The Laws of the World Cup

World Cup competition is upon us. Although lost upon the general public, there are in fact complex rules of engagement that are elaborately set forth in FIFA regulations. Here is a brief synopsis of the laws of the World Cup.

First, the Laws of the Game i.e., the rules of the pitch. Very little can be said that is not already known to any football fan. The key provision in terms of dispute resolution is Article 5 which states that “Each match is controlled by a referee who has full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed.”

Next comes the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which is an extraordinarily complex set of rules regarding everything from doping, to fan conduct, to rules against incitement to hatred. The sanctions that can be imposed are quite interesting, ranging from a warning to a stadium ban to forfeit. An entire article could be written on these obligations and the sanctions that flow from violations.

Then there is the FIFA Statute, which as noted here, is the “Constitution of football’s international governing body” and “provide[s] the basic laws for world football, on which countless rules are set for competitions, transfers, doping issues and a host of other concerns.” Significantly, Article 60 of the FIFA Statute grants authority to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to hear any appeals passed by FIFA legal bodies and against decisions passed by Confederations, Members, or Leagues. CAS, however, does not deal with violations of the Laws of the Game or short suspensions (up to four matches or three months).

Finally, CAS has their own Rules of Arbitration for the World Cup. Essentially it implements a procedure of an Ad Hoc Division of arbitrators who are on site and ready to hear any dispute immediately. They are obligated to render a decision within 48 hours of the lodging of the application. The arbitrations are governed by the arbitration law of Switzerland, but curiously, under Article 18 the substantive law applicable shall be the “general principles of law and the rules of law, the application of which it deems appropriate.” The arbitration is free to the parties, except they must bear their own costs. Any CAS decision is enforceable immediately and “may not be appealed against or otherwise challenged.”

So there you have it. The laws and regulations of the World Cup. Of course, it is much more complicated than that, but you get the general idea. If there are any major sporting disputes that call upon the application of these rules during the World Cup, we at Opinio Juris will try to update you.