Media Release

Fédération Internationale de Football Association

FIFA Strasse 20, P.O Box 8044 Zurich, Switzerland, +41 (0) 43 222 7777

Thursday 19 April 2018, 07:38

Latest decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee

Following the recent meetings of the Disciplinary Committee, FIFA can today confirm the below series of sanctions.

The Lao Football Federation (LFF) has been sanctioned with a fine of CHF 690,000 after having been found to have breached several provisions concerning the international transfer and first registration of minor players, for which art. 19 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (“RSTP”) is the main provision, as well as other relevant provisions with regard to the registration and participation of both minor and adult players in competitions.

The Disciplinary Committee has also imposed sanctions on several clubs for breaches relating to third-party influence (art. 18bis RSTP) and other violations of the RSTP:

  • Al Arabi of Qatar has been sanctioned with a fine of CHF 187,500 for entering into several contracts that enabled a third party to influence the club’s independence, for concluding third-party ownership agreements in breach of paras 4 and 5 of art. 18ter RSTP, as well as for a breach of confidentiality and a failure to enter correct and mandatory information in the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) in the framework of the transfers of seven different players.

  • Sporting CP of Portugal has been sanctioned with a fine of CHF 110,000 for entering into two contracts that enabled a third party to influence the club’s independence as well as for failing to record an existing third-party ownership agreement in ITMS and for failing to enter a correct instruction and correct and mandatory information in ITMS.

  • SL Benfica of Portugal has been sanctioned with a total fine of CHF 150,000 for entering into two contracts which enabled a third party to influence the club’s independence.

  • Rayo Vallecano of Spain has been sanctioned with a fine of CHF 55,000 for entering into contracts that enabled a third party to influence the club’s independence as well as for failing to record an existing third-party ownership agreement and for failing to enter correct and mandatory information in ITMS.

  • RC Celta de Vigo of Spain has been sanctioned with a fine of CHF 65,000 for entering into a contract that enabled SL Benfica to influence the club’s independence (RSTP, 2012 edition) as well as for misusing ITMS as a negotiation tool.

  • On the other hand, with respect to the contract entered into with RC Celta de Vigo, all charges against SL Benfica in relation to a violation of art. 18bis RSTP were dismissed given that SL Benfica did not grant RC Celta de Vigo any ability to influence its independence in employment and transfer-related matters. This decision has been passed on the basis of art. 18bis of the 2012 edition of the RSTP, which, unlike the current edition, did not provide for any legal basis to sanction a club that acquired the ability to influence. Nevertheless, SL Benfica has been sanctioned with a fine of CHF 15,000 for misusing ITMS as a negotiation tool.

In addition, the Football Association of Indonesia has been sanctioned with a fine of CHF 30,000 for failing to deduct points from six of its affiliated clubs as established in several decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee passed as a result of said clubs breaching art. 64 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (failure to respect decisions passed by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber).

Finally, the Disciplinary Committee had opened proceedings following a complaint lodged by The FA after a Spanish player had allegedly used discriminatory language towards an English player during the final match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017. Following a thorough investigation, the Disciplinary Committee has decided to dismiss all charges in view of the lack of sufficient evidence that could corroborate the English player’s claim. Despite the absence of a sanction, which can only be imposed on the basis of clear evidence, the Disciplinary Committee would like to restate FIFA’s unequivocal, zero-tolerance stance against all forms of discrimination, as enshrined in the FIFA Statutes.