FIFA plans to add slew of new
GENEVA, April 18, (AP): FIFA is set to create dozens of new committees and expert panels, reversing a governance reform passed in 2016 when the world soccer body was in turmoil during corruption scandals.
FIFA’s plan to increase its number of standing committees from seven to 35 - with the option to let its president Gianni Infantino create and appoint extra panels of experts - was detailed in a draft update of its legal statutes released late Wednesday.
Creating the new bodies could let FIFA award hundreds of expensespaid committee seats to soccer officials worldwide who will vote on the new rules at a May 17 meting in Thailand. A similar system widely seen as patronage to encourage loyalty thrived in the presidency of Sepp Blatter who was ousted from office in 2015.
The American and Swiss federal investigations of international soccer, revealed in May 2015 by hotel and office raids in Zurich, led to a wide-ranging review of FIFA’s management structure and principles.
A 15-member review panel chaired by veteran Olympic lawyer François Carrard advised terminating most of
FIFA’s 26 committees “to improve efficiency.” It also wanted to involve FIFA’s 200-plus member federations “in a more meaningful gender-balanced and efficient way in the decision-making processes of FIFA.”
The panel included Infantino, then general secretary of European soccer body UEFA, and its slate of reforms was passed at a FIFA congress in February 2016. On the same day Infantino was elected to lead FIFA.
The new slate of committees under article 39 of FIFA’s statutes being proposed to the next congress on May 17 in Bangkok, Thailand, includes a dedicated “Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Committee.”
FIFA had a racism task force under Blatter which was shut down within months of Infantino taking over, saying its work was complete. A new anti-racism body has been worked on with Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior.
FIFA has just one committee overseeing organization of its soccer tournaments, and this should increase to nine. They would include separate bodies for each of the national team, club and youth competitions for women.