<p class="reg-lead">The January 2027 edition of the Procedural Rules Governing the FIFA Football Tribunal, approved on 10 June 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027; in Article 3 it provides that the Tribunal is to apply the FIFA regulations primarily and Swiss law additionally.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approved</td><td><b>10 June 2026</b> — Bureau of the FIFA Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td><b>1 January 2027</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>35 articles</b> + one annexe, in four parts</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>In force from the start of 2027; until then the January 2026 edition governs</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What are the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal?</h2>
<p>The Football Tribunal is FIFA's quasi-judicial body, composed of three chambers: the <strong>Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC)</strong> for contractual disputes and training compensation cases, the <strong>Players' Status Chamber (PSC)</strong> for regulatory cases such as the international transfer of players under 18 and changes of association, and the <strong>Agents Chamber (AC)</strong> for disputes concerning football agents. The present Procedural Rules determine the rules of procedure before all three chambers: from how a claim is lodged and the applicable time limits to evidence, the language of proceedings and the notification of decisions.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the January 2027 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from January 2026</span></h2>
<p>This document is the <strong>seventh edition</strong> of the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal since the Tribunal was established (previous editions: October 2021, June 2022, October 2022, March 2023, January 2025 and January 2026).</p>
<p>The present edition was approved by the <strong>Bureau of the FIFA Council</strong> on <strong>10 June 2026</strong> and, pursuant to its Article 35, comes into force on <strong>1 January 2027</strong>, replacing the January 2026 edition (approved by the FIFA Council on 17 December 2025). The overall structure of the document — 35 articles and one annexe — has been retained.</p>
<p><strong>Transitional rule:</strong> contrary to the common assumption that new procedural rules govern only new claims, Article 32(1) of this edition specifies that proceedings initiated <strong>before</strong> its entry into force are also subject to these Rules, and decisions on the details of their application to pending cases rest with the FIFA general secretariat (Article 32(2)).</p>
<h3>The most significant substantive change from the January 2026 edition — Article 3</h3>
<p>The title of this article has changed from "Applicable law" to "Applicable rules and regulations" and its text has been rewritten in full:</p>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">2026 text</b>The chambers of the Tribunal apply the FIFA Statutes and regulations "whilst taking into account all relevant arrangements, laws and/or collective bargaining agreements that exist at national level".</li>
<li><b class="t">2027 text</b>"The Football Tribunal will primarily apply the FIFA regulations and, additionally, Swiss law."</li>
</ol>
<p>The express reference to national laws and collective bargaining agreements has thus been removed from Article 3 and replaced by Swiss law as the subsidiary law — a point of direct significance, when drafting submissions, for parties who build their case on domestic rules (including national association regulations or contracts governed by national law).</p>
<p>Among the formal changes: the title of Article 35 has changed from "Entry into force" to "Adoption and entry into force", and the transitional paragraph on the entry into force of the Agents Chamber provisions as of 1 October 2023 — which had become obsolete — has been deleted.</p>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Operative status:</strong> until 31 December 2026, the January 2026 edition continues to govern proceedings before the Football Tribunal.</div>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Structure of the document</h2>
<p>The document comprises 35 articles and one annexe, arranged in four parts: <strong>general provisions</strong> (scope, jurisdiction, composition of the chambers, independence and conflicts of interest, confidentiality); <strong>general procedural rules</strong> (parties, notifications, time limits, submissions and evidence, language of proceedings and publication of decisions); <strong>specific proceedings</strong>, covering claims before each of the three chambers, including claims for training compensation (Article 28), the international transfer or first registration of a minor player (Article 30) and petitions for a change of association (Article 31); and <strong>final provisions</strong>, including transitional rules, matters not provided for and force majeure.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Players and coaches in a contractual dispute with a foreign club, clubs involved in international transfer cases or claims for training compensation and the solidarity mechanism, FIFA-licensed agents, and sports lawyers must comply with the formal rules of this document before bringing any claim before the Football Tribunal; failure to observe its time limits and formalities can lead to a claim being dismissed on formal grounds.</p>
<p>The full English text of this edition is available via the download button on this page, and the other editions can be viewed in the "Editions of these regulations" box.</p>
</div>

Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal - January 2027 edition

<p class="reg-lead">The January 2027 edition of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, approved on 10 June 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027; a sanction for failure to enforce decisions of national dispute resolution chambers (NDRCs) within 60 days has been added to the regulations.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approved</td><td><b>10 June 2026</b> — Bureau of the FIFA Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td><b>1 January 2027</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>76 articles</b> + Annexe 1</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>Forthcoming edition — in force from the start of 2027; until then the May 2026 edition governs</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What is the FIFA Disciplinary Code?</h2>
<p>The FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) defines disciplinary offences in football, determines the corresponding sanctions, and regulates the organisation and jurisdiction of FIFA's judicial bodies and the procedure before them. Its scope covers FIFA matches and competitions, as well as offences that do not fall within the jurisdiction of the confederations or the member associations; member associations are also required to bring their own disciplinary regulations into line with the principles of this document.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the January 2027 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from May 2026</span></h2>
<p>Under Article 76, this document was approved by the <strong>Bureau of the FIFA Council</strong> on <strong>10 June 2026</strong> and enters into force on <strong>1 January 2027</strong>. The change in this edition compared with the May 2026 edition is focused and confined to a single subject.</p>
<h3>Key changes from the previous edition</h3>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Sanction for failure to enforce decisions of national dispute resolution chambers</b>For the first time, it is provided that where a decision has been issued by a <strong>national dispute resolution chamber (NDRC) recognised in accordance with the FIFA regulations</strong> and the association concerned fails to enforce it <strong>within 60 days</strong>, the disciplinary consequences set out in this article may be applied. This provision did not exist in the May 2026 edition or in earlier editions.</li>
</ol>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Scope of the change:</strong> Apart from the addition of the provision on national dispute resolution chambers and the updating of the adoption article, this edition contains no other substantive difference from the May 2026 edition.</div>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Clubs and federations involved in international disciplinary proceedings, players and coaches subject to suspensions, and sports lawyers appearing before the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and the FIFA Appeal Committee rely on the text of these regulations. In any given case, the governing edition is the one in force at the time the offence was committed — unless later regulations provide for a more lenient sanction; for that reason, access to the text of earlier editions is of practical importance.</p>
</div>

FIFA Disciplinary Code - January 2027 edition

<p class="reg-lead">The January 2027 edition of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, approved on 10 June 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027; Article 17 (consequences of terminating a contract without just cause) has been rewritten in its entirety.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approved</td><td><b>10 June 2026</b> — Bureau of the FIFA Council</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td><b>1 January 2027</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>29 articles</b> + 7 annexes</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>Forthcoming edition — in force from the start of 2027; until then, the July 2025 edition governs</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What are the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players?</h2>
<p>The FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) lay down the global, binding framework for the registration of players, their amateur or professional status, transfers between clubs affiliated to different associations, contractual stability, the protection of minors, and the training compensation and solidarity mechanisms. A number of the articles of these regulations must be incorporated without amendment into the internal regulations of every national association.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the January 2027 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from July 2025</span></h2>
<p>This edition was approved by the Bureau of the FIFA Council on <strong>10 June 2026</strong> and enters into force on <strong>1 January 2027</strong>. It is the most significant rewriting of Article 17 in the history of these regulations; the previous mechanism for calculating compensation ('mitigated compensation' and 'additional compensation' equal to three months' salary) has been removed from the text entirely and replaced with a new system.</p>
<h3>Key changes from the previous edition</h3>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Replacement of 'positive interest' with 'full compensation'</b>It is now provided that, in the absence of agreed compensation, the party injured by the breach of contract is entitled to <strong>full compensation for the damage caused by the breach</strong>, with compensation calculated in light of the damage suffered and the circumstances of each case, on the basis of the prescribed criteria. For the player, it is specified that the damage includes, in particular, <strong>the residual value of the breached contract</strong> and other items.</li>
<li><b class="t">A guaranteed minimum in termination agreements</b>It is now provided that any agreement on the financial compensation payable to the player must be <strong>at least equivalent to the residual value of the breached contract</strong>, unless exceptional circumstances justify a lower amount.</li>
<li><b class="t">A presumption of inducement within 45 days</b>For the first time, it is provided that if a player signs a new contract <strong>within 45 days</strong> of the breach of contract, <strong>the new club is presumed to have induced the player to commit the breach</strong>. The presumption is rebuttable, provided that the new club proves the contrary <strong>'to the comfortable satisfaction of the Football Tribunal'</strong>.</li>
<li><b class="t">A defined standard of proof for joint and several liability</b>The joint and several liability of the new club is now conditional on inducement being established <strong>on the 'balance of probabilities'</strong> — a standard that was not expressly stated in the text of previous editions.</li>
<li><b class="t">Graduated sporting sanctions with a two-year recidivism period</b>In place of the previous single sanction, a graduated system has been introduced: a first breach within the <strong>two-year recidivism period</strong> → a warning and a fine; a second breach → a restriction to registering no more than five new players in one registration period, together with a fine; a third breach → <strong>a complete ban on registering any new player for one entire period</strong>.</li>
<li><b class="t">A defined period of ineligibility for the player in breach</b>It is now provided that a player who commits a breach of contract during the protected period is banned from playing in official matches for <strong>four months</strong>, and that where aggravating circumstances exist this period increases to <strong>six months</strong>; the ban applies immediately upon notification of the decision.</li>
<li><b class="t">Extension of the Ukraine contract-suspension deadline to 30 June 2027</b>The deadline laid down in the annexe governing the war in Ukraine has been extended by a further year.</li>
</ol>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Note:</strong> A comparison of Articles 13 to 18 of this edition with the July 2025 edition shows that the rewriting of Article 17 was accompanied by a rearrangement of the internal headings (joint and several liability, the presumption of inducement, sporting sanctions against clubs and against players). The remaining articles retain their previous structure.</div>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>For clubs engaged in international transfers, players and coaches under contract with a club abroad, and agents and sports lawyers, this document is the principal basis for the legal assessment of a case. In any dispute, the edition of the regulations that applies is the one in force at the time the event occurred; for that reason, access to the text of earlier editions is of practical importance for past cases.</p>
</div>

Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players_January 2027

<p class="reg-lead">FIFA Governance Regulations, July 2026 edition — the instrument that determines the composition and competence of FIFA's bodies, the eligibility requirements for officials and the mechanisms of oversight.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>July 2026</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Status in the hierarchy</td><td>Implementing regulations under the FIFA Statutes</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>Governing version of this family</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What these regulations determine</h2>
<p>The FIFA Statutes name the bodies; the Governance Regulations state how those bodies are constituted and controlled. The principal subjects are the composition and functions of the standing committees and the independent bodies, the eligibility requirements for candidates and the procedure for reviewing them, limits on terms of office, conflict-of-interest rules, and transparency and accountability mechanisms, including publication of the remuneration and benefits of senior officials.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Why this family has been so active in recent years</h2>
<p>The Governance Regulations are a product of the reform period that followed the FIFA corruption crisis, and their central question was how to prevent the bodies of a global sports organisation from supervising themselves. The structural answer was the separation of functions: separating the decision-making body from the body that reviews eligibility, and making the judicial and audit bodies independent.</p>
<p>The frequency with which this document has been rewritten is itself telling: after the 2020 edition, three further editions were issued within a short period. For member associations, including Iran, the effect of this document is indirect but real — FIFA's expectations of governance in its member associations, from the independence of bodies to financial transparency and the vetting of officials, originate in this very framework.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Officials of member associations, candidates for FIFA and confederation bodies, and lawyers handling matters concerning eligibility and conflicts of interest. In every case, the edition in force at the time of the relevant events governs.</p>
</div>

