clips responding to discriminatory incidents.
D. Three-step procedure
If the above measures are unsuccessful or if a sudden serious discriminatory incident occurs, the three-step procedure for referees will be applied, which FIFA has used for all its tournaments since the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017. The home association is responsible for providing the referee with operational support.
Following the three-step procedure, referees can, in the event of serious discriminatory incidents in the stadium:
1. stop the match (followed by a stadium announcement with the necessary explanation and request for the discriminatory incident to stop);
2. suspend the match by sending the players back to the changing room for an appropriate period of time (followed by a stadium announcement with the necessary explanation and request for the discriminatory incident to stop);
3. abandon the match (followed by a stadium announcement with the necessary explanation and request to leave the stadium in accordance with the instructions of the security personnel).
The detailed description of the steps in the three-step procedure and the operational responsibility of the home association can be found on the FIFA Competitions extranet.
The home association is responsible for ensuring implementation with regards to the involvement of their relevant functional areas and the display of stadium announcement in the relevant languages.
II. Anti-discrimination monitoring system
A. Background
Based on the resolution of the 63rd FIFA Congress on the fight against racism and discrimination and the experiences of FIFA and the Fare network between 2015 and 2023 the anti-discrimination monitoring system became a robust and reliable tool to identify discriminatory incidents following article 4 of the FIFA Statutes and article 15 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. It supports disciplinary procedures through match reports including evidence material of possible discriminatory incidents. The anti-discrimination monitoring system will again be in place for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ preliminary competition (hereinafter “qualifiers”) and selected friendly matches.
B. Methodology
The anti-discrimination monitoring system comprises:
1. assessment of all qualifying matches to identify risk matches in relation to possible discriminatory incidents;
2. deployment of anti-discrimination match observer/s (hereinafter: “observer”) at high risk matches in relation to possible discriminatory incidents;
3. match observation and reporting (including evidence material) to support the secretariat of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.
B.1 Risk assessment
Identifying risk matches involves all forms of discrimination as mentioned in the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and includes the following match-specific evaluation criteria:
• previous discriminatory incidents at or after matches involving the participating teams/associations; 4
• known far-right and other xenophobic groups, including their football-related activities and supporter links in the countries of the participating teams/associations;
• tendency to commit acts of homophobia, other forms of LGBTQI+phobia or overt sexist abuse based on traditional chants or previous history;
• the historical context of the participating teams/associations in terms of tension or even violence (including in relation to specific sensitive events or days);
• troublesome relationships between the participating teams’/associations’ countries;
• any religious tension relating to the national identities of the participating teams/associations;
• current geopolitical crises in the countries of the participating teams/associations and in their region that could affect the spectators’ attitude;
• possible crowd dynamics during the match;
• the importance of the match in the context of the competition and the dynamics that could result from it.
Based on the risk assessment, all qualifiers and selected friendlies will be classified as follows:
• GREEN : for matches with a low risk of discriminatory incidents. No observer will be appointed.
• YELLOW : for matches with a medium risk of discriminatory incidents and for which media monitoring and other measures may be necessary. After submitting the risk assessment, FIFA and its service provider Fare network will continue to assess the temporary dynamics of yellow matches until match day and may change a yellow match into a red match. Otherwise, no observer will be appointed.
• RED : for matches with a high probability of discriminatory incidents and for which observers will be appointed.
B.2 Deployment of anti-discrimination match observers
An observer is appointed for each red match by the Fare network, except for those red matches where additional risk factors are in play and require the appointment of two observers. Fare network relies on a pool of trained observers, who are anti-discrimination experts assigned to specific regions and:
• understand the language including idiosyncrasies of the country/team they are appointed to observe;
• know the symbols and codes used in the country/local environment/fan culture;
• know the fan culture of the country/team/local environment;
• have an understanding of any wider social and (geo-)political issues at play
• have an understanding of the specific context of the words, expressions and chants used in the football context of the given country;
• are aware of article 4 of the FIFA Statutes and other relevant FIFA regulations;
• sign a code of conduct to guarantee their neutrality.
Fare network will submit the list of observers to FIFA aligned with the beginning of the regional qualifiers in the respective confederations and provide regular updates to that list. Fare network will store the confirmation that each observer has signed their code of conduct and completed the observer training.
Observers will work anonymously at matches to protect their identity for reasons of personal safety. Each observer is given a number by Fare network which will appear on the antidiscrimination match reports to identify him/her at a particular match. Their identity will only be shared with FIFA’s judicial bodies and/or CAS if required and if significant to the case. The identity of observers will not be disclosed to respondents or other parties to hearings (member associations etc.) and their representatives.
B.3 Delivery of match observation and reporting
The observer/s conduct/s pre-match research identifying potential pre-planned discriminatory displays by both teams’ followers. At the match itself, each observer shall observe and record evidence of any discriminatory incidents in the stadium or its immediate vicinity.
