FIFA President Gianni Infantino shared his experience with members of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group recently.
Invited to talk about combating corruption in sport, Infantino shared the lessons that the top football entity on the planet learned from the reforms promoted since 2016, in addition to the corruption scandal that brought down the previous administration.
Reforms announced by FIFA at G20 meeting
Tracing the path taken by the organizing body of football in the first five years of his administration, the FIFA president listed 11 reforms focused on “fighting corruption, bringing back responsibility in FIFA, in football in general and ensuring the integrity of the game and , of course, from FIFA”.
- A fully transparent bidding process for the World Cup;
- The separation of political and executive powers;
- Term limits and eligibility checks for elected officials;
- Transparency of finances and remuneration;
- A transparent and supervised transfer system;
- Investment in the development of responsibly audited football, which includes a fivefold increase in value (US $ 1.8 billion) compared to values practiced in the past;
- Internal and external compliance supervised by an independent Audit and Compliance Committee;
- Judicial bodies guided by a new FIFA Code of Ethics;
- Rigid bidding processes for transparent procurement;
- The promotion of women to decision-making positions in the administration of football; and
- Formalized protection of human rights and protection of minors and children in sport, as it is important that children are in a safe environment.
Infantino cites willingness to close deals with G20 members
The president expressed FIFA’s desire to establish partnerships with G20 members and highlighted the power of football to help fight corruption: “It is essential that the G20 is interested in these issues and gives a clear political orientation, because football is much more than just a sport ”, he stressed.
Infantino concluded: “Sport in general is so important for our society, economically and socially, but also in terms of education. We are here to offer our collaboration, we are here to be part of a global anti-corruption team ”.
