The FIFA Thread

[FearlessRoar]

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is the international governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. Founded in 1904, its original members included Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, FIFA has 211 national associations, divided into six regional confederations: CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia and Australia), UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North & Central America and the Caribbean), OFC (Oceania), and CONMEBOL (South America).

FIFA's objectives include:

- Growing football internationally
- Ensuring accessibility
- Advocating for integrity and fair play

FIFA organizes major tournaments like the World Cup (since 1930) and Women's World Cup (since 1991). It applies and enforces rules across competitions, although the International Football Association Board sets the laws of the game.

FIFA generates revenue from sponsorships, with $5.8 billion in revenues in 2022. However, the organization has faced corruption allegations and controversies.

The FIFA Congress, comprising representatives from each member association, makes decisions on governing statutes and elects the President, general secretary, and FIFA Council members.

The FIFA Council, chaired by the president, is the main decision-making body between Congress sessions. It consists of 37 members, including the president, 8 vice-presidents, and 28 confederation representatives.

FIFA's organizational structure includes standing committees like the Emergency Committee, Ethics Committee, Finance Committee, Disciplinary Committee, and Referees Committee.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Fifa to investigate alleged rule breaches by Israel​

Fifa's disciplinary committee will investigate alleged breaches of its rules by the Israel Football Association (IFA).

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) submitted a proposal to have Israel suspended from international football in May over the war in Gaza.

"The Fifa Disciplinary Committee will be mandated to initiate an investigation into the alleged offence of discrimination raised by the Palestine Football Association," Fifa said.

The PFA believes Israel's federation has committed "violations of Fifa regulations" and called for sanctions against the country's national teams and clubs.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said: "The Fifa Council has implemented due diligence on this very sensitive matter and, based on a thorough assessment, we have followed the advice of the independent experts.

"The ongoing violence in the region confirms that, above all considerations, and as stated at the 74th Fifa Congress, we need peace. As we remain extremely shocked by what is happening, and our thoughts are with those who are suffering, we urge all parties to restore peace to the region with immediate effect."

Two investigations have been mandated by the Fifa Council into the IFA, with the first into allegations of discrimination within its national league, to be conducted by Fifa's disciplinary committee.

The governing body said that the second, led by the Fifa Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, will consider "the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based in the territory of Palestine".

Israel are playing their Nations League home matches in Hungary, where an away game against Belgium last month was also moved because of security concerns.

They are scheduled to host France and play in Italy during the international break in October.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October by Hamas gunmen, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Since the attack, a military campaign in Gaza has killed a total of 41,689 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The Fifa Council met on Thursday with Israel launching a ground invasion in southern Lebanon against the armed group Hezbollah, while Iran has fired more than 180 missiles towards Israel.

Shino Moshe Zuares, the president of the IFA, previously said: "We are facing a cynical political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian association to harm Israeli football.

Fifa to investigate alleged rule breaches by Israel Football Association

Fifa's disciplinary committee will investigate alleged breaches of its rules by Israel following a proposal by the Palestinian Football Association.

www.bbc.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Diarra v Fifa: Some transfer rules break EU law - top court

Fifa rules which govern the way some football transfers work break the European Union's laws, the highest European court has found.

A long-running legal battle between ex-Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Lassana Diarra and Fifa has ended with the European Court of Justice finding in favour of the former player.

Diarra's legal team challenged some of Fifa's rules after the termination of his contract with Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.

They argued some of the rules imposed by football's global governing body restricted his freedom of movement and breached competition law, and sued Fifa for damages.

The court's judgement says that, by refusing to provide Diarra with an international transfer certificate (ITC) for a proposed move to Belgian club Charleroi in 2015, Fifa demonstrated that its rules "impede the free movement of professional footballers wishing to develop their activity by going to work for a new club".

A Fifa spokesman said: "Fifa is satisfied that the legality of key principles of the transfer system have been reconfirmed in today's ruling.

