Sports discipline is a broad term that enables its legitimate holders (judges, referees, sports clubs, Federations, etc.) to sanction all those persons or entities that are part of their structure.

Within Sports Discipline it is important to distinguish two types of infractions, as Royal Decree 1591/1992, of December 23, on Sports Discipline, establishes two different procedures depending on:

– If they are violations of the rules of the game or competition.

– If they are violations of the general sports rules.

For violations of the rules of the game or competition, the established procedure is the ORDINARY one, whose main function is to ensure the normal development of the competition.

For violations of general sports rules, the EXTRAORDINARY procedure comes into play, the one used by the different Sports Disciplinary Committees that can act from the moment they become aware of the breach of the rule through a complaint, at the request of the CSD, or ex officio.

THE SPORTS DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEES OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATIONS

The scope of application of the sports discipline of the various Disciplinary Committees of the National Federations is limited to activities or competitions of state and, where appropriate, international scope, provided that it affects the persons who participate in them and that it implies an infringement of the rules specified in the Law or in its development provisions and/or of the other statutory or regulatory rules.

It should be remembered that the Sports Disciplinary Committees have the power to apply sanctions for violations of sports rules because the Federations are collaborating entities of the Public Administration, so this sanctioning power must be understood as an exercise of the protective work that in disciplinary and sanctioning sports matters corresponds to the public authorities.

THE COMMITTEES OF THE AUTONOMOUS FEDERATIONS

The exercise of disciplinary power corresponds not only to the Spanish Federations of the different sports modalities, but also to the rest of the Territorial Federations and a whole mosaic established by Royal Decree 1591/1992, of December 23, on Sports Discipline.

A comprehensive disciplinary network for sports has been created between national and regional legislation, developed through the regulations and/or statutes of the various federations. This network establishes a functional and jurisdictional framework for the actions of the bodies that comprise it. Thus, the different Statutes of Autonomy explicitly recognize the importance of sport as a social and economic phenomenon, and therefore grant disciplinary powers to the Territorial Sports Federations, which have created their own Sports Disciplinary Committees.

For further information on this protective network, in addition to the various regulations approved by the autonomous communities, you can consult Law 10/1990, of October 15, the Sports Law, and Royal Decree 1591/1992, of December 23, on Sports Discipline.