By Andrew Warshaw
August 10 – FIFA is understood to be on the verge of officially announcing the various representatives on its much-touted Reform Task Force which it hopes will bring about much-needed change to the way the organisation is both run and perceived.
All six FIFA confederations will have members on the 11-strong panel, with Africa already having nominated Hany Abu Rida from Egypt and Constant Omari of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Former International Olympic Committee director general Francois Carrard has been approached to be the independent chairman of the all-important body designed to oversee the reform process in the wake of the worst corruption crisis in 111 years that has led Sepp Blatter to announce he is stepping down as president next February, with his number two Jerome Valcke probably going too.
Asia is understood to be considering another former IOC official, Australian Kevan Gosper, who was twice vice-president and, like Carrard, was involved in the IOC during its own Salt Lake City scandal.
Conmebol is reported to be nominating Wilmar Valdez and Gorka Villar, president and director general respectively of the Uruguay Football Association. Villar’s father, Angel Villar Llona, is the controversial head of the Spanish federation as well as being a member of FIFA’s executive committee.
CONCACAF, meanwhile, is reported by Reuters to be nominating US lawyer Samir Ghandi, who has been advising the confederation on its own reform process, and Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani. Rumour has it that UEFA may put forward Gianni Infantino, its current general secretary.
The reform drive follows the arrest in May of a spate of senior FIFA officials amid accusations by the US Department of Justice of some 24 years of systematic corruption. The new Task Force is due to report to FIFA’s executive committee at the end of September but its make-up has yet to be confirmed, let alone its first meeting announced.
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