Fifa reforms can’t be achieved without committed leadership

What a day for Fifa’s supposedly reputation-rescuing governance project to announce it’s done all it can to encourage reform and will disband.

The Independent Governance Committee (IGC) signed off its official statement with this parting shot:

“The IGC has initiated wider-reaching reforms than ever in the history of FIFA. It is now up to the international football organisation to change its culture and to truly fill these reforms with life so that the organisation’s integrity is ensured and trust and confidence amongst all FIFA stakeholders, including fans and the wider public, is restored.

As in any organisation that has experienced a difficult period of scandal and introspection, it is important that the stakeholders of FIFA, including the media, continue to focus, through oversight, on the reform process. Reputation cannot be restored by policies, procedures, new structures, and words. Committed leadership must demonstrate, through deeds, that the culture of the organisation has changed from those years where compliance and governance were not high priorities.”

The clear message is “over to you guys”, but in language just short of exasperated resignation. With trenchant and still unanswered questions about Fifa’s own probity and decision making, as well as demands they put pressure on Qatar to protect workers rights, it’s embarrassing to say the least.

And it couldn’t have come at a more timely moment.

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