Corruption watchdog urges election delay
Reuters - Tuesday 31 May 2011, 09:32
ZURICH - Anti-corruption watchdog
Transparency International has called on football's governing body
to call off Wednesday's election in which Sepp Blatter will
stand unopposed for a fourth term as FIFA president.
"The should postpone the election and really clear up
everything, take some time and then hold a new election," Sylvia
Schenk, sports advisor for the Berlin-based watchdog which
issues a global league table of the least corrupt nations, told
Reuters.
Schenk also said that FIFA, plagued by cash-for-votes
allegations, should allow an external inquiry into the way it
handles its affairs.
"I doubt they can solve this internally," she said. "The
have tried several times and always failed, they are too many
things from the past which keep surfacing.
"It's always better to accept some help from the outside, to
have someone else look through the documents and suggest
solutions.
"I don't have the feeling that these recent cases came to
public because the ethics committee is working, most of it has
been because of the media.
"There are many sports organisations have a powerful,
autocratic president and the delegates don't have much real
control, they meet once a year, they can't look behind the
scenes," she added.
Schenk also suggested that FIFA should limit the length of
time officials can serve.
"That would also be helpful," she added. "If you have
long-lasting people, they get to know each other very well...
it's always better not to have people in the same position for
too long."