FIFA’s New Football Tribunal – Key Changes & Practical Issues For Practitioners

In May 2021, the FIFA Congress approved various amendments to the FIFA Statutes and Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes. Key among these amendments included the restructuring of the FIFA dispute resolution bodies – namely the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) and the Players’ Status Committee (PSC) within the umbrella of a newly formed ‘Football Tribunal’ (FT), which was also slated to include a new, third arm for dealing with agent disputes.

By way of Circular 1769 dated 10 September 2021[1], FIFA gave formal effect to these changes, announcing the launch of the FT and the ‘Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal’[2] (FT Procedural Rules) with effect from 1 October 2021. The FT Procedural Rules have, subject to transitory provisions[3], effectively subsumed the former ‘Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players’ Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber’ (Old Procedural Rules).

The FT Procedural Rules set out the composition and structure of the Football Tribunal together with procedural rules specific to each of its three chambers.

This article seeks to provide an overview of structure of the new Football Tribunal, and the type of disputes each chamber is competent to hear. Rather than summarise the FT Procedural Rules, the authors will then seek to highlight a few notable changes and practical issues for stakeholders, i.e. players, clubs, agents and lawyers that are involved with disputes at the FT.  Specifically, it looks at:

• Structure of the Football Tribunal
• Notable Changes and Practical Issues
  • Notification of grounds of a decision following payment of procedural costs
  • Preliminary procedural matters
  • Free procedures for natural persons
  • Mediation
  • Regulatory applications
• Comment