Fifa, the governing body which oversees world football, has barely left the headlines in the past two weeks; it is being investigated by US authorities over allegations of corruption, with 14 Fifa officials and associates indicted over a range of charges. Fifa's President, Sepp Blatter (who faces no charges himself) has said he will step down early from his post.
Fifa has faced a variety of criticisms over the years. Whatever the outcome of these latest allegations, the current situation provides a chance for reform. How should Fifa change so that it can better serve the beautiful game?
The priority for Fifa is changing its structure, not finding the right President. The way Fifa is set up now, its 209 constituent football associations all have the same vote, which could encourage anyone at the top to charm or bribe Presidents of poorer associations to get them to vote for them. But how do you get Fifa to change its structure? It needs an independent ethics committee, and non-executive directors, who could be, for example, UN people or government ministers. Fifa should be an international organisation with proper oversight like the UN or WADA, the anti-doping agency. That’s the model they should be looking at.
Fifa needs to learn from all the failings which have created a crisis on this scale. I don't think that those at the top of Fifa have any clear sense that they are ultimately accountable to the member countries and to the fans in those member countries. So I would start with transparency and accountability.
The key to successful reform is preserving the legitimate goals of the organisation while minimizing the opportunities for any potential corruption. The real purpose of Fifa is to use the profits generated by the selling of rights (broadcast, sponsorship) to invest in the development of the game worldwide. My proposal is to separate the profit creating element by floating off the World Cup as a corporation with shareholders, tasked with maximizing the returns from the event, subject to an obligation to funnel most of the profit to Fifa to use for the development of the game. Having separated the generation of revenue from the spending of that revenue, each arm could be subject to stringent reporting requirements. Disentangling these two aspects of the world game will allow each to operate more openly and efficiently.
Fifa needs serious reconstructive surgery and so do its constituent parts, the federations and confederations. Once that's completed, there may only be a few hands-on event organisers, football rules wonks, and those valuable World Cup brands left. But there is money in the bank (around $1.5bn in reserves) to rebuild. This job should be entrusted to strong, independent, well-respected outsiders. Former US Senator George Mitchell prescribed cultural change at the International Olympic Committee after the Salt Lake City scandal; Fifa needs similar medicine immediately.
Transparency International alongside football app, Forza Football, has conducted an international poll of fans on views of Fifa. Please see results here.
Fifa has faced a variety of criticisms over the years. Whatever the outcome of these latest allegations, the current situation provides a chance for reform. How should Fifa change so that it can better serve the beautiful game?
The only way is ethics
Simon Kuper—Financial Times columnist and co-author of SoccernomicsThe priority for Fifa is changing its structure, not finding the right President. The way Fifa is set up now, its 209 constituent football associations all have the same vote, which could encourage anyone at the top to charm or bribe Presidents of poorer associations to get them to vote for them. But how do you get Fifa to change its structure? It needs an independent ethics committee, and non-executive directors, who could be, for example, UN people or government ministers. Fifa should be an international organisation with proper oversight like the UN or WADA, the anti-doping agency. That’s the model they should be looking at.
Think of the fans
Tessa Jowell—former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and SportFifa needs to learn from all the failings which have created a crisis on this scale. I don't think that those at the top of Fifa have any clear sense that they are ultimately accountable to the member countries and to the fans in those member countries. So I would start with transparency and accountability.
Break it up
Stefan Szymanski—professor of sport management at University of Michigan and co-author of SoccernomicsThe key to successful reform is preserving the legitimate goals of the organisation while minimizing the opportunities for any potential corruption. The real purpose of Fifa is to use the profits generated by the selling of rights (broadcast, sponsorship) to invest in the development of the game worldwide. My proposal is to separate the profit creating element by floating off the World Cup as a corporation with shareholders, tasked with maximizing the returns from the event, subject to an obligation to funnel most of the profit to Fifa to use for the development of the game. Having separated the generation of revenue from the spending of that revenue, each arm could be subject to stringent reporting requirements. Disentangling these two aspects of the world game will allow each to operate more openly and efficiently.
Bring in outsiders
Deborah Unger—spokesperson for the corruption in sport initiative at Transparency InternationalFifa needs serious reconstructive surgery and so do its constituent parts, the federations and confederations. Once that's completed, there may only be a few hands-on event organisers, football rules wonks, and those valuable World Cup brands left. But there is money in the bank (around $1.5bn in reserves) to rebuild. This job should be entrusted to strong, independent, well-respected outsiders. Former US Senator George Mitchell prescribed cultural change at the International Olympic Committee after the Salt Lake City scandal; Fifa needs similar medicine immediately.
Stop racism
Richard Bates—media and communications manager at Kick it Out
A reformed Fifa needs to place addressing discrimination and creating a more diverse and inclusive organisation at the top of its agenda. There will be real uncertainty as to how the Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination, which has made real strides since launching in 2013, will move forward, with Jeffrey Webb, the Chair of the group, now under investigation following allegations of corruption. This needs to be addressed as a priority. Stronger sanctions being imposed sooner, such as point deductions and potential elimination from Fifa-organised competitions, need to be explored rather than just being viewed as punishment for a third or fourth offence. This should be a priority for Fifa and its task force.Transparency International alongside football app, Forza Football, has conducted an international poll of fans on views of Fifa. Please see results here.
