WUFO GOVERNANCE ARCHITECTURE
FOOTBALL FOR A MORE INCLUSIVE WORLD
A PROTECTED GOVERNANCE PILLAR
Women’s football governs its own sporting branch with equal institutional weight. Shared WUFO organs may safeguard, represent and administer the organisation, but the substantive Women’s Branch mandate must be determined by women genuinely participating in or representing women’s football.
CONSTITUTIONAL SUCCESSION
These offices are safeguards and representatives. They are not superior to the competent Congresses.
Builds, launches, organises and stabilises WUFO; represents it within the granted mandate, supervises the initial central administration and executes authorised decisions.
MAY PROPOSE, RECOMMEND, REPRESENT AND EXECUTE · MAY NOT REPLACE A CONGRESS, COUNCIL OR INDEPENDENT BODYThe six incumbent Historical Confederation Presidents act collectively with equal status. They safeguard and legally represent WUFO, coordinate implementation and supervise the Secretary General.
NO INDIVIDUAL PRESIDENT STANDS ABOVE THE OTHERS · NO CASTING VOTE · THE BODY DOES NOT GOVERN FOOTBALLTHE WOMEN’S BRANCH
The Congress and Council are connected by proposals and accountability, not by institutional subordination.
Every Member Association holds one permanently reserved Women’s Branch seat. An active seat requires a genuine Women’s Football mechanism and a valid independent Branch mandate.
THE SEAT BELONGS TO THE MEMBER · THE SUBSTANTIVE MANDATE BELONGS TO WOMEN’S FOOTBALLTwenty-four geographic Councillors and four direct women’s football constituency representatives study, consult, develop and recommend for the Women’s Football Branch.
A GEOGRAPHIC COUNCILLOR MUST COME FROM A MEMBER WITH ACTIVE WOMEN’S BRANCH RIGHTSSTA / ART-149 · ACTIVATING WOMEN’S BRANCH RIGHTS
The constitutional test is functional: genuine authority matters more than the internal name of the mechanism.
The Association remains one institutional WUFO Member with one permanently reserved seat in each Branch Congress.
A Council, Assembly, Committee, Commission, League body, Branch Unit or Mandate College may qualify. A second legal association is not required.
Women genuinely participating in or representing women’s football decide the substantive Congress mandate and Member-derived Council nomination.
The Delegate or Councillor is a woman carrying the lawful Women’s Branch decision—not instructions substituted by a non-compliant general or men’s body.
The Congress vote may be cast and the Member may supply an eligible geographic Women’s Council candidate under the Confederation process.
The Member keeps the seat permanently, but no Branch vote is cast and the seat is excluded from the active voting denominator until certification.
Women’s Council safeguard: four distinct Member Associations remain required in each Confederation’s geographic representation. If a Sub-Union temporarily has no eligible Member, another compliant Sub-Union of the same Confederation may supply a temporary representative, distributed as evenly as practicable—normally 2–2 or 2–1–1. The seat returns when eligibility becomes available.
PROFESSIONAL ADMINISTRATION
The departments are operational services—not additional constitutional authorities.
WUFO’s highest full-time professional administrative officer. Appointed by at least four of the six Presidential Body members, the office directs staff, coordinates departments and executes valid decisions and approved budgets.
REPORTS INSTITUTIONALLY TO THE CONGRESSES · OPERATIONALLY TO THE PRESIDENTIAL BODY · HOLDS NO GOVERNING VOTE UNTIL THIS OFFICE ENTERS INTO FUNCTION, THE FOUNDER PRESIDENT SUPERVISES CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION DURING THE EMBRYONIC AND FOUNDATIONAL PERIODS.Daily institutional operations and authorised implementation.
Legal coordination, regulatory drafting and institutional compliance.
Approved budgets, documented expenditure and authorised contracting.
Professional staffing, workplace administration and personnel systems.
Publication and explanation of positions already lawfully adopted.
Direct administrative support and communication with Members.
Institutional systems, protected records and service continuity.
Official records, meeting files and permanent institutional memory.
Agendas, documents, protocol and multilingual coordination.
Authorised projects and operational competition administration.
WHEN BOTH BRANCHES MUST ACT
Common institutions exist for defined common questions only.
The combined sitting of the two Branch Congresses decides genuine organisation-wide matters while each Branch preserves its own sporting authority.
FULL CAPACITY: 241 MEN’S + 241 WOMEN’S RESERVED SEATSThe two Football Councils act together for the exclusive membership-admission function assigned to them.
NO CONGRESS, PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE OR SECRETARY GENERAL MAY SUBSTITUTE FOR IT