The FIFA Executive Committee today unanimously urged FIFA’s Member Associations to approve the full slate of proposed reforms enshrined in the new draft FIFA Statutes at the Extraordinary Congress on Friday. Furthermore, the committee approved new Governance Regulations which were drawn up by the 2016 FIFA Reform Committee to strengthen the fundamental principles of the proposed new statutes. The coming into force of the FIFA Governance Regulations is subject to the approval of the proposed statutory amendments at the Extraordinary FIFA Congress on Friday.
“The eyes of the world are on us this week after one of the most challenging times in our history. The approval of the reforms will send a strong message that we have listened and that we are taking the action necessary to regain trust and improve our performance,” FIFA’s Acting President Issa Hayatou said on behalf of the FIFA Executive Committee, composed of representatives from each of the six regional confederations.
“Each of these measures is critical for the future of FIFA and global football. We urge each of the Member Associations to support the reforms in full, and then to implement them in their entirety at home. It is a collective responsibility we have for football,” Hayatou continued.
The new FIFA Governance Regulations include provisions in particular on the composition, duties and responsibilities as well as on the functioning of the future Council (replacing the Executive Committee), the President, the Secretary General, the standing committees, and the independent committees. They also govern the eligibility checks, the independence criteria, elections for the office of FIFA President and for members of the Council, and the auditing of FIFA and its members.
Regarding the currently suspended Member Associations of Indonesia and Kuwait, the Executive Committee recommended that the Extraordinary Congress decide on Friday that both these cases be dealt with at the next ordinary Congress in Mexico (12 and 13 May 2016).
The Acting FIFA Secretary General Markus Kattner provided an update on the challenging financial situation. He also updated the committee on FIFA’s work since May 2015, which has included: the organisation of 720 courses, expertise missions and football development activities; support for the staging of 282 qualifier matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™; and the successful organisation of five major competitions.
The executive also ratified recent decisions of the FIFA Emergency Committee concerning normalisation committees which have been appointed for several Member Associations in accordance with art. 7 par. 2 of the current FIFA Statutes. The following decisions were confirmed:
· Establishment of normalisation committees for the Honduran Football Association and the Guatemalan Football Association due to the circumstances which resulted from recent indictments by the US authorities. The aim of the respective normalisation committees is to revise the associations’ statutes and organise elections accordingly by 30 September 2016 at the latest.
· Extension of the mandate of the Football Association of Maldives normalisation committee to 31 March 2016 to enable the association to complete the registration process for their new statutes in order to organise an elective congress.
· Removal of two members of the normalisation committee of the Benin Football Association and allowing it to continue with five members.
· Acceptance of changes to the Football Association of Thailand normalisation committee, which ended its mandate with the successful organisation of elections on 11 February 2016.
The newly elected CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez (Paraguay) as well as Luis Segura (Argentina/CONMEBOL) and Pedro Chaluja (Panama/CONCACAF) attended their first meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee. The next FIFA Executive Committee meeting will take place on 17 and 18 March 2016 in Zurich.