BEVERLY HILLS, March 11, (THEWILL) – In recent years, the development of regulations and legal decisions in football has become extraordinarily relevant to the work of professionals at national associations, leagues, clubs and players’ unions. It was this undeniable reality that led FIFA to set itself the objective of ensuring that football’s stakeholders can get to know the most relevant aspects of the legal field first-hand
This process led to the distilling of the solution broadly into two great topics, football and law. FIFA then combined these topics with some of the most renowned experts, leaders, arbitrators and sports lawyers to fashion a programme called the FIFA Diploma in Football Law.
On Wednesday, after a unique journey that started in Miami, Florida in February last year, 26 professionals today graduated from FIFA’s first-ever Diploma in Football Law during a virtual ceremony celebrating their graduation.
Gianni Infantino, President of world football governing body (FIFA) and Denis Oswald, Director of the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) joined the ceremony from FIFA headquarters in Zurich and the CIES headquarters in Neuchâtel, respectively, and passed on their congratulations to all diploma holders at the ceremony.
For the duration of their studies, the group of 26 football executives from all around the world were provided with in-depth insight into a variety of football-related programmes, which, in collaboration with CIES afforded them an exceptional academic foundation in these programmes.
Subjects offered included “An introduction to football law”, “FIFA Transfer Regulations I and II”, “Other aspects of football law” and “CAS proceedings”. In addition to these, the diploma also comprised keynote presentations by 48 top-level speakers with the final aim of giving all attendees a first-hand understanding of the ever-evolving dynamics of football’s regulatory and decision-making framework internationally.
Although the original plan was to host on-site classes on a rotational basis at the headquarters of the confederations to accommodate coherence with health and safety protocols within academic environments, the course was later made to hold in a virtual format, due to COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions especially on travel and the mandatory periods of isolation travelling mandated.
The second edition of the Diploma in Football Law is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2022.
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