General Rules
1. When imposing a sanction, the Ethics Committee shall take into account all relevant factors in the case, including the nature of the offence; the substantial interest in deterring similar misconduct; the offender’s assistance to and cooperation with the Ethics Committee; the motive; the circumstances; the degree of the offender’s guilt; the extent to which the offender accepts responsibility, and whether the person mitigated his guilt by returning the advantage received, where applicable.
2. In case of mitigating circumstances, and if deemed appropriate taking into account all circumstances of the case, the Ethics Committee may go below the minimum sanction and/or decide to hand down alternative sanctions as provided under article 7, paragraph one.
3. Unless this Code mentions otherwise, the Ethics Committee shall decide the scope and duration of any sanction.
4. Sanctions may be limited to a geographical area or to one or more specific categories of match or competition.
5. The Ethics Committee may recommend to the responsible FIFA body that it share information on a case with the appropriate public authorities.