June 2025
“Appeal” has the meaning set forth in the Canada Soccer Disciplinary Code.
“Benefit” means the direct or indirect receipt or provision of money, power, position or the equivalent such as, but not limited to, bribes, gains, gifts and other advantages. Sporting advantage is also considered a benefit.
“CCES” means the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, an independent national, not-for-profit, multi-sport organization that, as of April 1, 2025, administers the Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP) and the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS).
“Code” means the Canada Soccer Code of Conduct & Ethics.
“Committee Members” means those individuals who serve on Canada Soccer’s Committees.
“Constituent” means a person employed with and engaged in soccer-related activities sanctioned by Canada Soccer and its Members, regardless of title, type of activity or duration (e.g., Board of Directors, administrative, executive, judicial, disciplinary, technical, training, medical, player, contractor, volunteer).
“CSSP Rules” refers to the Canadian Safe Sport Program Rules, required under the supervision of Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport for federally funded national level sport organizations.
“Discrimination” refers to any direct or indirect behaviour that denies an individual dignity and respect by creating an intimidating, humiliating, hostile or offensive environment, where such behaviour or denial is based on the individual’s race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, political belief, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or age.
“FIFA”: Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international governing body of association football.
“Gifts” means any item of value or benefit offered to an individual or an organization in connection with their official role. Gifts can take the form of tangible items (e.g., merchandise, tickets, discounts, hospitality) or intangible benefits (e.g., special treatment, power, influence, inside favors).
“Intellectual Property” refers to the tangible and intangible outputs created by or on behalf of the organization, including but not limited to training content, branding, program structures, written materials, and other original resources.
“Judicial Body Members” refers to the individuals serving on the Disciplinary Committee, Appeals Committee, Ethics Committee and the Players’ Status Committee of Canada Soccer.
“League Members” means the Canadian Premier League and the Northern Super League.
“Life Members” are individuals recognized for exceptional service to Canada Soccer over a long period of time.
“Members” means a Voting Member.
“Sports Betting, Bet or Betting” refers to predicting the outcome of a sport-related result and placing a wager that results in personal gain for a participant.
“Staff” means any paid person in a permanent, contractual or temporary position.
“Team Personnel” includes but is not limited to coaches, assistant coaches, guest coaches, managers, gender representatives, heads of delegation, medical or other personnel in a position of influence with the athletes.
“Turpitude” means deviant behaviour constituting an immoral, unethical, dishonest or unjust departure from ordinary social standards such that it would shock a community.
“UCCMS” means the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport, as amended from time to time by the CCES.
The purpose of the Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics is to ensure a safe, positive, inclusive and ethical environment within Canada Soccer’s organization, programs, activities, and events. All Constituents are expected to demonstrate appropriate behaviour consistent with Canada Soccer’s values.
Canada Soccer supports equitable opportunity, prohibits discriminatory practices, expects individuals to act with integrity and demonstrate ethical conduct, and is committed to providing a safer environment in which all individuals are treated with respect.
This Code applies to all Constituents, meaning persons employed with and engaged in soccer-related activities sanctioned by Canada Soccer and its Members, regardless of title, type of activity or duration (e.g., Board of Directors, administrative, executive, judicial, disciplinary, technical, training, medical, player, contractor, volunteer).
This Code focuses on the conduct of actions on and off the field of play. Any breach of the Code will be addressed according to the Canada Soccer Disciplinary Code.
This Code is not intended to specifically identify every breach of integrity in sport. Misconduct that is not consistent with the values of Canada Soccer, or with the purpose of the Code, may still constitute a breach of the Code and be subject to sanctions even though not specifically included in the Code.
Constituents of Canada Soccer have a responsibility to:
4.1 Comply with the By-laws, Rules and Regulations, Disciplinary Code, policies, procedures and directives of Canada Soccer.
4.2 Work in a spirit of collaborative and respectful partnership with Canada Soccer and all its members and stakeholders to align efforts to achieve the Mission of Canada Soccer.
4.3 Demonstrate the spirit of fair play, sport leadership and ethical conduct.
4.4 Promote the sport in a constructive and positive manner.
4.5 Resolve conflicts in a civil manner on issues that are a matter of dispute.
4.6 Maintain and enhance the dignity and respect of individuals by:
4.7 Not engage in corruption, including offering a benefit or an advantage to a person to incite them to violate FIFA Statutes, Concacaf Statutes, or the Canada Soccer By-laws and any other rules or regulations of Canada Soccer.
4.8 Adhere to the FIFA Laws of the Game and principles of fair play.
4.9 Not use power or authority to coerce another person to engage in inappropriate activities or to obtain personal benefit, whether directly or indirectly.
4.10 Not engage in any act of bribery, including through the offer, promise, request, solicitation or acceptance of any benefit in return for violating their duties.
4.11 Not engage in any act of misappropriating funds of Canada Soccer, whether directly or indirectly, or in conjunction with any third party.
4.12 Respect the property of others and not willfully cause damage.
4.13 Not engage in any act of forgery and falsification, including creation of a false document, forgery of a document or signature, the making of a false claim or providing inaccurate or false information where that participant knew or ought to have known that such a document, information or claim was false.
4.14 Not engage in betting illegally on soccer matches and from any involvement in any form of manipulation of match results and ensure that match information that is not publicly available is not used for the above purposes for oneself or another party. Constituents of Canada Soccer are also prohibited from betting, legally or illegally, on any soccer match in which they are a direct or indirect participant.
4.15 Not use Canada Soccer’s intellectual property in an unlawful or disparaging way or for personal gain (including without limitation financially).
