The Disciplinary functions consist of four specialist areas: Football Regulation, Financial Regulation, Regulatory Legal Advice and Disciplinary.

Football Regulation covers all non-financial matters such as on-field matters, doping control, child protection cases, discrimination and media comments.

Financial Regulation covers matters such as regulation of agents, regulation of player transfers and financial irregularities at clubs.

As well as providing advice and guidance on regulatory and financial matters, these two departments also investigate suspected or alleged breaches of Rules and Regulations.

Regulatory Legal Advice covers legal advice to the Football and Financial Regulation areas as well as the drafting of Rules and Regulations. This department also acts as “prosecutor” in disciplinary cases, presenting The FA’s cases to Disciplinary Commissions and Appeal Boards.

These three distinct departments replace the Compliance Department which previously covered these areas. The staff members are professional specialists recruited for their specific and relevant skills, including barristers, a forensic accountant, an ex-police officer, and specialists in the areas of agents, child protection and legal affairs.

As before, the separate Disciplinary Department remains responsible for the administration of all FA Disciplinary Commissions and Appeal Boards as well as the processing of red and yellow cards.

Disciplinary hearings

Decisions on whether charges are proved and what sanction, if any, should be applied are taken by independent Disciplinary Commissions composed of four members. The Chairman of the Commission has a casting vote if required.

The FA, in common with other sports governing bodies, operates an "adversarial" system for its Disciplinary Commissions with the Regulatory Legal Advisors acting as "prosecutor" on behalf of The FA and the participants (players, managers, clubs, etc.) as "defendants". Both sides have equal rights to make representations and produce evidence.