FIFA Governance Regulations - July 2026

<p class="reg-lead">FIFA Legal Handbook, September 2026 edition: a single consolidated collection of FIFA regulations which, for the first time, brings together the 2026 and 2027 texts of the Disciplinary Code, the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players and the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Approval</td><td>The handbook is not itself an enactment; its edition is identified by month and year of publication: <b>September 2026</b>. Each document within it has its own date of approval.</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td>Separately for each document; the "2027 edition" texts take effect from <b>1 January 2027</b> pursuant to Circular 1970</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>20 regulatory documents</b> (17 sets of regulations, three of them in two editions), <b>9 circulars</b> and <b>18 explanatory notes and guides</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>The most recent edition of the handbook in this collection</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What is the FIFA Legal Handbook?</h2>
<p>The FIFA Legal Handbook is a compiled collection: the FIFA Statutes and regulations, significant circulars, and explanatory notes and guides appear in one volume with a common table of contents. This edition runs to more than 1,600 pages. The text of each set of regulations is reproduced with its own designated edition; for precise citation, therefore, it is the edition label of each document that matters, not the year of the handbook.</p>
<p>The first part comprises the Statutes (2024 edition), the Governance Regulations, the Disciplinary Code, the Code of Ethics (2023), the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal, the Clearing House Regulations, the Football Agent Regulations (2025), the Anti-Doping Regulations (2021), the Regulations Governing International Matches (2014), the Match Agents Regulations (2003), club licensing (2008), stadium safety and security (2013), the Equipment Regulations (2025), the Forward 3.0 development programme (2022), data protection (2019) and the admission of members (2013).</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the September 2026 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from the 2025 edition</span></h2>
<p>The cover of this handbook is marked "September 2026 edition", and Circular 1970 of 1 September 2026 is reproduced in it. The Statutes (2024), the Code of Ethics (2023), the Anti-Doping Regulations (2021) and the Football Agent Regulations (2025) appear in the same editions as in the 2025 handbook.</p>
<h3>Key changes from the previous edition</h3>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Two editions of three key instruments</b>The Disciplinary Code is included in both its 2026 and its 2027 edition. The Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players are reproduced both in the 2025 edition (together with the interim regulatory framework) and in the 2027 edition, and the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal likewise appear in the 2026 and 2027 editions. Pursuant to Circular 1970, the new editions of these three documents enter into force on 1 January 2027.</li>
<li><b class="t">The Governance Regulations and the Clearing House Regulations were updated</b>The Governance Regulations moved from the 2024 edition to the 2026 edition, and the Clearing House Regulations from the August 2025 edition to the 2026 edition. Circular 1955 (16 January 2026) introduces, among other things, the €100 threshold in article 12 paragraph 4 of the Clearing House Regulations.</li>
<li><b class="t">Four new circulars</b>Circulars 1973 (key compliance obligations under the Clearing House Regulations and the transfer regulations), 1970, 1964 (the 2026 Disciplinary Code, dated 6 May 2026) and 1955 were added. In their place, ten circulars from the previous edition — including 1942, 1937, 1936, 1934, 1919, 1918, 1905, 1889, 1887 and 1867 — no longer appear in the list. The nine remaining circulars are 1973, 1970, 1964, 1955, 1917, 1876, 1862, 1843 and 1842.</li>
<li><b class="t">Three new guides and two updated guides</b>"Commentary on the rules governing eligibility to play for representative teams", "Guidelines on the regulations for armed conflicts" and "Educating parents about football agents" (all 2026) have been added. The guide to applications for eligibility or a change of association has been upgraded from the 2021 edition, and the guide to minor applications from the 2020 edition, to the 2026 edition.</li>
</ol>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Sports lawyers and the legal departments of associations and clubs need this collection in order to identify the authoritative edition of any given set of regulations at any given time. Because the 2027 texts are also reproduced in it, the handbook serves as a guide to the rules that will apply from 1 January 2027. In any case, the governing edition is the one in force at the time the matter arose; Circular 1970 states expressly that the new transfer regulations apply only to cases in which the events giving rise to the dispute occurred after they took effect.</p>
</div>

FIFA Legal Handbook 2026

FIFA Agent Regulations (January 2025)

<p class="reg-lead">FIFA Statutes, May 2024 edition, adopted by the Congress of 17 May 2024 and in force 60 days after the close of the Congress; the number of articles reduced from 75 to 68 and the system of standing committees fully redesigned, with competitions separated by gender.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Adopted</td><td><b>17 May 2024</b> — FIFA Congress</td></tr>
<tr><td>In force from</td><td><b>60 days after the close of the Congress</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td><b>68 articles</b> of Statutes (in 14 titles) + Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes + Standing Orders of the Congress</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>Current edition of this family on the site</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What are the FIFA Statutes?</h2>
<p>The FIFA Statutes are the constitutive document of the federation: they determine FIFA's legal nature and seat, its objectives, the conditions of membership of national federations and their rights and obligations, the position of the confederations, the structure of the bodies (Congress, Council, general secretary, standing committees and judicial bodies), and the dispute resolution mechanism, including referral to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes and the Standing Orders of the Congress are published in the same document.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>About the May 2024 edition<span class="reg-tag">Changes from May 2022</span></h2>
<p>Under article 68 (Enforcement), these Statutes were adopted at the <strong>Congress of 17 May 2024</strong> and came into force <strong>sixty (60) days after the close of that Congress</strong>. The number of articles of the Statutes was reduced from <strong>75 to 68</strong> and the titles of the document from fifteen to fourteen.</p>
<h3>Principal changes from the previous edition</h3>
<ol class="reg-tl">
<li><b class="t">Complete redesign of the system of standing committees — from 7 to 15 committees</b>The list of standing committees was entirely rewritten. The previous list comprised seven committees (Finance, Development, FIFA Competitions, Football Stakeholders, Member Associations, Referees, Medical). The new list has <strong>fifteen committees</strong>: Finance, Development, <strong>Men's National Team Competitions</strong>, <strong>Women's National Team Competitions</strong>, <strong>Men's Club Competitions</strong>, <strong>Women's Club Competitions</strong>, Olympic Football, Youth Boys' Competitions, Youth Girls' Competitions, Futsal, Beach Soccer, <strong>Men's Football Stakeholders</strong>, <strong>Women's Football Stakeholders</strong>, Member Associations, and Referees.</li>
<li><b class="t">Removal of the Medical Committee and the competitions organising committee from the list of standing committees</b>The "FIFA Competitions Committee" was replaced by a set of specialised competition committees, and the "Medical Committee" was removed from the list of standing committees.</li>
<li><b class="t">Separation of the committee structure by gender</b>For the first time, the competitions and stakeholders committees were constituted <strong>separately for men's and women's football</strong> — a structural change in the position of women's football in FIFA governance.</li>
<li><b class="t">Consolidation and renumbering of articles</b>With the merger of articles, the numbering of the whole document changed; for example, the "Football Tribunal" moved to article 48, the "Court of Arbitration for Sport" to article 49, and the enforcement article from 75 to <strong>68</strong>. When citing articles of the Statutes, attention to the year of the edition is essential.</li>
</ol>
<div class="reg-note"><strong>Note:</strong> the human rights article (article 3) is retained in this edition in the same wording as the 2019 to 2022 editions.</div>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran is bound to observe the principles of this document in drawing up its own statutes; independence from third-party interference, the holding of free and periodic elections, and the requirement to have recourse to the Court of Arbitration for Sport rather than to national courts all derive from it. For sports lawyers, the Statutes are also the basis for establishing the competence of FIFA's bodies and the legitimacy of their decisions.</p>
</div>

