Result of Service

Under the overall supervision of the Chief, Thematic Support Section, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, and the direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator of the Programme on Safeguarding Sport from Corruption and Financial Crime, the incumbent will carry out to completion the following substantive duties and responsibilities: 1. Beneficiaries, experts and officials are mapped: an overview and contact database of professional football clubs, football agents, agents' associations, Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), regulators, European Commission counterparts and international sport bodies relevant to the Guide are prepared. 2. A first draft of the new publication (no more than 40 pages) is prepared, including a glossary, table of contents, boxes, tables, illustrations, references and sources in UN format, ready for internal review. 3. The substantive preparation of, and active participation in, an in-person expert group meeting at the Vienna International Centre to review the first draft are undertaken. 4. A second draft of the publication is prepared, incorporating feedback and suggestions received from UNODC, the European Commission and the expert group review process. 5. Final feedback received through the final review circulation is incorporated, and a third and final draft of the publication, ready for language editing, layout and potential printing, is submitted. Payments will be released based on satisfactory completion of each deliverable, as evaluated by the Chief of the Thematic Support Section (TSS) of CFB, in consultation with the Programme Coordinator. All deliverables should meet the satisfaction of UNODC/CFB/TSS according to the following indicators: timeliness of delivery, quality of documents and reports, and technical competence.

Work Location

Home-based with a possibility of potential travel (e.g. Vienna, Austria)

Expected duration

From 1st September 2026 to 31 January 2027

Duties and Responsibilities

Background of the assignment: The European football industry is one of the most financially significant sporting sectors worldwide, generating tens of billions of euros in revenue each season. Despite its scale, the sector remains vulnerable to corruption, money laundering and infiltration by organized crime, owing to the complexity of international player transfers, the opacity of ownership structures, and the large sums involved in sponsorship and betting markets. In recognition of these risks, the European Union (EU) adopted Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 of 31 May 2024, a binding EU legislative instrument which, for the first time, designates professional football clubs and football agents as obliged entities under the EU anti-money laundering (AML) framework. This is complemented at the international level by United Nations General Assembly resolution 79/190 of 18 December 2024, which urges Member States to enhance prevention, detection, investigation, cooperation and the exchange of information and good practices to tackle corruption in sport, thereby reinforcing the case for targeted action on money laundering in football. While larger clubs may have access to compliance expertise, many mid-tier and lower-division clubs, as well as football agents operating across jurisdictions, currently lack the capacity, resources and tailored guidance needed to meet these new obligations. To address this gap, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), through its Programme on Safeguarding Sport from Corruption and Economic Crime, is implementing the action “Clean Sheet: Enhancing Financial Integrity in European Football and Beyond”, co-funded by UNODC and the European Commission (Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, DG EAC). The action pursues two outcomes: (i) equipping professional football clubs and agents with a practical tool and guidance to implement Regulation (EU) 2024/1624; and (ii) raising awareness of money-laundering risks in European football, consistent with the EU Work Plan for Sport (2024–2027). Output 1.1 of the action consists of the development of a publication, provisionally entitled “Clean Sheet: A Guide to Enhancing Financial Integrity in European Football and Beyond”, which will help professional football clubs and football agents comply with Regulation (EU) 2024/1624, conduct due diligence, report suspicious financial activities, and set effective preventive measures. The publication will also set out suggestions on how Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and the football sector can enhance cooperation to tackle money laundering in football. Purpose of the assignment The purpose of the assignment is to support UNODC in delivering Output 1.1 of the action by developing the Guide referred to above. The main beneficiaries of the Guide are professional football clubs and football agents that are newly designated as obliged entities under Regulation (EU) 2024/1624, as well as FIUs, regulators, supervisors and other authorities engaging with the football sector. Issues the Guide should address include, where relevant: Money-laundering typologies and risk indicators specific to professional football What it means to be an obliged entity under Regulation (EU) 2024/1624, including customer due diligence, suspicious transaction reporting, record-keeping, training and internal controls Practical guidance for professional football clubs, including on player transfers, sponsorship deals, beneficial ownership and internal AML governance Practical guidance for football agents, including on client due diligence, commission payments, cross-border transactions and reporting obligations Strengthening cooperation between FIUs and the football sector, including on reporting quality and feedback mechanisms Comparative good practice across selected jurisdictions The Guide will be developed in cooperation with the European Commission and relevant stakeholders, FIUs and national regulators, and will complement UNODC's existing body of work on safeguarding sport from corruption and financial crime. Specific tasks to be performed by the consultant Under the overall supervision of the Chief, Thematic Support Section, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, and the direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator of the Programme on Safeguarding Sport from Corruption and Financial Crime, the incumbent will perform the following substantive duties and responsibilities: Deliverable 1: Develop an overview and contact database of beneficiaries, experts and officials, including representatives of professional football clubs, football agents' associations, FIUs, regulators, the European Commission, and international sport bodies who could contribute to, or benefit from, the development of the Guide. Deliverable 2: Prepare a first draft of the new publication for initial review, of no more than 40 pages in length. Wherever possible, emphasis should be placed on identifying good practices and including practical examples. The draft should include a glossary, table of contents, boxes, tables, illustrations, references and sources in UN format, ready for review and subsequent editing. Deliverable 3: Contribute to the substantive preparation and organization of, and actively participate in, an in-person expert group meeting at the Vienna International Centre (approximately two days, around 20–30 participants) to review the first draft of the publication, including by preparing background materials and responding to written and oral comments from experts, officials, and representatives of clubs, agents, FIUs, regulators and international sport bodies. Deliverable 4: Prepare a second draft of the publication, incorporating feedback and suggestions received from UNODC, the European Commission, and the expert group review process, and demonstrating strong progress towards finalization. Deliverable 5: Incorporate final feedback received when the second draft is circulated to experts and officials for fact-checking, and submit a third and final draft of the publication, including a glossary, table of contents, boxes, tables, illustrations, references and sources, in a format ready for language editing, layout and potential printing. At all times, the consultant shall provide UNODC with access to intermediate products of the consultancy.

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in law, finance, criminology, political science, public administration, or a related discipline is required; A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;

A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience working on anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), financial crime, or financial regulation/compliance is highly desirable;
Experience working with, or advising, Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), financial regulators, or obliged entities on AML/CFT compliance is required;
Familiarity with the EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 and the broader EU AML/CFT legal framework is highly desirable;
Understanding of, or experience working with, professional sport organizations, football governing bodies, clubs or agents is highly desirable;
Experience in drafting technical publications, guidance material or training tools for compliance, criminal justice, or financial-sector practitioners is highly desirable;
Demonstrable expert knowledge of issues relating to corruption and financial crime in sport, and in particular money laundering, is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required and working knowledge of French and/or Spanish is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Consultant to support implementation of a UNODC “Clean Sheet: A Guide to Enhancing Financial Integrity in European Football and Beyond”