FIFA President should be limited to two terms says Transparency International

By David Gold

August 16 – Corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) has told FIFA to limit to two terms the length of time their Presidents can serve if they want to reform their image and rebuild trust with the football community.

FIFA’s reputation has been under renewed attack since last year’s controversial decision to award Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup.

The buildup to the vote in December 2010 was marred by the suspension of two Executive Committee members, Reynald Temarii and Amos Adamu, for being caught by undercover investigators offering to sell their votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts.

FIFA was also criticised over their Presidential election in June, when Mohamed Bin Hammam pulled out of his challenge to incumbent Sepp Blatter after FIFA opened up an investigation into allegations of bribery against him.

Bin Hammam was subsequently banned for life from football activities, whilst former CONCACAF powerbroker Jack Warner quit following an investigation into his role in the affair, where it was alleged that the pair colluded to bribe members of CONCACAF to vote for the Qatari.

A number of Caribbean football officials are still facing investigations into their particular roles in the allegations.

“FIFA says it wants to reform, but successive bribery scandals have left public trust in it at an all time low,” said Sylvia Schenk, TI’s senior advisor on sport.

“Working with an oversight group will show whether there is going to be real change.

TI also accused FIFA of running the organisation “like an old boys’ network.”

Blatter (pictured), who has been FIFA Presidenct since 1998, has pledged to create an independent committee to act as a watchdog, but as yet concrete details have not been forthcoming from the Swiss, who has also pledged to stand down at the end of his term in 2015.

TI believe that FIFA Presidents should be limited to serving a maximum of two terms.

“With only three Presidents since 1961 and the current President in his fourth term, FIFA does not match standards for rotation of top positions set by businesses or by other large organisations,” the report said.

“FIFA is both a non-Governmental, non-profit organisation and a global company with huge revenues, unprecedented reach, political clout and enormous worldwide social influence.”

Criticism was also levelled at the organisation for only being accountable to 208 member associations, and warned that the structure of FIFA meant future scandals were likely if no reform is made.

“This lack of mandatory accountability to the outside world makes it unlikely that change will come either from within the organisation or from the grassroots of the football organisations.” TI said.

“Similar scandals have hit FIFA before, and without a comprehensive process that deals with all allegations from the past, with consequences for anyone who has behaved unethically, the scandals are likely to recur.

“If FIFA wants to rebuild trust it must embrace transparency.

“Football’s governing body must be an example of the fair play that it promotes on the pitch.”

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