FIFA and the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS), the latter being the supreme organ of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), are delighted to confirm that they have concluded an agreement by which CAS has jurisdiction to settle football-related legal disputes with immediate effect. The CAS will sit as a tribunal of the last instance if attempts to solve the dispute internally at FIFA or the confederations prove unsuccessful.

The CAS may be called upon to resolve disputes concerning the status of players. In accordance with CAS jurisprudence, any disputes arising from the interpretation of the Laws of the Game, i.e. refereeing decisions during
matches, will not be submitted to the CAS.

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter described the agreement with the CAS as ‘a significant step towards resolving the regrettable proliferation of disputes in the world of football. The experience and expertise of the CAS will prove
invaluable to FIFA and I am delighted.’

‘However, I would like to stress that many disputes are a result of people not respecting FIFA regulations. We must fight this tendency and in order to win this battle, we will need the support of the entire football family.’

The President of the ICAS, Judge Kéba Mbaye, also commended FIFA’s decision.

‘I am overjoyed that all of the international Olympic federations have now accepted the jurisdiction of the CAS. FIFA has followed in the footsteps of the IAAF, which recognised the CAS 12 months ago. These steps are indicative
of the greater unity and harmony in the Olympic Movement, which is wonderful news. I would like to congratulate Mr Blatter and the executive of such an important international federation for having reached this wise decision.’

Founded in 1984, the CAS is an arbitration institution that specialises in resolving legal disputes in the world of sport and is financed by the entire Olympic Movement – the International Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Federations and the Association of National Olympic Committees. The headquarters of the CAS can be found in Lausanne, Switzerland, but there are also two decentralised offices, in New York and in Sydney. This year, the CAS has dealt with 80 cases of arbitration, but this figure is likely to increase considerably in 2003 with the first football-related disputes coming under its jurisdiction.

For more information on CAS activities and procedures, please contact Mr Matthieu Reeb, Secretary General, 28 av. de l’Elysée, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland. Tel: (0041 21) 613 50 00 or Fax: (0041 21) 613 50 01 – www.tas-cas.org.

For more details contact:

Andreas Herren
Fifa Communications
T: +41 1 254 9800
F: +41 1 384 9696