FIFA will set up a new task force to propose reforms aimed at cleaning itself up, a move critics said was an inadequate response to the worst crisis in the 111-year history of soccer’s governing body.
The suggested reforms would include integrity checks for the all-powerful 25-member executive committee, term limits for top officials and public disclosure of their earnings, FIFA said.
Similar reforms were proposed by an earlier independent committee set up in 2011 but were quietly shelved three years later.
Critics pointed out that the 11-member task force would be drawn from the continental confederations whose members have been blamed for much of FIFA’s recent troubles.
“Instead of agreeing to a serious independent reform commission, FIFA announced yet another task force made up of 10 confederation members and one independent chair who has not yet been named,” said anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.
“This will not be sufficient to win back trust in FIFA.”
FIFA said the task force’s job would be to present “concrete and comprehensive reform proposals” to the next executive committee meeting in late September.
This in turn would make recommendations to a FIFA Congress in February which has the power to alter its statutes.
“My responsibility and mission is to make sure that when I come to the end of my career at the end of February, we can say that we have started to rebuild the reputation of FIFA,” said outgoing president Sepp Blatter.
However, he declined to immediately declare his earnings after twice being challenged to do so during a media conference.
Reforms needed
FIFA has been under pressure to carry out reforms following a series of scandals over the past few years.
Soccer’s governing body was thrown into further turmoil in May when 14 sports marketing executives and soccer officials, including several from FIFA, were indicted in the United States on bribery, money laundering and wire fraud charges.
Blatter was re-elected two days afterwards, but four days later said in a shock announcement that he would lay down his mandate and not stand again.
He will remain in office until a new president is chosen at an extraordinary FIFA Congress on February 26.
FIFA said the new task force would include two representatives each from UEFA, CONCACAF, the African confederation CAF and the Asian confederation (AFC) and one each from the CONMEBOL and the Oceania body (OFC).
It will be chaired “by a neutral chairman who should be ap-pointed in consultation with the confederations’ presidents,” FIFA added.
“Blatter proposes same players will reform FIFA in seven weeks – not believable,” said International Trade Union Confederation general secretary Sharan Burrow on Twitter.
However, UEFA president Michel Platini, one of Blatter’s sternest critics, cautiously welcomed the move.
“I feel (it) is an important step towards improving overall pro-cesses and transparency within the organisation,” he said.
“We must now make sure that the reforms outlined in Zurich will be undertaken in a swift and effective manner.”