All SDKs upgraded to the new FIFA Data Standard (ver. 3.3)

A new FIFA Data Standard (ver. 3.3) has been announced (see here) and will be mandatory for users of the Connect ID Service starting 2020-03-01. As a result Connect ID Team has upgraded all SDKs to be compatible with the new Standard. Below you will find all the relevant resources to download so that you can upgrade and adjust your system in time.

Please note the following:

the new versions of SDKs do not contain changes other than enforced by the new Standard. If you kept your SDK up-to-date, this upgrade will be straightforward. If your SDK is old, the upgrade may take some time.
plan the release of your upgrade so that it happens close to the deadline. If you upgrade before other MAs, those MAs won't be able to read some of your messages. If you upgrade too late, the same may happen to you. Read about the details below.

The SDKs can be downloaded from here:

Connect ID:
- .NET
- Java
- PHP

What happens if I do not upgrade on time?

If you don't upgrade, validation of the message at your end will fail only under the following circumstances (all concerning PersonDetails message).

when another MA uses "Undefined" value of the Nationality attribute
when another MA uses "Undefined" value of the CountryOfBirth attribute
when another MA uses "VAR" or "AVAR" values of the Role attribute for a Match Official Registration

Reading message at your end will not fail if another MA makes use of any of the new optional attributes, e.g. "2nd Nationality" or "Popular Name". This said, you won't be able to make use of those attributes as they will be ignored.

What happens if I upgrade before the deadline?

Everything at your end will continue to work. However, if you upgrade too early, other MAs might have issues as described in the previous paragraph. Effectively it means that you are free to upgrade before the deadline but you should not use any of the new values ("Undefined" Nationality, "Undefined" Country of Birth and "VAR" or "AVAR" roles).

List of all changes with their breaking status

Note that the links below will work only for readers with access to the Team's Jira.

Improvements

1. As an MA I want to be able to send person details with "Undefined" as a value of "Nationality"

Additional value for the already existing property “Nationality” at the <PersonLocal> level.

Breaking status: if you don't upgrade your SDK won't be able to read a message containing "Undefined" value.

2. As an MA I want to be able to send person details with "Undefined" as a value of "CountryOfBirth"

Additional value for the already existing property “CountryOfBirth” at the <PersonLocal> level.

Breaking status: if you don't upgrade your SDK won't be able to read a message containing "Undefined" value.

3. Make field PersonFIFAId required (person details message)

Existing property at the <PersonLocal> level that is being changed from optional to mandatory.

Breaking status: if you upgrade your SDK, you will have to make sure this field is not empty. If another MA does not upgrade and you do, you will not be able to read a message with an empty PersonFIFAId. This is highly unlikely though, as everyone is filling this field already.

4. As MA I want the FDS to support new Match Official roles: VAR and AVAR so that I can register persons with those roles

Two new values for “Role” property for the <MatchOfficialRegistration>.

Breaking status: if you don't upgrade your SDK won't be able to read a message containing new values.

5. As TMS I want the MAs to include ClubTrainingCategory in Person Details messages so that I can construct players passport for the purpose of Clearing House

New optional property “ClubTrainingCategory” present at the level of <PlayerRegistration>.