FIFA Statutes 2024

<p class="reg-lead">FIFA National Dispute Resolution Chamber Recognition Principles, February 2024 — the document that replaced the "Standard Regulations" and sets out the criteria for recognising a national dispute resolution body.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Publication</td><td><b>February 2024</b> — Fédération Internationale de Football Association</td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>32 pages</td></tr>
<tr><td>Replaces</td><td>Standard Regulations National Dispute Resolution Chamber (2008)</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What this document determines</h2>
<p>FIFA has had its own Dispute Resolution Chamber for employment disputes with an international dimension since 2001, but a large share of club–player disputes is heard at national level. This document determines the conditions a national body must satisfy for FIFA to <strong>recognise</strong> it — and, consequently, for that body's jurisdiction to be invoked before FIFA's bodies.</p>
<p>The constant axes of this assessment are the same as those in the previous document: <strong>equal representation</strong> of clubs and players, the body's <strong>independence</strong> from the management of the federation, fair proceedings, and a clear route of appeal.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Why the replacement of the 2008 document matters</h2>
<p>The 2008 "Standard Regulations" were a template that federations could copy. The new approach shifts from a template to a <strong>criterion</strong>: instead of prescribing a text, FIFA states the principles a national body must meet, and assesses whether they have been met.</p>
<p>For Iranian football this difference is a practical one. In many of the cases reaching FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the first question has been whether the domestic body satisfied the necessary conditions — and from February 2024 onwards, the criterion for that question is this document.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in designing and amending its domestic dispute resolution bodies, and counsel for clubs and players in assessing the jurisdiction of those bodies. This text is read alongside the "Standard Regulations 2008"; the latter is the history of the subject and this one is today's criterion.</p>
</div>

FIFA National Dispute Resolution Chamber Recognition Principles — February 2024

<p class="reg-lead">FIFA's official Commentary on the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, third edition — published on 28 November 2023, only two years after the previous edition.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Publication</td><td><b>28 November 2023</b> — Fédération Internationale de Football Association</td></tr>
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>Third</b> — previous: 2007 and 2021</td></tr>
<tr><td>Instrument commented on</td><td>Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP)</td></tr>
<tr><td>Status</td><td>The governing version of this family</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What is the Commentary and what authority does it carry?</h2>
<p>The Commentary is not the regulations themselves; it is an explanatory text written by FIFA on the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players in order to clarify the purpose of each article and the manner of its application. Its structure follows that of the regulations, and each article is commented on separately.</p>
<p>The practical value of the Commentary lies in the fact that it brings the jurisprudence of FIFA's judicial bodies and of the Court of Arbitration for Sport into the commentary on the articles; that is, the reader sees not only the text of the article, but the reading given to it in actual cases.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>What made this edition necessary?</h2>
<p>The interval between the first edition (2007) and the second (2021) was fourteen years; the interval between the second and the third only two. The reason for this acceleration is the volume of amendments imposed on the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players within that same period.</p>
<p>The third edition contains two things that the 2021 edition could not: <strong>the subsequent amendments to the regulations themselves</strong>, and <strong>the more recent jurisprudence of the FIFA Football Tribunal and the Court of Arbitration for Sport</strong>. The FIFA Football Tribunal, which succeeded the Players' Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber, built up in that interval a body of jurisprudence commented on only in this edition.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Clubs, players and agents involved in international transfers, and lawyers handling cases on contract termination, compensation and sporting just cause. In Iranian cases brought before the FIFA Football Tribunal, the Commentary is the most frequently used document in support of argument — and for events occurring after November 2023, it is this edition that governs.</p>
</div>

