Editorial Policy and Code of Conduct

O4 Football Culture Club (o4fc.eu) is an independent digital publication about football culture, published in English.

• Publisher: TOMISLION j.d.o.o., Zagreb, Croatia.
• Legal status: O4 is registered as a provider of electronic publications with the Croatian Agency for Electronic Media (AEM).
• Editor-in-chief: Ivan Marčinko, Founder & Editor, who carries final editorial and legal responsibility for everything published on O4.
• Impressum: o4fc.eu/impressum.

This policy applies to everyone who writes, edits, illustrates or reports for O4, including freelancers and partners on joint projects.

O4 explains football beyond the 90 minutes: the money, power, design and communities that shape the game. We do not cover match results, goals or transfer gossip.

Our journalism is organised around four lenses:

• Game — the structures, systems and dynamics of the sport.
• Business — ownership, funding, sponsorship and the economics of clubs.
• Design — identity, visual culture, kits, stadiums and type.
• Culture — supporters, communities, history and football's place in society.

We publish analysis, long-form features, interviews and investigations. Every article serves the public's understanding of how football works, and who benefits from it.

Editorial decisions at O4 are made by the editor alone. No club, owner, federation, sponsor, advertiser, government, political party or funder may influence what we investigate, what we publish or how we frame it.

• O4 does not let any subject of a story review or approve it before publication. Fact-checking contacts with sources are the only exception (see section 5).
• O4 is funded by its publisher, by reader and member products, and may be funded by grants from journalism funds.
• Every grant, sponsorship or partnership that supports a specific story is disclosed in that story.
• Grant-giving organisations have no editorial control over the content they fund.

O4 publishes only what it can support with evidence.

• Key facts, figures and allegations are verified against primary sources: documents, official records, financial reports, public budgets or on-the-record statements.
• Serious claims about a person or organisation require at least two independent sources, or one documentary source we have examined ourselves.
• We clearly separate fact from analysis and opinion.
• Sources are linked at the end of every article wherever possible, so readers can check our work.
• Quotes are reproduced accurately and in context. Translated quotes are marked as translations.
• We do not publish rumours, and we do not present speculation as fact.

Anyone who is the subject of a serious allegation in O4 is given a fair chance to respond before publication.

• We contact them in writing, set out the specific claims, and give a reasonable deadline to reply, normally at least five working days.
• Their response, or the fact that they declined to respond, is reported fairly in the story.
• We do not use deception or hidden recording, except when the public interest is overwhelming, the information cannot be obtained otherwise, and the editor approves it in advance.
• We respect the dignity of the people we write about and avoid discrimination on any grounds.

O4 protects confidential sources without exception.

• Anonymity is granted only when a source faces real risk and the information is in the public interest. The editor always knows the identity of an anonymous source.
• We never reveal a confidential source's identity, including to partners, funders or authorities, as guaranteed by Croatian media law.
• Sensitive documents and communications are stored on encrypted, access-limited systems and shared only with team members who need them.
• On sensitive investigations we use secure messaging and follow the data-security guidance of our project partners.

Contributors must declare to the editor any personal, financial or professional link to the people, clubs or companies they cover.

• A contributor with a material conflict does not report on that subject.
• Where a link is relevant but not disqualifying, it is disclosed to readers in the article.
• O4 contributors do not accept gifts, paid trips or payments from the subjects of their reporting. Press accreditation and standard review copies are acceptable and disclosed where relevant.

O4 keeps journalism and commerce apart.

• Any sponsored or partner content is clearly labelled as such and is never presented as independent journalism.
• O4's own products, such as printed or digital editions and merchandise, are sold separately and do not influence editorial coverage.
• Commercial partners have no say over the topics, sources or conclusions of our journalism.

Every published word and fact is the responsibility of a human editor.

• Photographs are used with permission or under a valid licence and are credited. We do not alter news photographs in ways that change their meaning.
• O4's editorial illustrations are artistic interpretations. Where they are created with AI image tools, they are never used to depict real events or to imitate documentary photographs.
• AI tools may assist with research, transcription, translation and editing. They are never treated as a source, and every fact they surface is verified independently.
• Confidential source material is never entered into third-party AI tools.

When O4 gets something wrong, we correct it promptly and openly.

• Factual errors are corrected in the article, with a dated correction note at the end explaining what was changed.
• We do not silently delete or rewrite published content.
• Requests for correction and complaints can be sent to info@o4fc.eu. We aim to respond within seven days.
• Requests for correction or reply under Croatian media law are handled within the deadlines set by that law.

On investigations and joint projects with partner media, O4 applies this policy in full and expects the same standards from partners.

• Before a project starts, partners agree in writing on roles, publication dates, languages, credits and the handling of sources and data.
• Each partner keeps editorial responsibility for what it publishes, but key findings are shared and cross-checked before any partner publishes.
• Investigations are reviewed by a media lawyer before publication.
• Every published piece credits all partners and discloses the funder that supported it.
• Material published behind a paywall or in print is also made freely available online when the project terms require it.

O4 operates under Croatian law, including the Media Act (Zakon o medijima) and the Electronic Media Act (Zakon o elektroničkim medijima), and follows the ethical standards of the Code of Honour of Croatian Journalists.

• Personal data of readers and members is processed in line with the GDPR and used only for the purposes they signed up for.
• We publish personal information about private individuals only when it is necessary to a story of public interest.
• Contact: info@o4fc.eu · TOMISLION j.d.o.o., Zagreb, Croatia.
• This policy is reviewed at least once a year and is published on o4fc.eu.

Ivan Marčinko, Founder & Editor, O4 Football Culture Club