soccer FIFA 2015

FIFA's
reform committee has reiterated its plans for
overhauling the scandal-plagued organisation's
structure under wraps after its second meeting on
Sunday (October 18), saying only that discussions had
been "rich and in-depth".
The committee's chairman, Francois Carrard, said he
would present concrete recommendations to FIFA's
executive committee on Tuesday and that progress was
"on track".
The soccer body is facing unprecedented pressure to
reform its governance structure following the May
indictment by U.S. authorities of nine current and
former football officials on bribery-related charges.
Many had served on FIFA's executive committee or
other FIFA committees.
Swiss public prosecutors are also investigating the
decision to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the
2022 tournament to Qatar, both taken at a vote in
Zurich in December 2010.
The crisis escalated further on Oct. 8 when both FIFA
president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel
Platini, who had been favourite to succeed him, were
banned for 90 days by FIFA's ethics committee,
pending a full investigation.
FIFA will hold an extraordinary Congress in Zurich on
Feb. 26 when its 209 member associations will elect a
new president and vote on reforms.
There was no media conference after Sunday's meeting
in Berne and the committee issued a short statement
which gave no concrete details of what had been
discussed.
"It's been a very positive session characterised by rich
and in-depth discussions on all aspects of the proposal
for the reforms package which is being prepared,"
Carrard said in the statement.
Carrard reaffirmed he would set up a separate advisory
board to consider his board's proposals.
"Our progress is on track," he said.
Domenico Scala, who heads FIFA's audit and
compliance and committee, has already produced an
extensive package of proposed reforms which he has
made public.
This includes 12-year term limits for elected FIFA
officials from the president down, full disclosure of the
financial compensation of the president, general
secretary and executive committee members, and more
detailed integrity checks on members of committees.
Scala's proposals also include replacing the all-
powerful executive committee with a governing council,
elected by congress, and a management committee to
handle the day-to-day affairs of the organisation.
His plans would considerably reduce the powers of the
continental confederations, who elect the members of
FIFA's all-powerful executive committee.
Carrard's committee was set up by the executive
committee and consists of two representatives of each
of the continental federations. However, he denied after
a previous meeting in September that they had a vested
interest in watering down Scala's plan.