With data protection becoming a central concern of modern society, FIFA is taking a number of important steps to raise awareness on this important topic across the world of football. Earlier this week, FIFA held its second Data Protection Summit with the aim of sharing best practices and exchanging views on the latest developments with representatives of member associations, confederations, clubs, leagues and players, as well as with data protection experts and other sports bodies.
The one-day virtual conference brought together more than 300 attendees, who were able to listen to a broad selection of speakers discussing critical matters for the world of sport. The main discussion points included the management of health data, the introduction of new technologies and their impact on data protection, the use of data across borders, and the protection of players’ data.
The summit also provided an opportunity for FIFA to present its latest tools in the field of data protection, in particular the new FIFA Data Protection Portal, a one-stop shop for all of FIFA’s potential counterparts, as well as FIFA’s Data Protection Pocket Guide. “Compliance has to evolve and become more meaningful to the end users over time. This is a task, and the onus is on us, as compliance and privacy professionals, to deliver tools in accordance with this mission,” said FIFA Director of Compliance Patrick Trépanier in his opening address to the summit.
Starting the day, José Luis Piñar, former Director of the Spanish Data Protection Agency and current Data Protection Officer of the Spanish Football Association, stressed the need to develop a specific regulatory framework for the world of sport. Piñar stressed the fact that data on minors is processed in the world of sport and that there are limitations in doing so that must be observed.
As part of the summit, and with the aim of learning from and exchanging with top experts in the field of data protection, FIFA invited the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) to hold a special webinar on data protection and new technologies, focusing particularly on the experiences of clubs and associations. “We all love this beautiful game, it is a treasure globally for us to be able to share football, and in sharing football we share data, we share information with each other, we learn information about the players. And we need to protect that data,” said Trevor Hughes, President and CEO of the IAPP, who moderated the discussion.
The second part of the summit featured a panel discussion on the issue of cross-border transfers of data. Representatives from UEFA and Paris Saint-Germain discussed practical approaches on how to transfer personal data across borders in compliance with the applicable framework.
To conclude the day, FIFA Medical Director Andrew Massey moderated a captivating debate on the question of management of health data in sport, sharing perspectives with guests from the football community as well as representatives from the International Tennis Federation and World Rugby. A key focus of the debate was the question of privacy in the circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought about a series of new data protection issues generated by the health and safety measures that are required.
All of the day’s debates can be relived through the recording of the summit, which is now available on www.fifa.com/who-we-are/legal/education/videos/