A proposal for an independent, transparent world football union—built on equal rules, every nation’s voice, and lasting opportunities for girls and boys.

A NEW VISION FOR THE WORLD'S GAME

 Every nation deserves a voice.
Every nation deserves a path to compete.
The rules should apply equally to everyone.

Football should be governed with transparency, independence and respect — not political influence, private interests or permanent control.

UMF proposes a worldwide football union built around one principle:

FAIR PLAY — ON AND OFF THE FIELD.

BORN IN MEXICO. AN INVITATION TO THE WORLD.

EVERY NATION HAS A SEAT AT THE TABLE.

 UMF begins with an invitation — not a demand.

No nation should own UMF. No government should control it. No corporation should be able to buy its influence.

Leadership will change. Nations will compete. Opinions will differ.

But the principles must remain.

Fairness. Transparency. Equal opportunity. Accountability. Respect.

Let's start something together.

OUR PROMISE IS PUBLIC.

The Handshake is the invitation.

These 12 commitments are the foundation.

UMF asks no nation, player, referee or supporter to place blind trust in a new organization.

Before asking the world to join us, we put our principles in public.

These are the foundations upon which the Unión Mundial de Fútbol proposes to build.

01 — FOOTBALL BELONGS TO THE WORLD

No individual, corporation, government or football organization owns the world's game.

UMF proposes to serve as a steward of football, respecting that the game belongs to everyone.

The game belongs to everyone.

02 — EVERY NATION HAS A PATH

Every participating nation deserves a genuine opportunity to compete.

No permanent privilege.
No closed door.
No country excluded because it lacks money, political influence or commercial power.

Qualification must be earned on the field.

03 — FAIR PLAY ABOVE POWER

The same rules must apply to the powerful and the small.

Competition cannot be designed to protect favored nations, organizations or commercial interests.

One game. One standard.

04 — TRANSPARENT GOVERNANCE

Important UMF decisions must be visible and accountable.

Rules, votes, leadership responsibilities and major decisions should be available for public examination.

If we cannot explain a decision openly, we should question the decision.

05 — TRANSPARENT MONEY

The football world's money must be traceable.

UMF finances, major contracts, executive compensation and distribution of football revenues must be subject to independent oversight and public reporting.

The world's game deserves open books.

06 — LEADERSHIP MUST ROTATE

UMF must never become the permanent possession of one president, country, continent or political group.

The presidency will be limited to one term and rotate among continents under published succession rules. Other leadership positions will have defined terms and limits.

Serve the game. Then pass the responsibility forward.

07 — FOOTBALL WITHOUT POLITICAL CONTROL

Governments, political movements and private commercial interests must not control sporting decisions.

Nations compete as football nations.

Politics must never decide who deserves a place on the field.

08 — ONE WORLD STANDARD & INDEPENDENT OFFICIATING

UMF will respect the established international Laws of the Game as its foundation while working openly to improve rules that have become unnecessarily confusing or disruptive.

VAR, offside, handball, time wasting and referee protection should serve football—not dominate it.

Referees must be trained, protected, independently evaluated and fairly compensated.

UMF will work toward common international refereeing standards and a worldwide referee academy, including consideration of two field referees for major international matches.

Players, coaches and officials must respect the referee's authority.

One game. One standard. Independent officials.

09 — FOOTBALL WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION

Racism and discrimination have no legitimate place in the world's game.

UMF competition will establish clear procedures to stop, suspend or abandon matches when serious discriminatory abuse occurs, while preserving individual responsibility and due process.

Attack the misconduct—not an entire people.

10 — DEVELOP EVERY FOOTBALL NATION

Football knowledge should not belong only to wealthy federations.

Participating nations should have access to coaching education, technical directors, referee education, youth-development expertise and train-the-trainer programs.

UMF will encourage recurring local leagues for girls and boys, with age groups such as 10–12, 13–15 and 16–18, so young players have a clear path to continue each year. These programs should prioritize safety, health, education and affordable participation.

The objective is not to make every country play alike.

Give every country the tools to develop its own football identity.

11 — PROTECT THE NEXT GENERATION

Young players are human beings before they are commercial assets.

International youth development and transfers must protect education, housing, medical care, family interests, independent representation and freedom from exploitative contracts.

A child's dream must never become someone else's opportunity for exploitation.

12 — THE GAME COMES FIRST

Commercial interests can support football.

They must never control it.

No artificial interruption should be inserted into the game simply to create another commercial opportunity. Genuine medical and safety needs remain protected.

Every future UMF rule should face one simple question:

Does this make football fairer, safer and better for the people who play and love it?

If the answer is no, we should not do it.

THIS IS OUR HANDSHAKE WITH THE WORLD.

We are publishing these principles before asking for power, money or allegiance.

READ THEM.
QUESTION THEM.
CHALLENGE THEM OPENLY.
HELP US IMPROVE THEM TOGETHER.

And if one day UMF fails to honor them,

hold us accountable to the promises published here today.

FOOTBALL BELONGS TO THE WORLD.

THE RULES MUST BE CLEAR AND OPEN TO EVERYONE.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN.

YOU'VE HEARD OUR IDEAS. WE WANT YOURS.

Football is played by the world.

Its future should not be discussed only behind closed doors.

So we begin with a real question.

90+4 — A WORLD CUP MATCH.

A defending champion must win to survive.

Following a corner, an attacker scores from inside the six-yard box.

The assistant referee raises the flag for offside.

Video replay shows that the ball may have reached the scorer after being touched by a defender.

The players wait.
The referee waits.
The stadium waits.
Millions around the world wait.

YOU MAKE THE CALL.

What should determine whether the goal counts?

Judge the incident before learning the teams, the official decision or the final result.