"The ruling only puts in question two paragraphs of two articles of the Fifa regulations on the status and transfer of players, which the national court is now invited to consider."

Why did Diarra bring the case?

Former France international Diarra has been mired in a series of legal battles since his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow was terminated by the club in 2014.

Following a dispute with manager Leonid Kuchuk, Lokomotiv alleged Diarra refused to appear at training or accept a lower salary, and dismissed him three years before his deal was due to expire.

In 2016 a Fifa ruling - backed up by the Court of Arbitration for Sport - found Diarra liable for breach of contract, ordering him to pay €10m (£8.4m) to Lokomotiv and suspending him from professional football for 15 months.

When Diarra subsequently agreed a deal to join Charleroi, the club sought assurances that they would not be liable to pay any compensation to Lokomotiv.

Fifa then refused to issue Charleroi with an ITC, required by clubs across the world to register a newly signed player, and so the deal collapsed.

Diarra's lawyers contested this specific rule - which makes a club wishing to sign a player jointly liable for compensation to a player's old club, and at risk of sporting sanctions, in cases where the player's previous contract was terminated without just cause.

They also challenged a rule which allows the national association of a player's former club to withhold an ITC where there was a dispute, which they said also hindered the move.

The court has determined that Fifa should not be able to use the ITC system to prevent players moving and working where they choose.

Parts of Fifa's transfer rules will have to be revised to remain valid in the EU.

What does it all mean?

A statement from global players' union Fifpro called the judgement "a major ruling" which it said "will change the landscape of football", but added it would communicate further after "analysing the ruling in depth".

Diarra's lawyers called it a "total victory" and claimed any players impacted by a similar situation could claim compensation. They said the ruling would "speed up the modernisation of governance" at Fifa.

Fifa said it would "analyse the decision in co-ordination with other stakeholders before commenting further".

In essence, the court has determined that players should have more power to move and work where they wish, and that Fifa rules should be less restrictive.

The court's view is that a player whose contract has been terminated, as in Diarra's case, should be able to go and play in a different country without either the player or the new club being automatically required to pay significant compensation to the former club.

This gives greater power to players and their agents in the transfer market.

Currently, players are treated like business assets. The court's judgement is in part based on the notion that players should be treated like European workers in other industries, who are free to leave their jobs and move to another company or country as they see fit.

The exact ramifications of the judgement will be made clear once Fifa puts forward its new regulations.

BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

Top FIFA official says it's harder than ever to be a football referee due to abuse​

FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has revealed it is more difficult than ever before to be a football match official due to abuse on the touchline and online - inflamed by conspiracy theories.

With issues from the grassroots to the professional game, Mr Collina is concerned the hatred aimed at referees is the "cancer that could kill football".

The Italian, who presided over the 2002 World Cup final, is regarded as one of the best referees of all time.

"It was never easy," he told Sky News. "So I can say that it is worse now than before."

Mr Collina is now chairman of the referees' committee at world football's governing body, helping to formulate changes to the laws of the game.

"The responsibility of making a decision is something important," he said. "The interest is very big, particularly at the top level. So it's difficult."

And what makes it more difficult are clubs and managers casting doubt over the integrity of referees - insinuating bias.

Jose Mourinho, who is now managing at Fenerbahce, received a two-match ban in recent days after "derogatory and offensive statements" about refereeing in Turkey.

Asked generally about those at the top of football setting a bad example, Mr Collina replied: "Unfortunately, this happens, always. There are people looking for conspiracies and finding something dirty even when there is not."

Online campaigns that can be waged against referees by fans, even clubs at times, make the atmosphere even more volatile and potentially dangerous.

"This probably becomes worse compared to my time when social networks were not existing," Mr Collina said.

He added: "Different is the matter of the abuse towards referees, particularly in grassroots and youth football. This is something that we need to consider."

Without referees committing time to youth football, there would be no matches that help to shape the next generation. But there is still abuse hurled at officials on touchlines.

