FIFA approaches former IOC official Carrard for reform role

ZURICH (Reuters) - Former International Olympic Committee (IOC) director general Francois Carrard has been approached by global football body FIFA to head its Reform Task Force, the Swiss lawyer told Reuters on Thursday.

"I have been approached and I will make a decision next week," said Carrard, who was IOC director general from 1989 to 2003.

FIFA, which has been engulfed by a corruption scandal, announced last month the creation of a new task force which will be made up of ten members nominated by the body’s regional confederations and which will be headed by a person from outside of the sport.

FIFA has been in a crisis since May, when nine football officials and five marketing executives were charged by the U.S. Justice Department in an indictment that outlined massive corruption, including bribes and kickbacks of more than $150 million over 24 years.

In the wake of the scandal, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said he will stand down next February.

(Reporting By Simon Evans; Editing by Martin Howell)