The first public indication from within FIFA "about the weight of the case" against FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini was provided Tuesday by its financial compliance head, who denounced a payment that led to them being suspended as a "classic conflict of interest," according to Rob Harris of the AP. FIFA Audit & Compliance Committee Independent Chair Domenico Scala said that Blatter "could also be culpable" for the alleged "falsification" of accounts over the payment of 2M Swiss francs to Platini. Both Blatter and Platini "have acknowledged there was only a verbal agreement between them for the outstanding pay." The case could end Platini's hopes of succeeding Blatter as FIFA leader in an election set for February, "although both men deny wrongdoing and are appealing against their suspensions." Blatter last week said he had a "gentleman's agreement" with Platini over the payment. Scala: "If it is true what they are saying that they had an oral agreement at the time they made the written contract to defer the payment, that payment should have been recorded in the accounts in 2002 and subsequent years. It has not. If you approve as a member of a supervisory board financial accounts which you know that 2 million are not accrued you have possibly done a falsification of a document. It doesn't make a difference if you do that in a limited company or an association. The result and the consequences are the same" (AP, 10/20).
DOOR LEFT OPEN: REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported Platini "may be able to run for president of FIFA if he wins an appeal against his 90-day ban." That "initially looked like a blow" for Platini: a delay in the election "would have given him more time to appeal," as candidates have to register by Oct. 26 and undergo an integrity test in the following 10 days. Scala, who oversees the electoral process, told the committee that candidates' bids "would not be processed if they were banned, FIFA said in a statement." But a "subsequent line appeared to give hope" to Platini. It read, "Should such a ban be lifted or expire before the FIFA presidential election ... the Ad-Hoc electoral committee would decide, depending on the respective exact point in time, on how to proceed with the candidacy concerned" (REUTERS, 10/21).
SCALA CALLS FOR ROTATING PRESIDENCY: In London, Atkins & Moore reported Scala said that the six football confederations, representing the main global geographical regions, "could take turns to lead world football’s governing body, which is based in Zurich." He said that such a move would "address a number of governance issues." If implemented, the reform "would prevent any one individual" from controlling int'l football in the way Blatter did for 17 years. In the future, FIFA presidents "could hold office for two to four years, he suggested." Scala: "Every system which diminishes the power of individuals, and creates checks and balances, reduces the risk of misconduct. It would help eliminate the 'old boys' network and better represent the diversity of football worldwide." He added that FIFA's exec committee "should also be overhauled to create a governing board and a management board." Scala: "This would split oversight and strategy from commercial activities and day-to-day activities. Because FIFA officials today have two or three responsibilities, there are inevitably conflicts of interest. If we implemented my reform proposals, we would have a well-run institution. FIFA is obliged to deliver. If it doesn’t, it has no chance of changing perceptions about the institution. Doing nothing is not an option" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 10/20).
