WEEKLY WHINE

Solutions for the game

The GoobNet Special Projects Enhancement and Enforcement Division [SPEED] has been watching FIFA with considerable interest, combined with a significant measure of disgust. Here are its recommendations for the most important actions that FIFA must take in order to resolve the current crisis, restore its credibility, and regain the public’s faith in its ability to lead the footballing world.

1. Change in leadership: CONCACAF has had a similar credibility crisis over the last three years. This has resulted in an ousting of its longtime president, Jack Warner, and its longtime general secretary, Chuck Blazer. Under new president Jeffrey Webb, CONCACAF has shown a commitment to reform, starting with an independent report into the Warner regime and continuing with new codes of conduct and ethics. It is long past time for a similar change in FIFA. Sepp Blatter should keep his promise to retire from the FIFA presidency after his current term ends next year. May we suggest Edvard?
2. Term limits: Over the last forty years, FIFA has had a grand total of two presidents, and many others in key leadership positions at both the national and international levels have had long tenures. In addition to being a breeding ground for corruption, this also leads to stagnation and a resistance to change, as we see now within FIFA. There should be strict term limits for leadership roles both within FIFA itself and in the member associations and confederations.
3. Priority to human rights: FIFA’s motto, “For the Game, For the World”, rings hollow so long as human rights are not taken into consideration. Just as South Africa was banned during the apartheid era, nations with poor human rights record should be sanctioned, such as exclusion from hosting tournaments or outright bans.
4. Enhance investigative powers: In a summary of the Michael Garcia report, Hans Joachim Eckert stated that “With regard to one specific bid team however, the Report noted that the relevant federation was particularly uncooperative in responding to the Investigatory Chamber’s requests.” However, the conclusions include no recommendation of disciplinary proceedings against the uncooperative bid team. If the FIFA ethics committee is to be successful in its mandate, there must be clear rules on cooperation, and clear consequences for failure to do so.
5. Independent oversight: FIFA created an independent governance committee two years ago, but it is independent in name only. At least half of its membership, including US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati, already had ties to FIFA. Furthermore, many of its key recommendations, including term limits, have not been implemented. The IGC should be truly independent and should have the power to make real, substantive changes in FIFA.
6. Reform anti-corruption rules: FIFA still appears to believe that corruption is composed only of explicit bribery and quid pro quo deals. Eckert’s summary acknowledges ethics violations in the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 Men’s World Cups but claims that they were “only of very limited scope”. FIFA needs to strengthen its policy against corruption to make clear that inappropriate gifts, favours, and benefits of any value and in any form are not permissible.
7. Report compensation: Compensation of the president and executive committee members should be reported by individual. Currently, only the total is reported.
8. Increase stakeholder participation: By definition, the only members of FIFA are national football associations. But there are many more stakeholders to international football: clubs, leagues, players, managers, sponsors, and supporters, to name just a few. All of these should have a say in how the sport is managed, for instance by adding seats for player, club, or fan representatives to the executive committee.
9. Limit commercialisation: As long as money continues to pour into FIFA and its members, there will be no incentive to make substantive changes. The overcommercialisation of football creates problems at all levels. For example, one owner in Cardiff has the power to overwrite one hundred years of club history. FIFA should set an example by making clear that developing the game, not earning money, is its top priority. Likewise, it should encourage clubs and leagues to file for nonprofit status, so as to make clear that their priority is success on the pitch.
10. Minimum standards for tournament hosting: The 2022 Men’s World Cup was awarded to Qatar, despite its bid having by far the worst technical scores. Why spend so much time and effort preparing technical reports on each bid if they are to be ignored? There should be specific minimum standards for a prospective bid, and all nations that do not meet these standards should be eliminated before the final vote.
11. Improve document retention policies: It was also mentioned in Eckert’s summary that Russia made few documents available, stating that the computers that Russia’s bid committee used had since been destroyed. There should be clear rules on document retention throughout FIFA.