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From FFAR Online

Welcome to the FFAR Online!

Four letters, forty pages and a lot of (legal) trouble.

The FIFA Football Agent Regulations (FFAR) were adopted with the aim of providing a regulatory framework for football agents and their activities on a worldwide basis. However, following a number of court and arbitration proceedings in a few jurisdictions in Europe (e.g. Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland) and South America (e.g. Argentina, Brazil), as well as announcements by major national football associations that they would not apply the FFAR in full, FIFA announced on 30 December 2023 that the FFAR rules affected by the Dortmund court decision would be temporarily suspended worldwide until the the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) reaches a final decision in the pending proceedings concerning the FFAR.

What does this mean in practice? When will the ECJ make its decisions? Looking into the ECJ data (i.e. the average time taken by the ECJ to deliver a decision of such importance, which is around 30 months), this would mean Q3-Q4 of 2025. To provide updates in one place, 'FFAR Online' is a wiki of FFAR-related information that will allow anyone around the world to find and share FFAR insights for the next two years and beyond.

With 211 FIFA affiliated members around the world, we have set ourselves the ambitious goal of covering and updating as many national regulations implementing FFAR as possible. This can only be achieved through the collective efforts of football agents, sports lawyers, officials, academics and football enthusiasts. You are therefore all invited to contribute with your national documents and updates on the FFAR and any other information you consider relevant to the purpose of this website (e.g. court and arbitration decisions, articles, educational materials, webinars, videos, podcasts, media coverage and the like).

The German Connection

The FFAR have been challenged in courts, competition authorities and arbitration tribunals in various jurisdictions around the world. The one that went the last mile and issued a preliminary injunction on the application and implementation of FFAR in Germany was the District Court in Dortmund, Germany. The injunction was appealed by FIFA and DFB before the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf/Higher Regional Court Düsseldorf. The oral hearing took place on 21 February 2024. In its decision announced on 13.03.2024, the court rejected the appeal and left the injunction in force. The decision of the court is final.

The European Connection - the Court of Justice of the European Union Cases

There are two FARR-related cases pendig before the ECJ:


- The German District Court of Mainz case: C-209/23 Roger Wittmann and RRC Sports GmbH vs FIFA

Date lodged: 31 March 2023 - Date of Judgment: Q4 2025 (?)(Note: This is a highly speculative assumption based on some analysis of ECJ data. However, FIFA's forecast, as announced in Tokyo on 1 February 2024, is Q1 2025). On 12 February 2025, the oral hearing was held at the Court of Justice of the European Union. No live stream or recording were provided by the Court. On 15 May 2025, the Advocate General (AG) Nicholas Emiliou shall provide his opinion to the CJEU. The timing of the decision is not yet decided. However, the court judgments are typically delivered within 3-4 months after the publication of the AG opinion, i.e. we predict October 2025.

Media: Case C-209 23 Request short Mainz.pdf

Media: Case C-209 23 Request long Mainz.pdf

Media: Case C-209 23 Corrigendum Mainz.pdf


- The German Federal Court of Justice case: C-428/23 ROGON GmbH & Co. KG, Germany and MVI Management GmbH, Austria vs German Football Association (DFB)

Date lodged: 11 July 2023 - Date of Judgment: Q4 2025 (?)(Note: This is a highly speculative assumption based on some analysis of ECJ data). On 12 February 2025, the oral hearing was held at the Court of Justice of the European Union. No live stream or recording were provided by the Court. The German law firm Lentze Stopper Rechtsanwälte by Dr. habil. Martin Stopper and Dr. David Bischoff represented the DFB before the Court. On 15 May 2025, the Advocate General (AG) Nicholas Emiliou shall provide his opinion to the CJEU. The timing of the decision is not yet decided. However, the court judgments are typically delivered within 3-4 months after the publication of the AG opinion, i.e. we predict October 2025.

Media: Case C-428 23 Request Federal Court of Justice Germany.pdf


The same AG is an AG in both cases, same date of oral hearings for both cases, and same date for AG opinion's delivery for both cases. We predict same date for delivery of both judgments (e.g., in October 2025).

Useful Links for Football Agents and Lawyers Working in Professional Sport

National Football Agent Reguations in One Place

All National Football Agent Regulations (NFAR) are organised by continent/confederation and country below:

Europe/UEFA

South America/CONMEBOL

North, Central America and Carribean/Concacaf

Africa/CAF

Asia/AFC

Oceania/OFC

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