By Andrew Warshaw
January 27 – Sepp Blatter’s (pictured) promise that a woman will join FIFA’s Executive Committee to help get the organisation back on its feet cannot be approved for at least another four months.
Last year, after being elected for a fourth and final term, the FIFA President pledged that as part of his reform process to clean up world football’s governing body, a woman would be co-opted on to the Executive Committee.
But FIFA has yet to follow UEFA’s lead.
In June, three months after receiving an invitation, Norway’s Karen Espelund became the 17th member of the UEFA Executive Committee, providing fresh expertise having run her country’s football body, the Football Association of Norway (NFF), for 10 years.
By the time Espelund (pictured) joined on a two-year mandate to serve in UEFA President Michel Platini’s inner circle, a series of FIFA corruption scandals was well under way.
Blatter pledged he would follow suit and also bring in a much-needed female voice.
However, a FIFA statement issued to insideworldfootball reiterated that any change related to the composition of the Executive Committee would require a modification of the FIFA Statutes.
“That can only be approved by the FIFA Congress,” the statement said.
FIFA’s next congress is in Budapest at the end of May.
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