American Samoa attorney Fiti Sunia, former Attorney General of American Samoa, has been appointed to sit on one of FIFA’s judicial bodies, the Disciplinary Committee.
His appointment was made formal in a letter to Sunia by FIFA Deputy Secretary General Markus Kattner on 18 December, 2013.
“I’m truly honoured by this appointment and I look forward to serving on this committee and hopefully make some contribution to FIFA’s mission here and abroad,” Sunia said.
“I wish to thanks the Oceania Football Confederation and FFAS for trusting me with their recommendation.”
OFC Member Associations were tasked with sending in their own nominations with Sunia becoming OFC’s selection for the vacant FIFA Disciplinary Committee seat.
“We are very honoured to have FIFA and OFC select a lawyer from American Samoa to sit on this committee,” FFAS President Faiivae Iuli Alex Godinet said.
“With the background that he has I am sure he is going to fit right in.”
Under the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the “FIFA Disciplinary Committee is authorised to sanction any breach of FIFA regulations which does not come under the jurisdiction of another body.”
It’s specific jurisdictions are:
a) sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials attention;
b) rectifying obvious errors in teh referee’s disciplinary decisions;
c) extending the duration of a match suspension incurred automatically by an expulsion (cf. art18, par. 4);
d) pronouncing additional sanctions, such as a fine.
Sunia served as a government attorney for American Samoa for eight years, four of those years as American Samoa’s Attorney General (2001-2005).
He received his bachelor’s degree in public administration from Drake University; a master’s degree in public administration from American University and his juris doctorate from Howard University School of Law.
After leaving government service in 2005, Sunia opened his own private practice specialising in civil, land and matai title cases.
OFC
