FIFA Audit & Compliance Committee Chair Domenico Scala on Thursday "unveiled an aggressive eight-point overhaul plan that he had presented to the organization’s powerful executive committee," according to Sam Borden of the N.Y. TIMES. Scala said that the proposals "offer top FIFA officials a chance to enact meaningful reforms for world soccer’s governing body." He added that some of the measures he suggested "could be adopted directly by the executive committee, which will next meet in Zurich in two weeks." Borden notes other measures would "need to be voted on by the FIFA congress, which has representatives from all 209 member nations." Among Scala’s "more notable suggestions was a clinical overhaul of the organization’s basic structure." He proposed "splitting the executive committee into two distinct bodies: a governing body, which would handle strategic matters and the direction of the organization, and a management board, which would handle the day-to-day responsibilities." Scala also "called for greater transparency and other staples of good governance, including a move to reduce the instances of soccer officials holding two or more roles at the same time." In addition, Scala suggested term limits for high-ranking officials, with "three four-year terms as the maximum." He also "laid out plans to institute other changes, including improved integrity checks for top officials; election of members of the executive committee by the entire FIFA congress, instead of the regional confederations; openness regarding salaries and other compensation for top officials; a revamping of FIFA’s standing committees; improved governance at the confederation level; and revised World Cup bidding procedures" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/11).
