FIFA, the way forward

Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results.

In 2011, as a result of on-going scandals, FIFA asked the international NGO Transparency International (TI) to provide guidance on governance and compliance. FIFA acknowledged the report “Safe Hands: Building Integrity and Transparency at FIFA” and stated that it remained committed to the task of continuing to improve transparency.

{mosads}That same year 2011, FIFA engaged the University of Basel, which issued a report called “Governing FIFA.”  It contained key recommendations for reform, including the appointment of independent members to the executive committee of FIFA, term limits for the president and members of the executive committee and enacting new guidelines for the election of the president.

Yet the scandals continued and the outcry for reform grew even louder. So in late 2011, FIFA appointed an independent governance committee led by the internationally recognized compliance expert Mark Pieth. On April 22, 2014, this committee issued a final report to the executive committee of FIFA (this report was preceded by two interim reports) and once again, the report outlined reform proposals which would have brought greater transparency and accountability to FIFA.

Now, FIFA wants to establish a new task force made up of representatives from the confederations and federations within 

FIFA to recommend reforms. Does this not sound like the Einstein definition of insanity?

FIFA needs to stop playing games off the pitch and to enact real reform. This will not happen until it has new leadership – a new president, a new secretary general and new more progressive and independent members of the executive committee. After years of scandal we cannot expect change to really happen through mere promises. Along with a new code of standards must come a change in culture and this will only happen with leadership which has not been part of the problem.

The president of FIFA holds all of the executive power within the organization, controlling the appointment of the secretary general as well as presiding over the congress and the executive committee. If the stakeholders of FIFA really want to see credibility and respect return to the organization, it should not look to someone like Michael Platini, who has been a long time member of the executive committee, a protégé of the current president and an opponent of reform – someone who still thinks that creating another task force for reform is the way forward.

Hershman is a co-founder of Transparency International, a former member of the Independent Governance Committee of FIFA and an advisory board member of the International Center for Sports Security.