Bill 560.

Summary.

The bill creates the Luis Tejada National Order of Football Honor as an honorary distinction of the Panamanian State. It is intended for women and men footballers who have officially represented the Panama Senior National Football Team (Selección Nacional Mayor de Fútbol de Panamá). The order bears the name of forward Luis Tejada and recognizes the careers of players who have represented the senior national team.

The distinction has three grades tied to the number of official matches played with the Panama Senior National Team (Selección Nacional Mayor de Panamá). The grade of Officer of Football Honor applies to those who have played in 50 official matches; Commander of Football Honor applies to those who have played in 75 official matches; and Grand Cross of Football Honor applies to those who have played in 100 or more official matches. The bill describes the last grade as recognition of an exceptional career.

Each decoration consists of a medal and a scroll or official certificate corresponding to the grade awarded. Medals may be made of bronze, silver or gold according to the level of the distinction. Conferral takes place once the footballer has officially ended their playing career with the Panama Senior National Football Team. From that point, the Panamanian Sports Institute (Instituto Panameiío de Deportes), known as PANDEPORTES, begins the verification process and formal delivery of the applicable decoration.

The bill designates the Panamanian Sports Institute as the governing authority of the order. It assigns the Institute responsibility for verifying eligibility, awarding each grade, producing, keeping and formally delivering the decorations, and maintaining the official register of decorated athletes. To verify the number of official appearances, PANDEPORTES coordinates with the Panamanian Football Federation (Federación Panameña de Fútbol). The federation’s register serves as the official source of information for that verification.

A transitional provision directs that Rita Hansell, Luis Tejada’s mother, receive a special honorary decoration of the order. It establishes this as an extraordinary, one-time distinction in posthumous tribute to the footballer and in recognition of his mother’s role. This decoration is outside the order’s regular grades and creates no economic entitlement against the State. The Executive Branch (Órgano Ejecutivo) is to issue implementing regulations from the law’s promulgation, which is also when the bill provides that the law would take effect.

The public bodies and organizations connected with the bill are the Panamanian Sports Institute, PANDEPORTES, the Panamanian Football Federation, the two named senior national team designations and the Executive Branch. Its provisions could concern women and men footballers, the sports sector and those responsible for official appearance records in Panama (Panamá).