By Prof. Dr. Marco Passardi & Karin Altendorfer 

As part of the course Consolidated Financial Statements and Financial Analysis, the Master IFM students had the opportunity to visit the headquarters of one of the world’s most influential sports organizations – the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich. 

Welcomed by FIFA’s CFO, the visit started with a real WOW moment. The first impression of the highly modern building, where everything revolves around football, was truly impressive. This was followed by very insightful perspectives on how International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are applied in a global organization. 

Of course, the students’ knowledge was put to the test. Not only their IFRS expertise, but also their football knowledge. Which one was stronger? We’ll leave that open as some food for thought. ⚽😉 

A big thank you to Marco Passardi, not only for preparing the students to become experts in IFRS, but also for making this visit and the glimpse into FIFA’s accounting and reporting practices possible. 

Afternoons like these underline the value of applied learning at the Lucerne School of Business. The networking, the questions and the curiosity all contribute to shaping the next generation of finance professionals and decision-makers. 

An afternoon to remember! 

Autor: Prof. Dr. Marco Passardi

Prof. Dr. Marco Passardi is a Professor of Accounting at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He teaches at the Institute of Financial Services Zug (IFZ) of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and serves as a lecturer at the University of Neuchâtel and ETH Zurich. He has many years of experience as a board member, including at FINcontrol Suisse AG, which operates under a mandate from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). In addition, he works as an expert reviewer on matters related to financial reporting under the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR), Swiss GAAP FER, and IFRS. He has been involved with EXPERTsuisse for more than 20 years and leads the training of future auditors in the area of international financial reporting under IFRS.

Autorin: Karin Altendorfer

Karin Altendorfer is a research assistant at the Competence Centre for Risk & Compliance Management of the Institute of Financial Services Zug (IFZ) at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Having completed her Master’s degree in International Financial Management at HSLU in 2025, she is currently pursuing her PhD in Risk Management.