FIFA

Following its announcement to open a global dialogue on the transfer system to adapt article 17 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), FIFA has taken concrete steps to initiate an extensive consultation process with a view to gathering views from key stakeholders around the world. As an initial measure, FIFA has already invited key stakeholders, including representatives from the European Club Association, FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association, to analyse the conclusions to be drawn from the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the Diarra case. Additionally, FIFA has established a platform that will enable all interested parties (groups or individuals) to submit feedback by 15 November 2024 as part of the consultation process. FIFA Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Emilio Garcia Silvero said: “We look forward to engaging with the wider football community to gather their constructive views on article 17 of the RSTP in a spirit of collaboration.” More details: https://lnkd.in/exWHQJv7

The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™ is here! 🏆 From October 16 to November 3, 16 teams from around the world will compete in the tournament in the Dominican Republic. This marks the first time the Dominican Republic will host a FIFA tournament, and the football action will unfold across the cities of Santiago de los Caballeros and Santo Domingo. Four nations will make their debut appearance at a FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup™: Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Kenya, and Poland. Full match schedule:

Welcome, Lenovo! 👋 FIFA is pleased to announce that Lenovo has been named as the Official FIFA Technology Partner. The agreement covers the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States and FIFA Women's World Cup™ and was revealed on stage at Lenovo’s annual Tech World innovation event. Lenovo will provide FIFA technology – from artificial intelligence innovation devices and date infrastructure to enhance fan experiences and global broadcasts, with the aim of growing the game globally. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “At FIFA, we are committed to growing the game globally and making football accessible for all – and we are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey, and to work with them to implement technologies, innovations and programmes that spread our sport. “Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better, and we will use it to create unparalleled and unforgettable fan experiences at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.” Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang added: “As one of the world’s leading technology companies, we’re delighted to partner with the world’s most global and popular sport. Lenovo will be powering the largest sporting and entertainment events in human history – events with more viewers, more nations participating, and an unprecedented global demand for data processing and technology. “Lenovo is proud to support FIFA’s vision of leveraging technology to elevate the game, enhance the fan experience worldwide, and foster innovation that levels the playing field. We’re excited that our cutting-edge technology and AI innovation will take centre stage in the upcoming tournaments, demonstrating to the world the transformative power of smarter technology.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eq7A2aeR

Celebrating togetherness at the Insieme Inclusion Cup! 🙌 The Home of FIFA hosted the seventh Insieme Inclusion Cup, with more than 150 people in attendance at the football festival, which highlighted the true spirit of fair play, respect and inclusivity. It’s the second time that the tournament has been hosted at the Home of FIFA and this year FIFA employees participated as volunteer players – with more than 20 FIFA staff members actively participating in the event, further amplifying the tournament’s mission of fostering inclusion. Pascal Zuberbühler, Senior Football and Goalkeeping Expert at FIFA, said: “At FIFA, our mission is to unite the world through football, and that’s why our doors are open to everyone." “We were thrilled to host the Insieme tournament for the second time at the Home of FIFA. It was inspiring to witness the passion of all participants. Football provided them with hope, excitement and a sense of community.” Mixed teams of individuals with and without disabilities competed together, showcasing the power of unity and teamwork. Markus Kaiser, Managing Director of Insieme, said: “The seventh Insieme Inclusion Cup was a true celebration of inclusion. This tournament is a symbol of how inclusion can be truly lived. “As we look forward, preparations are already underway for future Insieme tournaments at the Home of FIFA. Together, we continue to be ‘HappyMakers’ for people with disabilities.”

FIFA is laying the groundwork for major reforms to sports arbitration 💪 The FIFA Executive Programme in Sports Arbitration (FEPSA) aims to educate legal practitioners as well as create a bridge between theory and practice, providing opportunities for participants, arbitrators and lawyers to benefit. FIFA is the most active international federation in adjudicated cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with practically hundreds of disputes annually, ranging from appeals to disciplinary decisions and cases deriving from the resolution of its judicial bodies on contractual disputes. FEPSA continues to take place on an annual basis; all modules are on-site and hosted in three different football locations. Participants include in-house legal counsel of confederations, member associations, clubs, leagues and player unions.

FIFA will open a global dialogue on the transfer system, involving key stakeholders, to adapt article 17 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP). This announcement follows on from the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the Diarra case and is in line with FIFA’s strategic objective to further improve the transfer system, on which significant progress has been made since 2016. “FIFA looks forward to developing its regulatory framework further, obviously taking into account views and input from all relevant and affected parties,” said FIFA Chief Legal & Compliance Officer Emilio Garcia Silvero. “FIFA sees the Diarra decision as an opportunity to keep modernising its regulatory framework, which has been one of the declared objectives of the FIFA President since 2016."

“This is one of the greatest things in my life.” ❤️ At the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan – the first-ever FIFA tournament to be hosted in Central Asia – volunteers like Rustam have been central to the smooth running of the event. The FIFA Volunteer Programme provides opportunities to bring energetic and passionate people from diverse backgrounds together at FIFA events all around the world, all working towards a common goal. As well as enabling people to make new friends and build their network, volunteering provides individuals with the chance to strengthen their local community, be ambassadors for their country and learn new skills. Hear Rustam's story:

Discussing the future of global sport in Porto! 💡   Earlier this week, FIFA participated in the 18th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport in Porto.   More than 200 dignitaries attended the conference, including Sport Ministers and representatives from over 40 countries as well as NGOs and institutional partners from the sports movement, with conversations focused on how to achieve integrity, good governance and foster the representation of women in sport governance.    FIFA Senior International Relations & Public Affairs Manager Annaliza Tsakona, PhD attended and outlined a key area where cooperation between public authorities and the sports movement is of great importance: the fight to eliminate racism and discrimination in sport.   FIFA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Council of Europe in 2018 and remains committed to working together with political stakeholders to help leverage the power of sport to foster positive change globally.

Working on producing the best possible pitches for FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States 💪 This week, FIFA hosted its second Research Field Day event at Michigan State University (MSU) to meet with the teams working to ensure high quality pitches for FIFA World Cup 26™ venues and training sites. More than 40 specialised pitch managers, sod farmers and industry leaders came together at MSU, FIFA’s joint research collaborator alongside University of Tennessee (UT), to discuss best practices and new industry innovations. Since 2022, FIFA has been working with UT and MSU, two globally renowned research leaders who specialise in pitch management and player welfare, as part of an innovative five-year research and development project to deliver the largest ever sports turf research programme specifically for world football. FIFA Senior Pitch Management Manager Alan Ferguson said: "At this stage of the pitch preparations I am delighted with what the team have been able to research and already bring to life. "The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the biggest edition ever and our involvement in this will also be the biggest pitch delivery ever. We are fortunate to have so many of the top turf brains in the world working in country or remotely helping us along way."

Celebrating World Cotton Day in Benin 🌍 FIFA Director Member Associations Africa Gelson Fernandes travelled to Benin on World Cotton Day to reflect on the impact of the "Partenariat pour le Coton" initiative with key stakeholders. In 2022, FIFA and the World Trade Organization joined forces in order to use football as a tool to develop the cotton-textile industry in the countries of the Cotton-4+ programme, which is made up of Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad. During the trip, Fernandes also visited the President of Benin, Patrice Talon, to discuss the development of football in Africa, and Benin in particular. Fernandes said: “We are pleased to partner with the WTO and stakeholders from the "Partenariat pour le Coton" to leverage the power of football as a vehicle for positive change, with a focus on improving the lives of people, particularly youth and women in West and Central Africa”