FIFA Appoints Normalisation Committee For Montserrat FA

FIFA has appointed a normalisation committee to take over the administration of the Montserrat Football Association (MFA) following what it described as an exceptional governance crisis.

The decision was taken by the Bureau of the FIFA Council in consultation with Concacaf, invoking Article 8, paragraph 2 of the FIFA Statutes, which allows FIFA to intervene in the internal governance of a member association under extraordinary circumstances.

Montserrat is a small British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands. With a population of fewer than 5,000 people, it is one of the smallest FIFA member associations by size. Football is the island’s most popular sport, and Montserrat has been a member of FIFA since 1996, competing primarily in regional Concacaf competitions and World Cup qualifying campaigns.

FIFA said the move was necessary due to a state of institutional paralysis at the MFA, with the appointment of a normalisation committee deemed the most appropriate and proportionate measure to restore compliance with FIFA regulations and protect the association’s rights and interests.

Under the statutes, the appointment allows FIFA to temporarily replace the elected leadership of a member association while reforms are implemented and normal governance structures are re-established.

The normalisation committee will be made up of a number of members jointly appointed by FIFA and Concacaf. All appointees will be subject to eligibility checks conducted by the FIFA Review Committee in line with FIFA’s governance regulations.

The committee will be responsible for managing the affairs of the MFA during the transition period and for carrying out tasks aimed at restoring proper governance, including the organisation of elections if required.

Its mandate will remain in place until all assigned duties have been completed, but no later than 31 January 2027.

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