FIFA: European Parliament calls for new interim president

MEPs have called for a zero-tolerance policy on corruption in football, in a resolution underlining that in-depth structural reforms within the organisation are now urgently needed.

 “The European Parliament regrets that recent corruption allegations against the international football federation FIFA have seriously damaged the credibility and the integrity of global football,” MEPs said, welcoming Joseph Blatter’s resignation.

They said that an interim leader should replace him, together with a transparent, balanced and democratic decision-making process, including for the election of the new president.

The resolution stressed that all officials involved in financial misconduct should be dismissed and any decisions that are linked to corrupt or criminal activities should be reviewed.

MEPs underlined the importance of the investigation by Swiss and US authorities into the award of the 1998, 2010, 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments to France, South Africa, Russia and Qatar.

They also welcomed the statement by the head of FIFA’s Audit and Compliance Committee that the award of the World Cup for 2018 and 2022 could be invalidated if evidence emerges that the awards only came about as a result of corrupt activities.

MEPs said that since corruption within FIFA is “rampant, systemic and deep-rooted”, the football federation should undertake wide-ranging reforms, including a review of its statutes, structure, code and operational policies.

MEPs also urged the EU and its member states to cooperate fully with all ongoing and future investigations on corrupt practices within FIFA. “They should enhance law enforcement cooperation through joint investigation teams and cooperation between prosecution authorities and take all appropriate measures to tackle any possible indication of corruption of FIFA officials on EU territory.” 

In her intervention, Therese Comodini Cachia (EPP) said the allegations against FIFA beg the question whether it could govern itself, and how long it should remain free of external regulations.

“Sport seems to be based on self-regulation without proper checks and balances, yet sports like football show that the commercial dynamics and markets are comparable to any other economic activity,” the MEP said.

“The FIFA scandal does not damage FIFA itself alone but has ramifications on other sectors such as the media, broadcasting, marketing and banking sector.  It also plays a social role being based on sports fans support who are consumers.”

The holding of the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan at a time when most of Azerbaijan’s human rights defenders are in prison, was debated by MEPs on Wednesday evening.

They asked the EU Council of Ministers to urge Olympic committees and large sports federations to include respect for human rights, a core EU value, in criteria for decisions on who hosts international sporting events.

Most MEPs stressed that large sporting events have important economic and political implications and expressed concern that authoritarian regimes may use these events to boost their countries’ reputations.