FIFA strengthens disciplinary power and will execute sanctions after 60 days from 2027

FIFA will introduce a toughening of its Disciplinary Code on January 1, 2027 that expands its executive power over national federations. The aim is to prevent national bodies from delaying at will the enforcement of sanctions against clubs or individuals. Under the new framework, if a federation does not execute a decision within a maximum period of 60 days, the authority to enforce it will automatically pass to FIFA's Disciplinary Committee.

• Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, sections 6 and 7, regulates the execution of sanctions against clubs and individuals.
• From January 1, 2027, federations will have a 60-day deadline to execute a disciplinary decision.
• If they fail to execute it, the matter automatically passes to FIFA's Disciplinary Committee.
• A federation that fails to execute a decision will be fined by world football's governing body.
• The measure aims to end selective sanctions and deliberate delays by national federations.

What Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code says

The regulatory change is concentrated in Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, specifically in sections 6 and 7. The first establishes that any decision, whether of an economic nature or not, adopted by a competent decision-making body of a federation against a club must be executed by the federation to which that body belongs. Execution must take place in accordance with the principles of the article itself and in compliance with the applicable disciplinary regulations. A federation that fails to execute the decision will be fined.

Section 7 extends that obligation to the area of individuals. In this case, a decision adopted against a person must be executed by the federation to which the decision-making body belongs, or by the person's new federation. This means that a professional changing federations does not dilute the responsibility to enforce the sanction.

How FIFA's new 60-day deadline works

Until now, an involved federation could delay the execution of a sanction for as long as it considered appropriate. That will change from the first day of 2027. If a federation does not execute a decision within 60 days, the authority to execute it will automatically pass to FIFA's Disciplinary Committee. In this way, world football's governing body directly assumes responsibility for ensuring the sanction is enforced.

If a federation does not execute the decision within a period of 60 days, the authority to execute it will automatically pass to FIFA's Disciplinary Committee.

Why FIFA is strengthening its disciplinary enforcement in 2027

The International Federation of Association Football wants to eliminate selective sanctions and prevent national federations from executing disciplinary decisions whenever it suits them best. The new wording of Article 21 gives FIFA an executive power that until now depended largely on the willingness of each federation. The fine for failing to execute a decision and the automatic transfer of authority to the Disciplinary Committee are the two main tools of this reinforcement.

FIFA's broader regulatory changes for 2027

The strengthening of Article 21 is part of a broader package of regulatory modifications that FIFA plans to apply from January 1, 2027. Those changes also include updates to the protected period for footballers and to the termination of a contract without just cause. All the modifications share a common philosophy: to provide greater legal certainty to football stakeholders and to reduce the discretionary margins of national federations.

Which clubs and individuals are affected by the new disciplinary execution

The obligation to execute a decision applies to both clubs and individuals. If a federation's decision-making body sanctions a club, the federation to which that body belongs is responsible for enforcing the sanction. If the sanction falls on an individual, enforcement may also fall to his or her new federation. This is particularly relevant in professional football, where transfers and changes of federation are frequent and can be used to avoid compliance with a decision.

Frequently asked questions about FIFA's disciplinary reinforcement