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FENIFUT — Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol

Nicaragua’s national football association, based in Managua, which Concacaf calls “a founding member of Concacaf in 1961”; the country’s member of FIFA and Concacaf.
✓ Last reviewed: October 2026
Full nameFederación Nicaragüense de Fútbol (FENIFUT), as Concacaf and the Court of Arbitration for Sport give it[1][6]
HeadquartersManagua: from the main gate of the Hospital Bautista, 1 block down, 1 block south and half a block down, as FIFA and Concacaf give it[2][1]
World bodyFIFA, which lists it as the Nicaraguan Football Association[3]
ConfederationConcacaf, which calls it “a founding member of Concacaf in 1961”[1]
CAS caseTAS 2023/A/9773, FENIFUT v. Federación de Fútbol de Trinidad y Tobago & Concacaf: appeal dismissed (operative part 18 August 2023; reasoned award 6 May 2025)[6]
PresidentManuel Quintanilla, listed by FIFA as president (October 2026)[2]

What is FENIFUT?

The Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol (FENIFUT) is the national association for football in Nicaragua. FIFA lists it in English as the Nicaraguan Football Association, in the Concacaf confederation, with Manuel Quintanilla as president.[3] Concacaf’s profile gives the Spanish name, Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol, under the FIFA code NCA, and calls it the Nicaraguan Football Federation.[1] In an award of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) it is described as “la federación nacional responsable de la organización del fútbol en Nicaragua” (the national federation responsible for organising football in Nicaragua).[6]

FIFA’s list of its officers names, beside the president, two vice-presidents, a general secretary, a media and communication manager, a technical director, the head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams, the chair of the referees committee and the head of the referees department.[2]

What does FENIFUT govern or do?

Its structure, as FIFA lists it, includes a technical director for the development of the game, head coaches for the men’s and women’s national teams, and a refereeing structure led by the chair of the referees committee and the head of the referees department.[2] FIFA’s page for the association also reports FIFA club-management workshops held in Nicaragua in 2025 to strengthen the professional game.[3]

Internationally, FENIFUT answers to Concacaf’s disciplinary bodies for its national teams’ participation in Concacaf competitions, including the eligibility of the players it fields. In 2023 the Concacaf Disciplinary Committee and then the Concacaf Appeals Committee decided a case against the federation over an ineligible player, and the CAS, on FENIFUT’s appeal, confirmed the Appeals Committee’s decision and the sanctions it carried (§4).[6] FIFA lists José Bermúdez as the federation’s general secretary.[2]

When was FENIFUT founded and where is it based?

Concacaf’s profile describes the federation as “a founding member of Concacaf in 1961”.[1] Concacaf states that it “was established in 1961 from a vision of unity, officially formed through the merger of the North American Football Union (NAFU) and the Football Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean (CCCF)”.[4] The 1961 date is therefore the federation’s Concacaf membership; its own founding is a separate date.

FIFA gives the federation’s address in Managua’s customary form, by landmark: “Porton Principal del Hospital Bautista 1 c. abajo, 1 c. al sur y 1/2 c. abajo, Apartado Postal 976, MANAGUA”.[2] Concacaf gives the same address and postal box.[1] The CAS award identifies the appellant as “Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol, Managua, Nicaragua”.[6]

How is FENIFUT recognised?

FIFA. FIFA’s member-association page lists the Nicaraguan Football Association in the Concacaf confederation, and records its participation in FIFA World Cup qualifying up to the 2026 qualifiers.[3] The CAS award notes that FENIFUT is a member of FIFA.[6]

Concacaf. Nicaragua appears among the 41 member associations on Concacaf’s list, and Concacaf calls the federation a founding member.[5][1] As a member it is subject to Concacaf’s disciplinary regime. For fielding an ineligible player in eight matches, six in 2019 and two in 2022, the Concacaf Disciplinary Committee imposed on FENIFUT by a decision of 12 June 2023 “La exclusión inmediata de la Copa Oro 2023” (immediate exclusion from the 2023 Gold Cup), “el descenso de categoría de la próxima edición de la Liga de Naciones de Concacaf 2023/2024” (relegation in the 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League) and the repayment of costs; the case then went to the Concacaf Appeals Committee, which decided it on 21 June 2023.[6] FENIFUT appealed to the CAS against the Federación de Fútbol de Trinidad y Tobago and Concacaf. In award TAS 2023/A/9773 — operative part dated 18 August 2023, reasoned award 6 May 2025 — the CAS decided to “Rechazar la apelación presentada por la Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol” and to confirm the Appeals Committee’s decision of 21 June 2023, rejecting the arguments that the 2019 infringements were time-barred and that the sanctions were disproportionate.[6]

What does FENIFUT organise?

FENIFUT fields Nicaragua’s national teams. FIFA’s directory names the head coaches of the men’s and women’s teams, and Concacaf’s profile describes the women’s programme as “up-and-coming”.[2][1] Through the federation Nicaragua enters FIFA and Concacaf competitions: the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the Concacaf Nations League and the Gold Cup. Concacaf records that in 2009 the senior men’s team reached the Gold Cup “for the first time”, and that it took part again in the 2017 and 2019 editions.[1][3] The 2026 World Cup (11 June–19 July 2026) is past.

Nicaraguan clubs enter Concacaf’s club competitions: Concacaf records Real Estelí in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League, and Walter Ferretti, Managua and Diriangén in the Concacaf League. Its profile also names Real Estelí and UNAN Managua as clubs supporting player development in the women’s game.[1]

Who are its members?

FENIFUT is itself a member of the two bodies above it. Concacaf’s members are national associations, not clubs: Nicaragua is one of the 41 on the confederation’s list, alongside its Central American neighbours Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama.[5] At world level, FIFA lists it as the Nicaraguan Football Association, and the CAS award records its FIFA membership.[3][6]

Within the federation, FIFA’s directory names the leadership: president Manuel Quintanilla, vice-presidents Guillermo López and Reynaldo Mairena, and general secretary José Bermúdez, with the technical and refereeing officers named in §1.[2] The CAS award names the federation as appellant in its own right, as “Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol, Managua, Nicaragua”, and describes it as “miembro de la Fédération Internationale de Football Association”.[6]

References

  1. Concacaf — Member associations: Nicaragua (Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol). Accessed 2026-10-04.
  2. FIFA — Member associations: Nicaragua, organisation (officers and address). Accessed 2026-10-04.
  3. FIFA — Member associations: Nicaragua (Nicaraguan Football Association). Accessed 2026-10-04.
  4. Concacaf — History. Accessed 2026-10-04.
  5. Concacaf — Member associations (list of 41). Accessed 2026-10-04.
  6. Court of Arbitration for Sport — Award TAS 2023/A/9773, Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol v. Federación de Fútbol de Trinidad y Tobago & CONCACAF (PDF). Accessed 2026-10-04.