DILI (3 February 2023) – As part of the recently signed agreement between FIFA and the International Council for Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) for 2023-2026, FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) have established a specific legal aid fund for football (the FIFA-CAS Football Legal Aid Fund – FLAF), in order to provide assistance to football stakeholders appealing cases before the CAS.
The FLAF, which will begin operating as of 1 February 2023, is the first such fund exclusively dedicated to football-related matters, either at the national or international level. It ensures that CAS proceedings involving the FLAF will:
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be available to any natural persons, including agents with a FIFA licence, without sufficient financial means to proceed at the CAS.
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be free of any Court Office Fee.
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be free of any administrative and procedural costs, including arbitrator fees.
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exceptionally and only once per calendar year, be available to football clubs affiliated to a member association of FIFA and belonging to the club category IV of the FIFA table on the categorization of clubs for training compensation.
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be decided by a Sole Arbitrator from the specialized CAS Football List, who will carry out such work on a pro bono basis.