FIFA Commentary on the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players — 2023 edition

FIFA Code of Ethics 2023

<p class="reg-lead">Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players' Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber, January 2021 edition — the instrument that determines how a claim is filed, heard and brought to a decision.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>January 2021</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Bodies concerned</td><td>Players' Status Committee and Dispute Resolution Chamber</td></tr>
<tr><td>Length</td><td>84 pages</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What these regulations determine</h2>
<p>Whereas the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players state <em>what</em> the right is, this instrument states <em>how</em> that right is claimed. Its subject matter is procedure: the jurisdiction of each body, the formal requirements for filing a claim, time limits, notification, evidence and the burden of proof, costs, the manner in which a decision is issued and notified, and the route of appeal.</p>
<p>The division of jurisdiction between the two bodies is the first matter to be settled in any case: employment-related disputes with an international dimension between a club and a player fall within the jurisdiction of the Dispute Resolution Chamber, while another category of disputes — including those between clubs and matters relating to a player's status — falls within the jurisdiction of the Players' Status Committee.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Why form is decisive before these bodies</h2>
<p>In the practice of these bodies, formal objections halt a great many cases before they reach the merits. Three points above all: the <strong>time limit for filing a claim</strong>, the expiry of which renders the claim inadmissible; the <strong>establishment of jurisdiction</strong>, which, where a qualifying national body exists, may take the case out of FIFA's hands; and the <strong>formal requirements as to the claim and the evidence</strong>, defects in which lead to rejection on formal grounds.</p>
<p>One further point matters to a party before these bodies: cases are decided on the written record and an oral hearing is the exception; accordingly, whatever is not submitted at the first opportunity will ordinarily have no further occasion to be raised.</p>
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<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Any club, player or coach with a case before FIFA, or against whom a case has been brought. For the sports lawyer, this instrument, alongside the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, is the essential companion to any case before FIFA's judicial bodies.</p>
</div>

Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber2021

<p class="reg-lead">FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations, 2021 edition — the implementation of the World Anti-Doping Code in football, in 152 pages.</p>

<table class="reg-facts">
<tr><td>Edition</td><td><b>2021</b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Governing instrument</td><td>World Anti-Doping Code (WADA) — 2021 edition</td></tr>
<tr><td>Structure</td><td>Articles and annexes, in 152 pages</td></tr>
</table>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>What these regulations determine</h2>
<p>This document determines FIFA's anti-doping rules within the framework of the World Anti-Doping Code: the definition of doping, the list of violations, the burden of proof, reference to the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods, sample collection and investigations, analysis of samples, results management, the hearing, sanctions, and appeals.</p>
<p>What distinguishes football in the application of these regulations is its multi-layered structure: sample collection may be carried out by FIFA, a confederation, a national federation or a national anti-doping organisation, and that determines which body is responsible for results management.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec hi">
<h2>Why the 2021 edition is a turning point</h2>
<p>The 2021 edition of the World Anti-Doping Code introduced significant structural changes that are reflected in this text. These include the introduction of a category of violations designated <strong>"minor violations"</strong> with a lighter sanctioning regime, greater detail in the definition of "substances of abuse" and their different treatment, and strengthened protection for whistleblowers and witnesses.</p>
<p>For the player, the most important practical consequence is that the route to a defence is no longer uniform: the type of substance, the circumstances of ingestion and cooperation with the proceedings can appreciably alter the sanction — and all of these must be raised within the prescribed time limits.</p>
</div>

<div class="reg-sec">
<h2>Who this document matters to</h2>
<p>Players, team physicians and clubs participating in competitions under FIFA's jurisdiction, and the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the implementation of its own anti-doping programme. For the sports lawyer, this text is the basis of the defence in football doping cases from 2021 onwards and must be read together with the Prohibited List for the corresponding year.</p>
</div>

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Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber2021

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