In the wake of the arrests of 14 FIFA officials and the resignation of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, the European Parliament urges FIFA to urgently implement structural reforms to bring about more transparency and guarantee a democratic decision-making process.
In a debate on recent revelations of high-level corruption cases in FIFA, Sabine Verheyen MEP, Coordinator in the Culture and Education Committee, which covers Media & Sports, said: “Football is by far the most popular sporting game worldwide. It is therefore of the utmost importance that we put a drastic stop to all forms of corruption that undermine football’s integrity and reputation. We call upon the European Football Association UEFA and on all national football associations to push for change within FIFA before the end of 2016. We ask sponsors and broadcasters to do the same. Only with pressure from all sides can reform to restore FIFA’s credibility come within reach. The announcement by FIFA President Sepp Blatter that he will resign is a good first step, but we must make sure the election of the new President opens the path for thorough reform.”
Ivo Belet MEP, Rapporteur on the Future of Professional Football and co-author of the resolution, added:“Sports federations have the right to govern themselves, but on the condition that they guarantee good governance. The FIFA corruption scandals have led to a complete loss of trust. It is time to ensure a broad reform of the way FIFA is structured and operated. Introducing term limits for members of the executive committee is a crucial element for putting a stop to the excesses of the past years. We will also closely follow the investigation by the Swiss and US justices of the decision by FIFA to award the World Cup in 2018 to Russia and in 2022 to Qatar. The most popular sport in Europe and its federations, which can justly count on a lot of public aid, cannot be part of an Association where corruption is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted.”