Former British Attorney General appointed to FIFA Governance Committee

By Duncan Mackay at the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo

December 17 – Britain’s former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith (pictured) has joined FIFA’s new Independent Governance Committee, it was revealed here today.

Goldsmith, who served as Britain’s main legal advisor under Tony Blair between 2001 and 2007, was among several new names listed FIFA as part of the Committee mandated to propose reforms to the game’s world governing body.

Goldsmith, 61, who was educated at Cambridge University, is a controversial figure in Britain as it was upon his legal advice that Britain agreed to join the United States in the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Nevertheless the recruitment of Goldsmith, who is now the chairman of European and Asian litigation at American firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, is a major coup for FIFA President Sepp Blatter after Transparency International withdrew their support because they doubted the independence of the Committee’s chairman, Swiss Professor Mark Pieth, who was appointed by the world governing body and is receiving a fee from them.

Blatter claimed that he hoped that now he had revealed more details of the make-up of the Committee, which also includes Sunil Gulati, President of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), and Alexandra Wrage, the President and founder of TRACE, an international non-profit membership association working with companies to raise their anti-bribery compliance standards, that he can persuade Transparency International to restore their support.

“Our road map is very ambitious and we want to take time to look at the proposals made by the Independent Governance Committee so that we reach 2013 with results and decisions to be taken,” said Blatter following the conclusion of a meeting of the ruling FIFA Executive Committee here today.

“The Executive Committee is united and stands strong, and has a determination to respond to the FIFA Congress and to public opinion.

“FIFA will carry out the necessary reforms.”

But a stumbling block to progress is that plans by Blatter announced in October to publish the ISL court dossier have been blocked after one of the parties named in the report appealed that it should remain private.

FIFA’s former marketing agents collapsed in 2001 with debts of $300 million (£188 million/€216 million) and FIFA had blocked the papers being released ever since the case was settled in June 2009 until Blatter’s remarkable U-turn at the last Executive Committee meeting in Zurich in October.

“This is a matter particularly important to me,” said Blatter (pictured).

“The Executive Committee took the decision that we would open up this file, and everyone thought that we would be able to open it today.

“But that will not be possible because at least one of the parties involved has appealed to a court in Switzerland, and the court has not yet handed down its verdict.

“I would have liked to have opened this file as soon as possible, as the Independent Governance Committee with Professor Mark Pieth needs to be able to look forward.

“It’s important to be able to move on, so hopefully the Swiss court will allow us to be open and transparent.”

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