FIFA's ruling on FFA's congress-crisis involves a temporary 'Working Group', which will convene to broker a permanent power-sharing solution among Australian football's key stakeholders.

FIFA's eight-seat 'Working Group' will consist of:

Four seats for member federations

Two seats for club representatives

One seat for a Professional Footballer's Association (PFA) representative

One seat for an Independent Chairperson.

The group will convene on July 31 and hold their first Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in early September. Their objectives - previously outlined in a Terms of Reference document - included the following remits.

- Alignment of FFA statutes with FIFA statutes

- The full participation of women at all levels of football governance

- FFA board composition and independance

- A pathway for alternative A-League governance

- A pathway for other stakeholders to become FFA members

- Representation for NPL clubs in football governance

At this stage there doesn't appear to be a seat for the Australian Professional Football Club's Association (AFPCA) or Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) - the general representative bodies for A-League and NPL clubs.

Which member federations will be included in the four seats available also remains unclear.

Background

The 'Working Group' was set by FIFA as a temporary solution to the ongoing stoush between FFA and A-League club owners, who are seeking greater input into football's governance in Australia.

This is in response to ongoing concerns over the top-down power structure in Australian football, with FIFA previously acknowledging that Australia comprises an "un-democratic" system.

Due to FFA's inability to reach a power-sharing agreement with the A-League clubs, FIFA announced they would be implementing a 'Working Group' to bring all parties together to find a solution. However, the current makeup could still leave power in the hands of the four member federations.

The only details available for the independent chairperson, as provided by FIFA, are that whoever the appointment is, they can't have a pre-existing relationship with FFA. They must also have a previous background in sports governance and mediation.