Hayatou and Kattner urge FAs to back reform for the sake of FIFA’s survival
ZURICH: FIFA’s interim bosses are pleading with the 209 national associations to approve the proposed reforms or risk seeing the organisation collapse into the abyss writes KEIR RADNEDGE.
An open letter from interim president Issa Hayatou and acting secretary-general Markus Kattner has been sent to the federations and published in an appeal for wider support from sponsors, leagues, clubs and players.
The fact that the letter is signed by Hayatou and Kattner – heads of the political and staff sectors respectively – will prompt some cynical reaction since both men represent the vastly discredited past but, until after a new president takes over on February 26 from Sepp Blatter, they are the best FIFA has in the circumstances.
Their letter sets out a reminder of the reforms recommendations which will be put to congress on February 26 including a new FIFA Council to replace the redundant exco, wider-based elections, term limits, more women in senior roles, central integrity checks and commitment to application of standards of human rights.
Intriguingly the letter makes no specific mention of the proposal for full transparency on pay and remunerations.
Crisis point
Hayatou and Kattner say: “FIFA has faced unprecedented difficulties this year in a crisis that has shaken global football governance to its core. We are now moving through a period of necessary change to protect the future of our organisation.
“We maintain that the majority of those working in football governance do so in the right way and for the right reasons, but it has become clear that root-and-branch reform is the only way to deter future wrongdoing and to restore faith in FIFA.
“For these reasons, this year and the immediate years to come will be among the most important for FIFA since it was founded in 1904.”
The election of a new president would be “only the beginning.”
They add: “We will need to work hard together over the coming years to win back the trust and respect of fans, players, commercial affiliates and all the many millions of participants who make football the world’s most popular sport.
“We are confident that the new reform measures approved by the FIFA Executive Committee in December, alongside the separate actions of the Swiss and US authorities, will lay the foundations for a stronger, more transparent and more accountable and more ethical governing body of football.
“We call on all of FIFA’s member associations to fully support, implement and abide by the new reforms.
“The future of FIFA and the global development of football depend on our full commitment to embracing a change in culture from top to bottom, through the following key reform points:
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