4.16 Adhere to all federal, provincial, municipal and host country laws.
4.17 Promptly report actual or suspected breaches of this Code provided the Constituent has reasonable grounds to believe there has been a breach and must not victimize another person for reporting or indicating an intent to report a complaint.
Any Constituent who engages in misconduct may be sanctioned in accordance with this Code.
A Constituent must not engage in any of the following conduct:
Canada Soccer is a signatory to the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS). Any modifications or amendments made to the UCCMS by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) shall come into effect immediately upon their adoption by the CCES and without the need for any further action by Canada Soccer.
Canada Soccer has designated the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (“CCES”) and Constituents of Canada Soccer as UCCMS signatories. Canada Soccer may amend the list of UCCMS signatories from time to time.
UCCMS signatories:
A Constituent must not engage in any conduct that endangers or may endanger the safety or well-being of a child or adult at risk, as outlined in Canada Soccer’s Guide to Safety.
A Constituent must not abuse their relative position of power or inappropriately take advantage of a relationship where a power imbalance exists (such as coach/player).
A Constituent must not make any comment, statement or representation to the public or to any form of media that constitutes an attack on:
Canada Soccer is committed to upholding a healthy, safe, and high-performance environment for all participants. Substance use can jeopardize both the safety of individuals and the integrity of the game. As such, Canada Soccer expects all Constituents to demonstrate responsible behaviour regarding the use of alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, and other substances—both recreational and performance-related.
Constituents must abstain from the non-medical use of drugs or the use of performance-enhancing drugs or methods. Constituents must refrain from consuming recreational drugs while participating in Canada Soccer’s programs, activities, competitions, or events.
A Constituent must:
Constituents should demonstrate integrity and transparency by actively avoiding real or perceived conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest arises when a reasonable perception exists that an individual's personal interests, activities and/or relationships compromise their judgment, impartiality, decisions or actions.
The expectation is that Constituents bound by this Code shall perform their duties and arrange their personal affairs in such a manner that confidence and trust in the integrity, objectivity and impartiality of Canada Soccer are always maintained.
Constituents must demonstrate the highest standard of care to avoid not only real conflicts of interest but the appearance of such conflicts.
A Constituent must not solicit or accept benefits, cash, entertainment or gifts in exchange for or as a condition of the exercise of their duties. When in doubt, gifts or cash should not be offered or accepted.
A Constituent’s public conduct, including activity on social media and other digital or public platforms, can have a direct impact on the reputation and business interests of Canada Soccer given the public nature of its business. Accordingly, the Constituent agrees to conduct themselves professionally and responsibly in all public forums, including but not limited to social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, podcasts, blogs, and media interviews).
A Constituent shall not post, share, or endorse any content or make any public statements that:
Violation of this clause may result in disciplinary action up, to and including termination for cause. Canada Soccer reserves the right to request removal of specific content deemed damaging to its reputation or contrary to this Agreement.
For the avoidance of doubt, conduct covered under the “Social Media and Public Conduct” clause of this Agreement shall be considered in evaluating whether the person has engaged in conduct involving moral turpitude or reputational harm.
All Constituents will promptly report actual or suspected breaches of this Code provided that the Constituent has reasonable grounds to believe there has been a breach.
The report should include:
A Constituent’s public conduct, including activity on social media and other digital or public platforms, may have a direct or indirect impact on the reputation and business interests of Canada Soccer given the public nature of its business.
Accordingly, the Constituent agrees to conduct themselves professionally and responsibly in all public forums, including platforms in existence now or in the future (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, podcasts, blogs, and media interviews).
The Constituent shall not post, share, or endorse any content or make any public statements that:
Violation of this clause may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination for cause in the case of employees and sanctions in the case of non-employee Constituents up to and including bans and suspensions or termination of licenses. Canada Soccer reserves the right to request removal of specific content deemed damaging to its reputation or contrary to this Agreement.
For the avoidance of doubt, conduct covered under the “Social Media and Public Conduct” clause in section 6 above shall be considered in evaluating whether Constituents have engaged in conduct involving moral turpitude or reputational harm.
Any behaviour prohibited by this Code that is experienced or observed must be reported confidentially and in writing to discipline@canadasoccer.com.
Once a report is submitted, the following shall apply:
All parties must cooperate fully with the Ethics, Disciplinary and Appeals Committees as requested.
This Code is supported and augmented by the Canada Soccer Whistleblowing Policy.
The purpose of the Whistleblower Policy is to encourage and enable Constituents to report any action or suspected action taken that is illegal, fraudulent or in violation of the By-laws, Rules and Regulations or policies of Canada Soccer.
Canada Soccer is responsible for ensuring that a confidential and anonymous process exists through which individuals can express any concerns or complaints about the accuracy, fairness or appropriateness of the conduct of a person without fear of retaliation or reprisal.
All submissions of concern should be supported with as much factual data as possible, including dates, names and places.
Methods of reporting:
Canada Soccer encourages Constituents to share their questions, concerns, and suggestions with officials who can address them properly.
The Disciplinary Code covers conduct by individuals both on and off the field of play.
The process for reporting a violation of the Disciplinary Code is found in Chapter 2, Section XIV of the Code.
Canada Soccer will ensure that the Board of Directors, Committee Members, Staff and National Team Players at Canada Soccer are familiar with and understand this Code through individualized review and mandatory training.
All Directors, Committee Members and Staff must confirm in writing that they have read and understand this Code and agree to be bound by its terms.
This will be done on an annual basis.
This Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics 2025 was revised and approved by the Board of Directors on 20 June 2025 and will be reviewed on an annual basis and may be amended, deleted or replaced by Ordinary Resolution of the Board of Directors.