Emilio García Silvero, who has served as FIFA’s chief legal and compliance officer for the past eight years, is stepping down from his position to begin a new professional chapter in Madrid, FIFA confirmed on Friday.
His departure is the most recent high-profile exit since Kevin Lamour left his role as FIFA’s chief operating officer in August, claiming that FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s controversial World Cup sale plan had “deceived” administration at the governing body.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is also not expected to renew his contract as FIFA’s chief of global football development when it expires, sources have told ESPN.
García Silvero’s departure means that Spanish football loses a key figure within the executive structure of the world governing body at a time when Spain are preparing to host the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal and Morocco and the venue for the final match has yet to be determined.
García Silvero spearheaded significant regulatory changes in global football, including the establishment of a clearinghouse for international payments, the implementation of new regulations for football agents and the introduction of a new international transfer system.
He championed global initiatives to help make football regulations more accessible and transparent across FIFA’s six confederations.
FIFA said its Zurich-based head of football regulations, Jan Kleiner, will take interim charge of the legal and compliance departments in Miami.
García also sits on the management board of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, which each year handles hundreds of appeals against FIFA rulings in contractual dispute cases involving clubs, players and coaches.
In an official statement, FIFA thanked Emilio García Silvero for his eight years of dedication to global football.
“Since joining FIFA at the 2018 World Cup, Emilio has made an active contribution to the development and modernization of the regulatory framework governing international football,” FIFA said in a statement.
“During his tenure as an executive, he led a team of professionals across offices in Zurich and Miami, spearheading major projects, regulatory reforms, educational initiatives, and programs aimed at strengthening transparency, legal certainty, and access to information regarding football’s rules and regulations.”
García had previously worked with Infantino when both were at UEFA and followed him to Zurich two years after the FIFA president was first elected in 2016.
Infantino had sought to set up a company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, to run the commercial interests of the World Cup and its other competitions, with private investors holding a minority stake.
The plan was abandoned in August after three continental confederations rejected it and UEFA threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions.
FIFA is preparing for an extraordinary FIFA Congress on Nov. 23 to appoint the hosts for the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cups.
The FIFA Council meets again on Dec. 16.
FIFA presidential elections are scheduled for March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco. The deadline for candidacy submissions is Nov. 18.
