SOCCER-FIFA/FULLER Campaigners call for Kofi Annan to take charge of FIFA reform

Record ID: 146487

  • Title: SOCCER-FIFA/FULLER Campaigners call for Kofi Annan to take charge of FIFA reform
  • Date: 20th July 2015
  • Summary: ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (JULY 20, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF ZURICHBERG HOTEL SIGN, READING: "ZURICHBERG HOTEL"IN FRONT OF HOTEL VIEW OVERLOOKING CITY NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW FIFA NOW CAMPAIGNER, JAIMIE FULLER, SAYING: "We must have the implementation of an independent reform commission, as Tim said, led by an eminent person. Today we are calling
  • Embargoed: 4th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Switzerland
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA2CRGBTJVEQ49TFKI56IWW0APG
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: == AUDIO AS INCOMING ==
    A group campaigning for reform of world soccer's governing body FIFA called on Monday (July 20) for former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan to be put in charge of an independent reform commission.
    "We must have the implementation of an independent reform commission," Jaimie Fuller, a co-founder of "New FIFA Now", told a Zurich news conference. "We are calling for Kofi Annan to be in that role.
    "We're calling for demands to be made by government, by fans, by public, by all football lovers for Kofi Annan to please come in and help clean up this mess by taking control of the independent process."
    FIFA's executive committee was meeting on Monday to discuss reform plans and set a date for a vote to replace outgoing president Sepp Blatter, amid charges against FIFA officials of corruption by the U.S. Department of Justice and Swiss authorities.
    Blatter was re-elected for a fifth term at the congress but then announced on June 2 that he would lay down his mandate. He has not been accused personally of any wrongdoing.
    Tim Noonan, of ITUC, the international trade union body, said his organisation had been in touch with Annan.
    "He very much sees the importance of this issue and secondly he says he's open to receiving a proposal so the initial contact has been made with him and he's open to looking at it," said Noonan, adding that a formal offer would have to come from the "world of football".
    Fuller added: "What we cannot let happen, is FIFA trying to bluff through with some quasi attempts today of some sort of reform and bits and pieces. We all know that they're going to try and throw us a few bones to try and make the noise go away, which will reduce the noise as much as possible but this can only be affected by route and branch reform."
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