FIFA said that former IOC Dir General François Carrard "has been appointed as chairman of the new FIFA reform task force," according to Simon Evans of REUTERS. The 77-year-old Swiss "will head an 11-person group charged with reforming the scandal-plagued FIFA." FIFA said that each of the six continental football confederations "would have two representatives on the task force, while there would also be two members appointed by FIFA's commercial partners, to be announced." Those named included UEFA Secretary General Gianni Infantino and UEFA Legal Dir Alasdair Bell. Asia's representatives were Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah from Kuwait and Australia's Kevin Gospar, "former vice-president of the IOC" (REUTERS, 8/11). The BBC reported Carrard was director general of the IOC from '89-03. Carrard: "It is vital for the future of global football to restore the integrity and reputation of its governing body. As the independent chairman, I am committed to delivering the necessary package of credible reforms, working with representatives from within football and wider society" (BBC, 8/11). ESPN reported Carrard led the reform program at the IOC "in the wake of the cash-for-votes crisis which came to light in the late 1990s." Carrard will present his proposals for reform to the FIFA Congress on Feb. 26 and he added, "It is vital for the future." FIFA President Sepp Blatter said, "We believe Dr. Carrard is the right person to drive this reform process forward as an independent chairman with a proven track record in governance reforms" (ESPN, 8/11).
