Under the guidance of the AFC Legal Committee, the AFC Legal Department performs a key role in ensuring that the AFC, AFC Member Associations, Regional Associations and other football stakeholders operate in accordance with the principles of good governance, and that the players, officials and other individuals involved in Asian football conform to the AFC Statutes, AFC regulations and decisions, and the highest standards of good conduct and ethics.

The department is comprised of the following three units, each with different areas of responsibility.

The Sports Legal Services, Disciplinary and Governance unit has responsibility for managing the AFC’s disciplinary processes and cases, including acting as the secretariat for the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee, the AFC Appeal Committee and the AFC Entry Control Body. The unit also takes the lead in regulatory and governance matters, including drafting competition regulations, and drafting and interpreting the AFC Statutes. The unit plays an important role in managing the legal process and operations of the AFC Congress and any AFC elections, including working with the AFC Electoral Committee on the electoral codes, guidelines and the administration of integrity checks.

The Integrity unit has responsibility for carrying out investigations relating to allegations of match-fixing in Asian football and other allegations of corruption and unethical practices and behaviour which threaten the integrity of matches, competitions, AFC Member Associations, players and officials in the region.

The lawyers in the Corporate, Commercial and Intellectual Property unit are responsible for drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial, intellectual property and events-related agreements, as well as for providing corporate legal support. The unit performs a central role in the review and revision of commercial contracts involving sponsorship and media/broadcast rights, and in the implementation of measures to protect the AFC’s intellectual property rights.