By Andrew Warshaw
July 17 – Future World Cup bidders will be banned by FIFA from funding overseas development programmes in an attempt to put an end to the kind of vote-trading shenanigans that have plagued recent ballots.
Host candidates will henceforth be discouraged from striking project deals with member nations as FIFA prepares to enter a new era of transparency following the biggest corruption crisis in its history.
A current clause in its statutes mandating all countries wishing to stage the World Cup to help developing nations grow is to be scrapped.
Swiss prosecutors are heavily involved in investigating the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively. This week they revealed the number of suspect bank transactions being examined has risen to 81. Meanwhile, the race the stage the 2026 World Cup has been delayed because of the separate FBI probe into alleged racketeering and money-laundering that has snared a number of high-ranking Fifa executives.
For decades, bidding World Cup nations have attempted to curry favour by perfectly legally funding football overseas. But with the practise leading to proven collusion as well as alleged rampant corruption, FIFA are now putting a stop to it. “The rule is the source of all the problems,” said one high-ranking source.
The move is expected to form part of the discussions at Monday’s eagerly anticipated FIFA executive committee meeting when new reform ideas will be on the table at a session primarily called to choose an election date to replace Sepp Blatter as president.
It has also been agreed that as well FIFA’s full Congress selecting future World Cup hosts – a measure approved two years ago – future ballots will be open instead of in secret so that everyone knows which candidate each of the 209 nations has voted for, starting with 2026.
Another proposal being debated is mandating bidding nations to comply with UN standards on labour law. This is seen as a direct response to the furore over Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers that continues to be highlighted by human rights organisations and which the Gulf state is endeavouring to improve.
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