FIFA launches new safeguarding initiative - FIFA Guardians

To optimise for archiving, the original image and related documents associated with this article have been removed.

World governing body of football, FIFA, have launched a new global programme dedicated to enhancing child safeguarding standards within the sport.

The new initiative named, FIFA Guardians, will provide practical guidance to each of the 211 member organisations in reviewing their existing safeguarding measures through a series of training modules and workshops.

The FIFA Guardians toolkit will be based on five principles and five steps that are underpinned by recognised international standards.  Such measures will become a requirement to receive member association funding from FIFA .

The initiative comes following a number of historical child abuse cases in sport that have come to public knowledge, including the British football sexual abuse scandal in 2016, the Larry Nasar, former USA Gymnastics national team doctor case, and most recently the sexual allegations towards the Afghanistan Football Federation from the Women’s national team.

FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, said: “FIFA’s vision is to promote the game of football, protect its integrity and bring the game to all. In realising this vision, we aim to ensure that involvement in football, in any form, is a positive experience for all children.” The programme is also expected to develop for the protection of vulnerable adults.

Please click here to view the FIFA's statement. 

You may also like

View All

IOC provisionally lifts suspension of Russian Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which was implemented in 2023, since the Russian committee no longer has, as its members, any regional sports organisations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine

Read More

French Football Federation to file criminal charges over racist attack on Mbappé by Paraguayan senator

The French Football Federation has announced plans to file criminal charges after a Paraguayan senator, Celeste Amarilla, carried out a racist attack on French player Kylian Mbappé which included her calling him a “colonised Cameroonian, pretending to be French”

Read More

FIFA’s adherence to political neutrality compromised after Balogun’s one-match ban is suspended for a probationary period of one year

FIFA's commitment to political neutrality has come under scrutiny following its decision to suspend US striker Folarin Balogun's one-match ban for a one-year probationary period, after US President Donald Trump publicly intervened in support of the player

Read More