August 22 – In another blow to the reputation of South American football administration, FIFA have intervened to take control of the Uruguayan federation after it was plunged into chaos following the sudden resignation of president Wilmar Valdez (pictured) last month.
Valdez stepped down following the release of compromising audio recordings, just a day before he was due to stand for re-election for a second term.
A letter from FIFA reported in local media said a “regularisation committee” aimed at restoring order and that it manage the affairs of the FA on a day-to-day basis through to February 28, 2019 and would revise the organisation’s statutes and arrange new elections.
Valdez had been favourite to win a new term and although the exact content of the recordings is unknown, local media said they contained comments about sports administrators, a member of the government and sports journalists.
Valdez has denied the recordings were responsible for his resignation saying the decision was “motivated solely by family and personal reasons that have nothing to do with the context of the current election.”
The ballot to succeed him was postponed pending questions about the eligibility of the remaining candidates.
A Conmebol spokesman was quoted as saying that FIFA’s intervention “was based on the lack of guarantees for the electoral process.”
In a statement, FIFA confirmed that The Bureau of the FIFA Council had decided to appoint the normalisation committee following “ the latest developments in the situation of the AUF, particularly the fact that the electoral process for the position of AUF President is not in accordance with the requirements of transparency as outlined in the FIFA and CONMEBOL statutes”
“The mandate of the normalisation committee will end on 28 February 2019 and includes the following tasks:
– To run the AUF’s daily affairs;
– To review the AUF statutes and ensure their compliance and amendment in line with the requirements of FIFA’s and CONMEBOL’s statutes, and;
– Once the AUF statutes meet the requirements of FIFA’s and COMEBOL’s statutes, to organise and conduct elections of a new AUF executive committee on the basis of the new, revised AUF statutes.”
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