The much publicized road map to reform undertaken by FIFA after the most scandal-tainted period in its history will come to a definitive end in May next year when the organisation’s 209-member congress is presented with a series of proposals designed to bring transparency and accountability back to world football’s governing body.
FIFA has confirmed that the recommendations will first be brought before the Executive Committee in March next year before being put to the vote two months later at the full Congress in Mauritius.
Ten ideas being studied by a high-profile working group that began deliberations this week include age and term limits for major football administrators and a move to make sure World Cup hosts are chosen by the full FIFA membership rather than the all-powerful Executive Committee, many of whose members were discredited by the corruption allegations that swirled round the 2018 and 2022 bidding contests two years ago.
The 10 bullet points are being sent to national federations by the panel, whose members are chief executives and legal directors from FIFA and its six continental confederations.
Proposals under discussion include an age limit of 72 for FIFA election candidates and a two-term, eight-year limit for the man at the top.
Sepp Blatter, who is himself driving the reforms, is 76 and in his fourth term of office.
The panel is headed by Theo Zwanziger, the former German Football Association (DFB) chief who joined FIFA’s Executive Committee on the day Blatter won a fourth term in June last year.
Zwanziger wants anyone bidding for high office to first pass integrity checks and is also keen to get rid of the so-called “British seat”, the historically nominated British vice-presidency at FIFA which Zwanziger instead wants to be an elected European position.
Contact the writer of this story at andrew.warshaw@insidethegames.biz. Inside the Games is a blog of the London Organizing Committee for the recent London Olympics and Paralympics. This article is reprinted here with permission of the publishers.