Big Mac grills Fifa over need to reform

ZURICH: World Cup sponsor McDonald’s has joined CocaCola and Visa in urging Fifa to adopt an independent reform commission in response to the scandals that have plagued world football’s governing body.

The campaign group New Fifa Now yesterday published an e-mail from McDonald’s saying the fast-food giant supports an independent body to deal with Fifa’s problems.

”We do believe this is an important step in the greater reform that has to happen within Fifa,” McDonald’s vice-president of global media relations and issues management, Heidi Barker Sa Shekhem, wrote in the e-mail.

Previously, McDonald’s had been critical of Fifa and urged change without specifically calling for an independent reform process.

World football’s governing body has been in crisis since May, when nine officials and five marketing executives were charged by the US Justice Department with exploiting the sport for their own gain through taking bribes of more than $150 million over 24 years.

In the wake of the scandal, Fifa president Sepp Blatter has said he would stand down next February.

Last month Fifa announced they were creating a Reform Task Force made up of 10 representatives of its regional confederations, and to be chaired by someone from outside of football.

That body, which has yet to have its membership announced, is scheduled to make its proposals to Fifa’s executive committee in late September.

Campaigners were critical of the move, saying only an entirely independent body could bring effective change.

“We applaud McDonald’s for joining other giants like Coca-Cola and Visa.

“They understand how vital it is that reform of Fifa is independent of the deep vested interests surrounding it and its personnel,” said New Fifa Now co-founder Jaimie Fuller.

Fifa general secretary Jérôme Valcke has said he would meet the organisation’s sponsors later this month.