October 30 – The chairman of FIFA’s Reform Committee François Carrard will make his first public appearance since his committee submitted its reform proposals at the Securing Sport 2015 conference in New York next week.
Carrard will be interviewed as part of the conference schedule, on “maintaining integrity in professional sport”.
A Swiss lawyer, Carrard led the reform of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following the corruption scandal surrounding the bidding for the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic games.
Carrard was drafted into FIFA to push forward its reform process and was rewarded by FIFA with a reform committee criticised for being compiled of FIFA confederations insiders, rather than truly independent outsiders. Carrard himself has questioned the motivation and zeal of the US Department of Justice investigations, though not the fact that the alleged crimes need investigation.
Earlier this month Carrard submitted a five-page provisional list of recommendations to be rubber-stamped at FIFA’s final executive committee meeting of the year in early December, before going forward to the February 26 congress for approval.
The reforms, designed to make FIFA “more transparent and accountable” include weakening the power of the exco and the establishment of a ‘FIFA Council’; a maximum 12-year term for the FIFA president; an age limit of 74 for senior officials; enhanced integrity checks; and disclosure of remuneration, not just concerning the FIFA president but all major officials in positions of responsibility.
The changes, said Carrard’s document, “are necessary to effect lasting change on the organisation and to restore FIFA’s reputation.”
Speaking in advance of Securing Sport 2015, Carrard said: “With many challenges facing the safety, security and integrity of sport, it is important that all sports continue to grow and evolve and ensure that they are governed in a way that observes the highest possible standards of integrity, openness and transparency.”
The conference, organised by the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) for the first time in New York, has an agenda covering issues including: the legalisation of Sport Betting in the United States; cyber-attacks and other “emerging threats” during major sporting events; financial transparency, corruption and organised crime in sport; the role of sport in economic development; the role of government in sport; and player and spectator safety and major sporting events
Speakers include former US attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr, as well as a number of US law enforcement chiefs.
From football US Soccer federation president and FIFA executive committee member Sunil Gulati, will give an on-stage interview with James Carville, an often spiky American political strategist and commentator. Gulati is scheduled to “discuss and share his insights on the social impact, responsibility and legacy of sport”, and the audience will hope he opens up on the reform process currently taking place in CONCACAF.
The confederation was plunged into crisis following the arrests of its senior executives and the US Department of Justice indictments that were triggered from within the region, and the US in particular. Gulati has been an ever present in CONCACAF through all its scandals and is the central figure in the three-man emergency committee set up to run the confederation as it goes through a second process of major reform.
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