By Andrew Warshaw
May 17 – FIFA looks set to be among a raft of international sporting organisations that will be subject to new anti-corruption laws under Swiss government proposals designed to make sure the country’s image doesn’t suffer.
World football’s governing body is one of 30 international sporting bodies based in Switzerland but has been hit by a number of high-profile corruption scandals in recent years, not least the ISL case.
The Swiss government has now commissioned a report into the problem and has opened a public consultation, with a September 5 deadline for comments, into a suggestion that corruption in private organisations should be considered an offence under the penal code. Currently, corruption is only considered an offence if it involves government officials or distorts market competition.
“Switzerland is among the countries least affected by corruption and has effective legislation in this regard,” said a government statement.
“But suspicions of corruption in the awarding of the hosting of major sporting events have revealed the weaknesses which exist in the field of private corruption.”
While FIFA is based in Zurich, UEFA has its headquarters in Nyon close to Geneva, the International Olympic Committee – marred by the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics scandal – is based in Lausanne and the International Cycling Union, whose sport is plagued by doping cases, in Aigle.
“This situation has been increasingly discussed in view of the constant events of corruption observed in the international sporting federations,” the statement continued.
“Because of this, private corruption should be regulated within the penal code and should no longer depend on a situation of concurrence.
“For example, acts of corruption committed in the awarding of the organisation of big sporting events should be punishable.”
As well as the ISL debacle involving its former marketing partner, FIFA has also been hit by the 2011 cash-for-votes scandal as well as financial impropriety within both the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF. As a result of all these cases, a string of big-name FIFA executives have either been banned or quit, leading to a comprehensive reform process being voted on at the FIFA Congress in Mauritius later this month.
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