SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Prince Ali invites Kofi Annan to lead new FIFA reform group

ZURICH (Reuters) - FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan said he would set up an independent oversight group led by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan if elected.

Prince Ali invites Kofi Annan to lead new FIFA reform group
(Reuters)

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

A statement on Thursday by Prince Ali's campaign organisers said the group would "help steer FIFA through its first year to recover from crisis and to support the future reform process."

Football's world ruling body is engulfed in a graft scandal that has led to the indictment of several dozen leading football officials in the United States, and is under enormous pressure to reform.

Prince Ali is one of five candidates standing to replace outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter, himself banned for eight years for ethics violations, in the Feb. 26 election.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Last year, campaign group New FIFA Now also called for Annan to be put in charge of an independent reform commission.

Thursday's statement said Prince Ali had already discussed the idea with Annan.

It said the group would focus on governance issues "with the goal of stabilising an organisation in crisis."

In the longer term, it would turn its attention to FIFA's development policies, and advise on aspects of the sport such as the expansion of the World Cup and combating match-fixing.

"The FIFA Oversight Group ...is an essential element to revive FIFA’s reputation and restore it to what it should be – a service organisation for football," said Prince Ali.

"Having the commitment of a group of people with such impeccable credentials, unquestioned integrity and global standing represents an unprecedented response to the unprecedented crisis sweeping FIFA."

(Reporting by Brian Homewood; editing by John Stonestreet)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world