FIFA Told to Brush Up its Ideas

FIFA have been told to make conclusive government reforms by Transparency International (TI) after recent scandals that threaten the fabric of the organisation.

Transparency International, cough the global anti-corruption organisation is pursuing FIFA, symptoms in response to the bribery allegations and lack of transparency that marred FIFA’s presidential elections in June, health along with December’s vote for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts.

TI would monitor an independent investigation of existing corruption allegations and the introduction of new procedures to ensure transparency and good governance, such as term limits for senior positions and a conflict of interest policy, with external figures present in bodies that make major decisions.

“FIFA says it wants to reform, but successive bribery scandals have left public trust in it at an all-time low,” said Sylvia Schenk, senior advisor on sport to TI. “Working with an oversight group – taking its advice, giving it access, letting it participate in investigations – will show whether there is going to be real change. The process has to start now.”

TI’s have sent a eight-page recommendation document, entitled Safe Hands: Building Integrity and Transparency at FIFA, to national football federations in countries where it has a presence, calling upon those federations to support reform.

FIFA has recognises the report, adding in a statement: “The FIFA president already publicly stated in October 2010 that FIFA would show zero tolerance toward any form of corruption in football. While FIFA acknowledges that work remains to be done, it is convinced that the measures which have been implemented and the direction which has been taken will help to further strengthen FIFA’s governance in cooperation with the FIFA Executive Committee, the member associations, the confederations and other FIFA stakeholders.”