International Football
FIFA REINTRODUCE WORD “CORRUPTION” INTO CODE OF ETHICS
BY DAN PALMER
FIFA has reintroduced the word “corruption” into its updated Code of Ethics for 2019.
The word was controversially omitted last year at a time when football’s world governing body was trying to repair its image following a number of scandals.
Numerous FIFA officials were indicted by the United States Department of Justice and banned from any involvement in football for life by the Ethics Committee.
Corruption was removed from the Code of Ethics at the same time as the introduction of a defamation clause, with claims this barred officials from publicly speaking out against FIFA.
This led to criticism but Section 27 of the Code of Ethics is now entitled “Bribery and Corruption”.
Another addition is the word “misuse” in Section 28 about misappropriation of funds.
“The goal of these amendments is to avoid any misunderstanding about FIFA’s stance against unethical conducts in football, even though both breaches to which said terms refer were already subject to the relevant provisions,” FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said in a letter to member associations.
A number of other changes have been made to the Code of Ethics, which FIFA described as “important updates”.
Public hearings for those accused will be guaranteed on request of the relevant party in a bid for greater transparency.
Harsher penalties for those found guilty of concurrent offences will also be possible with the Ethics Committee’s adjudicatory chamber now given the power to impose sanctions without a maximum limitation.
In the past punishments for concurrent offences could only be increased by up to one third for the most serious breach.
This meant several infringements with a maximum of a five year ban could only be risen to seven-and-a-half years.
A new minimum sanction of a 10-year ban has been introduced for those found guilty of sexual abuse and exploitation while the prosecution period for these offences will also be 10 years, bringing it in line with bribery and the misappropriation of funds.
Another major change will see FIFA provide legal aid for accused parties with insufficient means.
This will include covering costs such as counsel, travel, accommodation, witnesses and experts.
FIFA said they wanted to “bridge the gap” that exists between individuals of varying financial power.
A further amendment will see the Disciplinary Committee as the only body which tackles match-fixing, with the aim of freeing up the Ethics Committee to deal with solely ethical misconduct.
“FIFA has made some important updates to its Code of Ethics to increase the efficiency of the independent Ethics Committee, to protect the safety and wellbeing of individuals involved in football, and to ensure greater transparency of ethics proceedings,” the governing body said.
The full list of amendments can be found here and the 2019 Code of Ethics is here.
–insidethegames
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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