Prof Sundra appointed to Fifa ethics committee

DATUK Professor Sundra Rajoo made history after becoming the first Malaysian appointed to the Fifa independent ethics committee recently.

Sundra, a director of the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA), was made deputy chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee, sitting alongside three other deputy chairmen from Canada, Rwanda and American Samoa.

The ethics committee is one of Fifa’s judicial bodies, primarily responsible for investigating possible infringements of the Fifa code of ethics.

It has the power to investigate potential violations of the code and hand down appropriate sanctions to its members.

Since its establishment in 2006, the committee has comprised independent advisors charged with the mandate of promoting accountability and transparency of the Fifa council’s governance.

Since his appointment as KLRCA director in 2010, Sundra, 61, has spearheaded various initiatives within the area of sports and Islamic arbitration, pioneering the first-ever sports law diploma in Asia.

Through his leadership, KLRCA was also appointed the body in charge of sporting disputes for the 2017 Sea Games. Together with the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the sports ministry, he is also working towards the creation of the first Malaysian Sports Arbitration Tribunal.

“I am honoured to be appointed deputy chairman of the Fifa ethics committee. As the governing association for one of the most widely played sports around the globe, it is a privilege to be able to sit on the ethics committee and contribute to the advancement of this game, ” Sundra said. “I look forward to working closely with the committee members to champion the spirit of the sport and uphold its integrity.”

Sundra, who is also a qualified lawyer, has had numerous appointments as an arbitrator, overseeing panels in both the domestic and international arena.

He was also the worldwide president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and is a past president of the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Grouping (APRAG).

In July 2015, he was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Laws from the Leeds Beckett University in England.