Following a robust recruitment process led by the independent panel of the Safe Football Support Unit (SFSU), the FIFA Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Alexander McLin as the Unit Lead of the newly established unit from 1 May 2025.

The SFSU – the launch of which was announced in December last year – is a dedicated and an impartial unit that will provide specialist guidance and support services to victims of violence and abuse (physical, sexual and psychological) in the world’s number-one sport. The pioneering unit will operate under the auspices of the FIFA Foundation.

McLin is an accomplished lawyer and an experienced sports arbitrator and was the founding director of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation. Over the past six years, he has played a pivotal role in defending the rights of abuse survivors and in strengthening ethical standards in gymnastics.

He will head up the SFSU secretariat and lead the unit’s operations. Reporting to an independent panel and supported by special advisers and a survivors advisory group – under tailor-made regulations enacted to ensure the unit’s impartiality – the secretariat’s priority will be to prepare the unit’s operations and trauma-informed services before it opens its doors later this year.

Working in conjunction with the panel, McLin will initially focus his efforts on expanding the SFSU leadership team, with two more critical appointments Survivor Advocacy Services Manager and Case Management Services Manager set to be made.

Candidates may access the vacancy notices for these roles by clicking on the job titles above. Candidates who meet the criteria for either role are invited to submit an online application by following the instructions and links in the respective vacancy notices before 17:00 CET on Sunday, 18 May 2025.