As the world governing body of association football, FIFA has a duty to provide the most stable and sustainable foundations for the game. FIFA has a zero-tolerance policy towards wrongdoing of any kind and is committed to the principles of good governance and transparency in all areas of its operations. The organisation also requires its member associations, officials and employees to meet high standards in this regard.

FIFA has a responsibility to adapt to the latest developments in the world of football to ensure that its operations and values adhere to the best governance standards possible. Over the past 15 years, FIFA has progressively adopted a wide range of governance reforms that reflect the views of the football community in order to meet the evolving needs of the modern game.

The most recent step towards this direction was taken in Zurich on 26 February 2016, when the Extraordinary FIFA Congress approved  a set of reforms  presented by the  2016 FIFA Reform Committee  chaired by Dr François Carrard. These principles and recommendations were incorporated into an  amended version of the FIFA Statutes  and pave the way for further significant and much-needed changes to FIFA’s governance structure. The main aspects of the reforms are:

• Clear separation between “political” and management functions: The FIFA Council (replacing the FIFA Executive Committee) is responsible for setting the organisation’s overall strategic direction, while the General Secretariat oversees the operational and commercial actions required to effectively execute that strategy.

• Term limits for the FIFA President, FIFA Council members and members of the Audit and Compliance Committee and of the judicial bodies (max. 12 years).

• Election of Council members supervised by FIFA and in accordance with FIFA’s own electoral regulations; all candidates subject to comprehensive eligibility and integrity checks conducted by an independent FIFA Review Committee.

• Greater recognition and promotion of women in football with a minimum of one female representative elected as a Council member per confederation; promotion of women as an explicit statutory objective of FIFA to create a more diverse decision-making environment and culture.

• Disclosure of individual compensation on an annual basis of the FIFA President, all FIFA Council members, the Secretary General and relevant chairpersons of independent standing and judicial committees.

• Enhanced control of money flows .

• Universal good governance principles for confederations and member associations.

• FIFA’s commitment to human rights to be enshrined in the FIFA Statutes.

• New Football Stakeholder Committee to ensure greater transparency and inclusion through broader stakeholder representation (including players, clubs and leagues).

Find out more about  the chronology of the Reforms Process .

We answer some of the  FAQ about the Statutory reforms .