By Paul Nicholson
October 8 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has issued a statement from its executive director Chris Eaton reacting to media reports of the impending suspension of FIFA president Sepp Blatter saying this “represents a defining moment for world football and wider sport” and calling for a “independent and neutral global oversight body” to take on the monitoring of sport governing bodies.
ICSS has taken a leadership position around sport safety, security and integrity issues and already works with a number of federations and events particularly in areas of safety and security.
It has also pushed for improved standards of sports governance via various forums and summits, and has taken a lead in looking for blueprint solutions to integrity issues via a number of programmes, particularly its FITS (financial integrity ad transparency in sport) initiative.
The calls for a neutral body to monitor – if not regulate – best practice within world sports’ governing bodies has been growing. The concept increasingly mooted is of a WADA-style (World anti-doping agency) body focused on integrity issues. WADA was created with the financial assistance of various government sports ministers from around the world in reaction to what was a rapid incease of performance related drug use in sport.
The ICSS would be an obvious starting point and contributor to any discussion on a similar agency for ‘integrity’ issues.
Eaton, formerly FIFA’s security chief, typically pulls no punches in his statement, saying: “Football, not just FIFA stands on the precipice of disaster. It is now absolutely vital that the entire governance structure of world football, not just FIFA, is independently restructured by credible figures including those from outside of sport and credible individuals from within the football environment such as associations and clubs, in order to restore trust and ensure the integrity of the game.
“The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and other likeminded organisations have been calling for the creation of an independent and neutral global oversight body that monitors all sport governing bodies. This must happen now. There is no longer a choice. The events over the last few months involving FIFA show that sport is in grave danger.
“Leading governments and international organisations must be clear and lead in creating a global mechanism that will save sport. The Sorbonne-ICSS report provides the respected multi-disciplinary independent road-map to achieve this.
“No more discussions, no more avoiding the very serious corruption that surrounds organised international sport today. It is time for an independent and neutral action from outside of sport, including governments, business and law enforcement, to rebuild trust and restore the credibility of sport.”
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