Despite the difficulties presented by the COVID-19, the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) has been able to inaugurate new headquarters for the Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva do Futebol (Superior Sports Court for Football). The STJD is an autonomous body foreseen in the Brazilian Code for Sport Justice.

The tribunal discusses the legalities and judges the events of Brazilian football, being the last deciding board of Brazilian football justice. It is composed of six disciplinary committees, an appeals' body, prosecutors and administrative staff, with a total of 81 people serving the STJD. Following all the medical protocols recommended by the Brazilian authorities, the inauguration was hosted by CBF President Rogerio Caboclo and Paulo Cesar Salomao Jr., who concluded his term as the President of the STJD (2018-2020) with this event.

"We are very pleased with the modernisation of the STJD, supported by FIFA Forward Development Programme," said President Caboclo. "It will bring the necessary innovation and most modern technology to the processes and decisions, related to all parties involved such as players, clubs and competitions in a country where the football community has continental dimensions.

"The Sports Justice is a legal court set forth by our federal constitution, crucial for the development of football at a national level. It provides fair, technical and time-effective decisions in multiple areas of our sport."

Mr Salomao Jr. added: "The possibility of having our own headquarters was very important and very valuable. It guarantees our autonomy and independence, which is fundamental to maintain the performance that has always been respected by all members of the football world. It is very important that we have this extremely modern and functional headquarters. It is a moment of gratitude for the possibility of having this exclusive space, which guarantees even more independence."

Situated 30km from the main administrative CBF building in Barra de Tijuca, in the very heart of Rio de Janeiro´s downtown, the STJD's new location is very convenient as it is only minutes away from RJ Santos Dumont Airport and close to Rio de Janeiro´s main public transportation. The renovation works on the seventh floor in Sloper building took approximately one year to be completed, complying with all accessibility and environmental requirements.

The innovative offices enable employees and authorities to count on a fit-for-purpose working environment to further boost their efficiency to better serve Brazilian football. Since 2012, the number of national competitions has expanded from seven to nineteen, significantly increasing the workload and the number of required employees to deal with disciplinary cases.

After renting premises for 18 years, the FIFA Forward funds were crucial to remodel the 500m² property, equipping it with three hearing rooms for simultaneous sessions, various offices, private meeting rooms, a large administrative area, a comfortable hall and, most importantly, state-of-the-art technology that will allow the implementation of enhanced procedures and protect the STJD's confidentiality from any possible cyberattack.

In line with FIFA's policy of ensuring transparency on legal procedures in football and the safeguarding of the integrity of the game, the mentioned Forward project is another demonstration of the commitment of CBF to continue developing Brazilian football by promoting fair play, respecting the rules of the sport and the role of its independent bodies, as well as ensuring fair and balanced competitions.