If discriminatory incidents are witnessed by an observer, he/she shall submit a special match report – written in English – to the Fare network after the match. This anti-discrimination match report shall describe the discriminatory incident(s) witnessed, specifying:
• where in the stadium (or in its immediate vicinity) the incident(s) took place;
• the exact time the incident(s) took place;
• which team the spectator/s causing the incident(s) was/were supporting;
• approximately how many spectators were involved.
The Fare network shall ensure that the anti-discrimination match report meets the following requirements:
• The report is submitted in English using the standard reporting form, and the observer has answered all questions on the form.
• If the incident contains any wording, this wording should be quoted in the original language used by the spectators as well as translated into English.
• The report documents the facts accurately and consistently, giving as full a picture as possible of the incidents.
• All reported incidents are supported by documentary evidence (such as photographs, videos or audio recordings).
• The report includes the observer’s number and the date of submission.
The Fare network shall correct any grammatical and formal errors.
Anti-discrimination match reports are not regarded as FIFA match officials’ reports within the meaning of art. 40 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
C. Disciplinary procedure
Immediately after reviewing the anti-discrimination match report, the secretariat of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may request the FIFA Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Department to provide an additional internal memo to provide background and additional information on a reported incident if it is deemed relevant.
Thereafter, the chair of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee will be responsible for deciding whether or not to open proceedings on the basis of the anti-discrimination match report, the FIFA Match Commissioner’s report, other evidence provided by third parties.
III. Recommendations to support preventive measures of the participating member associations
FIFA relies on the support of all participating member associations and their teams to ensure a discrimination-free environment during the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. For preventive preparation, see the FIFA Good Practice Guide on Diversity and Anti-Discrimination (circular no. 1632) for detailed guidance on your diversity and anti-discrimination work and examples of actions and initiatives:
• English
• French
• Spanish
We would like to thank you in advance for your support in the fight against discrimination during the qualifying matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ and in football around the world.
Yours faithfully,
FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE
DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
Fatma Samoura
Secretary General
Gianni Infantino has said that the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ has transformed the face of women's football and appealed to governments, member associations, broadcasters and media to help keep the momentum going towards equality once the tournament ends on Sunday.
Speaking at the opening of the Second FIFA Women's Football Convention in Sydney, the FIFA President thanked Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand for co-hosting "simply the best and greatest and biggest FIFA Women's World Cup ever".
"This FIFA Women's World Cup has been truly transformational, not only in Australia and New Zealand but all over the world," he said. "In the host countries, we had almost two million spectators in the stadiums -- full houses everywhere -- and two billion watching all over the world --- and not just watching their own country but watching the World Cup, because it’s an event [where] I don’t just watch my team . It's great sport, it's entertaining and people love it."
"We have to thank and congratulate Australia and New Zealand because without them this would not have been as magical."
Australia’s Minister for Sport Anika Wells echoed the FIFA President’s comment. “While this is almost the end for this [FIFA] Women’s World Cup, it is only the start of a new era for sport in Australia. The sleeping giant has awoken,” she said. “In Australia, this FIFA Women’s World Cup has not just changed women’s football; it has changed women’s sport. Australia is now a football country.
“I want to thank FIFA for what you have done to accelerate the pursuit of gender equality in our country.”
The FIFA President said there was still much to do and urged FIFA’s partners to contribute. "We need everyone. We need the UN agencies, who have been very helpful to us in this World Cup, participating with us. We need the governments, we need the institutions, to create dedicated spaces for women, and for women’s sport and women’s football in particular, of course. We need the partners, the sponsors to pay a fair price. We need the media,” Mr Infantino said.
He asked broadcasters “to pay a fair price for women's football, not just for the (FIFA Women’s) World Cup, but for women's football in general, in all the countries, all the leagues, in all the competitions”.
The FIFA President urged FIFA's member associations to ensure that they organise women’s leagues, pointing out that some of the players who had starred at the tournament would not have any competitive football to go home to.
"(Female players) cannot all go to play in a few clubs in Europe or the USA. We need in the next four years to create the conditions for them to be able to play at professional level at home and this is the biggest challenge we have to take on board," he said.
Mr Infantino added that the tournament's success had supported the decision to enlarge the tournament from 24 to 32 teams. "FIFA was right," he said. "By increasing number of teams, we had eight debutants, we had many countries who suddenly realised they had a chance to participate. Now, everyone has a chance to shine on the global stage."
The tournament had showed that standards were rising while the tournament had generated USD 570 million, allowing it to break even, he said.
In concluding, the FIFA President also appealed to the assembled audience to act at all levels: "We have to start treating women and men in the same way. I say to all the women that you have the power to change. With FIFA, you will find open doors, just push the doors, they are open. And do it at national level in every country, at continental level in every confederation, just keep pushing, keep the momentum going, keep dreaming and let’s really go for a full equality."
Global Summit 2023