LAUSANNE, February 17, 2016 – During the 79th AIPS Congress in Doha, representatives of leading international sporting bodies spoke to members of the global media about the current state of their sport. Given the need for monitoring, reform and transparency in both sport and sports journalism, AIPS has made it possible for their presentations from Doha to be available for viewing download.
FIFA
With just days to go until the much anticipated FIFA Congress, all eyes are on football’s governing body, whose fate will be decided amongst the 209 FIFA member associations in Zurich on February 26th, in more ways than one.
The full presentation outlined by Nicolas Maingot, FIFA’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs is available for download here.
REFORM PACKAGE
During the Congress in Doha, Nicolas Maingot presented the detailed voting process and the many reforms that the FIFA members will be deciding on in Zurich. The reform package was developed by the newly established FIFA Reform Committee chaired by Swiss Francois Carrard.
While the reform vote, which will be done by secret ballot, has been largely overshadowed by the vote for the new FIFA president, the changes in statute that the reforms could provide present the step in the right direction that FIFA is looking for.
The reforms demand a positive vote at least 75% of the eligible voters: 157, as explained by Maingot.
The list of reforms proposed by the FIFA Reform Committee, can be split into four groups: Governance, Transparency, Accountability and Diversity, the full list of which is available below:
- Clear separation between “political” (i.e. council) and management functions (i.e. general secretariat)
- Term limits for the FIFA President and FIFA Council members (max. 12 years)
- Disclosure of compensation (FIFA President, FIFA Council, FIFA Secretary General)
- Enhanced control of money flows by independent bodies
- Universal good governance principles for confederations and member associations
- Election of Council members supervised by FIFA and in accordance with FIFA’s own electoral regulations; all candidates subject tocomprehensive eligibility and integrity checks conducted by anindependent FIFA Review Committee
- Greater recognition, participation and promotion of women in football enshrined in the statues
- Human rights enshrined in the statutes
- New football stakeholder committee to ensure more inclusiveness in the decision making (including players, clubs and leagues)
