By Andrew Warshaw
December 2 – Five front-line sponsors have re-iterated their demands for FIFA’s reform process to have an independent voice – just as proposals for long-lasting change are put to the scandal-plagued organisation’s top brass.
A huge media presence is anticipated in Zurich on Thursday when Francois Carrard, FIFA’s Reform Committee chairman who has spent weeks fine-tuning measures to restore FIFA’s battered credibility and overhaul governance, unveils his final package of recommendations following its submission to the executive committee.
Last month Carrard’s group declared its “preliminary recommendations” which included an age limit of 74 for all leading officials, but controversially only mentioned term limits for the president, who would be restricted to three mandates, and not other senior FIFA members.
Before any reforms can be implemented, whatever is agreed by the exco will have to be rubber-stamped by FIFA’s 209 member associations at the emergency Congress in February when Sepp Blatter will be replaced by a new president.
On the eve of the two-day exco meeting, the final session of the year and conspicuous by the absence of suspended trio Sepp Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Michel Platini – the three highest profile casualties of the chaos that has engulfed FIFA – the sponsors published an open letter making it clear their views should not be left behind.
“We are aware of the positive work that the reform committee has been doing on governance reform but we still believe any reforms should be subject to independent oversight,” said the sponsors’ letter.
“It has also become clear to us that such independent oversight needs to run long-term through the implementation and evolution of the reform process.
“We encourage you to become champions of this independent oversight as it will only enhance FIFA’s credibility.”
“We urge you (executive committee members) to embrace positive changes and recognise that this is just one step towards creating a credible future for FIFA.”
The companies said transparency, accountability, respect for human rights, integrity, leadership and gender equality were crucial to the future of FIFA.
“Reforms can set the proper framework for these characteristics, but a cultural change is also needed. The culture change has to begin within FIFA and filter through to the Confederations and FIFA’s football associations.”
Four of the same sponsors (all from the US) have previously called for Blatter step down but intriguingly, this is the first time correspondence has also been signed by Adidas. The appareil giant is not just a FIFA sponsor but is also a supplier whose business future is dependent on football – unlike the other sponsors.
The letter illustrates just how frustrated FIFA’s commercial partners have become, having been initially expected to play some part in the formal reform process.
Carrard won praise for helping to put the International Olympic Committee back on track following the Salt Lake City scandal more than a decade ago and was charged with a similar task at FIFA. But many believe his ideas do not go far enough and are destined to fail since his panel is dominated by officials from FIFA’s own confederations who appear more inclined to put confederation interests first.
Running parallel to Carrard’s proposals is a far more deep-reaching set of proposals drawn up by Domenico Scala, who heads FIFA’s audit and compliance committee. These include 12-year term limits for all elected FIFA officials from the president down, full disclosure of the financial compensation of the president, general secretary and executive committee members, and wider-ranging integrity checks.
Coincidentally the exco session takes place almost exactly five years after the joint ballot for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups which set off the chain of events that sent FIFA into freefall.
It now remains to be seen how far Carrard’s final list of proposals goes towards Scala’s recommendations. There is rumour that the absences of Blatter, Valcke and Platini will threaten to delay any firm decisions until final verdicts are reached over their current suspensions for alleged malpractise – allegations which they all deny.
Read the sponsors’ open letter to FIFA’s executive committee in full:
We all want to see FIFA effectively resume its mission of developing the great sport of football around the world. We know that you, the Executive Committee members, will soon be considering a list of reforms aimed at strengthening FIFA’s governance.
We urge you to embrace positive changes and also recognize that this is just one step toward creating a credible future for FIFA.
We want to emphasize to you the values and characteristics that we believe should be incorporated through the reforms. Transparency, accountability, respect for human rights, integrity, leadership and gender equality are crucial to the future of FIFA.
Reforms can set the proper framework for these characteristics, but a cultural change is also needed. The culture change has to begin within FIFA and filter through to the confederations and FIFA’s football associations.
We are aware of the positive work that the reform committee has been doing on governance reform but we still believe any reforms should be subject to independent oversight.
It has also become clear to us that such independent oversight needs to run long-term through the implementation and evolution of the reform process.
We encourage you to become champions of this independent oversight as it will only enhance FIFA’s credibility.
Again, we want to stress that we are calling on you to embrace change, implement reforms, endorse a long-term independent oversight approach and initiate the cultural change because we all want to see football thrive.
The actions you take with this first round of reform proposals will set the tone for the full Congress to get behind the reform process.
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