"I spoke of a cancer that could kill football," Mr Collina said. "I'm still convinced that it's not understandable that in youth matches, parents of the boys and girls who are playing football are those who are abusing the referee who is helping.

"They are making the experiences that could be important for the future. Not [only] as a footballer, because probably that 0.0001% will become a professional footballer, but they all become women and men. And that experience they learned as a young footballer may help them in their life."

The English and Welsh FAs do report an increase in recruitment of referees - with retention now the challenge.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said it is not such a "dark picture" for referees, pointing to improved behaviour in English grassroots games since officials were allowed to wear body cameras.

Those trials were extended by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which also approved the global use by competitions of a rule only allowing captains to approach referees to discuss decisions after being implemented already in the Premier League.

"We certainly have a responsibility towards the game to make sure that the referees are respected and safe," FIFA general secretary Mattias Grafstrom said after this weekend's meeting of football lawmakers IFAB near Belfast.

He added: "So all the initiatives that we are currently looking at, we want to support them for the educational part as well. And it needs to trickle down from the professional game to the grassroots game."

In the professional game, even the introduction of technology has at times inflamed disputes over decision-making as calls are forensically analysed.

But Mr Collina is certain VAR is here to stay despite some grumbling among fans.

"I'm fully convinced that bringing technology into football has been an improvement," he said. "I don't think that anyone likes to lose a game or not qualify for an important competition due to an honest mistake committed by the referee, vanishing all the efforts made during a season for a footballer or for the coach.

"So I'm still 100% convinced that the implementation of the technology in football was something very, very positive.

"Can it be improved? Yes. We are working on it. We know there is some room for improvement. And we are very keen to improve it.

"We have already developed technologies that reduce the time needed to make a decision for an on-field review as well as for an offside decision.

"We are on this way and we think that we will get better and better in the future."

But will the future see artificial intelligence eventually replace referees?

"Technology is a great tool to help us to prepare and also to avoid mistakes being committed," Mr Collina said. "So we need to use technology but not only in football, in every activity in life.

"I always say that I hope that it will be a human being able to make the final call."

Top FIFA official says it's harder than ever to be a football referee due to abuse

One of football's best-known referees has warned the behaviour of some managers and clubs has cast doubt over the integrity of officials.

news.sky.com

 

[rpant_gabba]

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/25/sport/fifa-sepp-blatter-michel-platini-cleared-spt-intl/index.html

Ex-FIFA chief Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini cleared in corruption case​

>>>The payment was a consultancy fee paid to Platini for work carried out between 1998 and 2002, which the Frenchman said had been partly deferred because FIFA lacked the funds to pay him in full immediately.<<<

Yes FIFA didn't have $2Million in 2002 and so they paid him in 2011.

Wonder how PPer's will but this story.

Hey @The Bald Eagle can we have a poll?

 

[sweep_shot]

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/25/sport/fifa-sepp-blatter-michel-platini-cleared-spt-intl/index.html

Ex-FIFA chief Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini cleared in corruption case​

>>>The payment was a consultancy fee paid to Platini for work carried out between 1998 and 2002, which the Frenchman said had been partly deferred because FIFA lacked the funds to pay him in full immediately.<<<

Yes FIFA didn't have $2Million in 2002 and so they paid him in 2011.

Wonder how PPer's will but this story.

Hey @The Bald Eagle can we have a poll?

Digging up old stories?

I think you should stick to IPL. Don't worry about football. Football still has integrity unlike BCCICC-run cricket.

 

[rpant_gabba]

Digging up old stories?

I think you should stick to IPL. Don't worry about football. Football still has integrity unlike BCCICC-run cricket.

I'm guessing reading comprehension and attention to detail is not your strong point. Its unrestrainable given your multiple handicaps

>>>>Story by Reuters
2 minute read
Published 6:32 AM EDT, Tue March 25, 2025<<<<

Yup, cricket official were indicted for transnational racketeering charges.