Yanga’s legal director Simon Patrick now a Fifa counsel

Young Africans SC’s legal director Simon Patrick, Legal has been appointed among 20 pro bono counsels by the FIFA administration, ratified by the FIFA Council, local media has reported.

FIFA’s official website stated that 21 integrity experts and 20 pro bono counsels had been selected after thoroughly reviewing the high-quality applications.

FIFA noted this is the final list of the first-ever appointed integrity experts and newly appointed pro bono counsel.

The appointees will serve for three years. Simon Patrick had been listed alongside a fellow East African advocate from Kenya, Japheth Munyendo.

Other appointees include Yoann Brigante from Switzerland, Andres Charria (Columbia), Salvatore Civale, Edoardo Mazzoli, and Luca Pastore (Italy).

Jess Colmenares (Venezuela), Amobi Ezeaku (Nigeria), David Kanyenda (Malawi), Dev Kumar Parmar (United Kingdom), Anastasia Malyarchuk (Russia), Joelle Monlouis (France), and Marcos Motta (Brazil).

Others  are Paleologos (Australia), Juan Alfonso, Alberto Roigé Godia (Spain), Farai Razano (South Africa), Saksham Samarth (India), and Felipe Vasquez Rivera (Uruguay).

Reacting to the appointment, Yanga hailed his appointment saying it is  prestigious position.

In addition, as an essential component of FIFA’s legal aid system, the newly appointed pro bono counsel will perform a crucial role in guaranteeing the rights of individuals who otherwise lack the financial means to defend themselves appropriately before FIFA’s judicial bodies.

By representing those faced with overwhelming financial barriers and providing concrete legal expertise in judicial proceedings, the pro bono counsel will help to ensure that individuals facing monetary difficulties are not prevented from accessing fair and expert legal representation – such valuable work that is aligned with FIFA’s steadfast dedication to ensuring that individuals’ legal rights are both upheld and respected.