Brussels, 11/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - In a resolution adopted by a show of hands in plenary session on Thursday 11 June, the European Parliament called for zero tolerance towards corruption in football.
Expressing regret that the recent allegations of corruption within football's world governing body FIFA have tarnished the reputation of global football, Parliament says that in-depth structural reforms within the organisation are now urgently needed. Sport Commissioner Tibor Navracsics and Latvian Secretary of State for European Affairs Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica took part in the debate that preceded the vote.
In his speech, Navracsics spoke of the need to fully restructure FIFA to make it a transparent organisation, governed by ethical and moral standards. Noting that sport is not an area where the EU can legislate and that the principle of subsidiarity - and the independence of sports associations - must be observed, the commissioner nonetheless observed that, under Article 165 of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU has a responsibility to monitor and work for the moral integrity of sport.
The role of the Commission, therefore, will be to promote stronger cooperation in sport, to cooperate with those who want to restore the role of FIFA and to make it clear to clubs that it is ready to support them, he said. He also stated that the Commission would work with the member states for the implementation of these principles and not be quiet when bodies do not live up to what is demanded of them.
On behalf of the Council, Kalnina-Lukasevica expressed the concerns of the member states over the integrity of the sport. The Council, she said, has been paying attention to how sporting organisations are governed and run, noting that the EU work programme for sport (2014-2017) sets out principles of good governance in sport. She also called for an expert committee to be set up to examine what needs to be done to achieve this goal. It is important, she argued, that the EU plays a role, even though its powers are limited, and she went on to state that corruption must be combatted, no matter the power of those who engage in such shameful and reprehensible activities.
She stated, too, that tackling corruption is one of the priorities of the Latvian Presidency and that making progress on the revision of the money laundering directive would provide new ways to bring a more consistent approach at international level, including in sport. She warned against the temptation, however, to over-regulate the sector in response to corruption.
In its resolution, Parliament welcomes the resignation of Joseph Blatter as FIFA president and calls on the federation to select an interim leader to replace him. It also demands that all officials involved in financial misconduct should be dismissed and any decisions that are linked to corrupt or criminal activities should be reviewed.
MEPs welcome the statement by the head of FIFA's audit and compliance committee that the award of the World Cup for 2018 and 2022 could be invalidated if evidence emerges that the awards only came about as a result of corrupt activities. The resolution also urges FIFA to implement strict ethical standards and a code of conduct for its management and executive committee, to be supervised by an independent monitoring body.
MEPs urge the EU and its member states, in cooperation with Interpol, Europol and Eurojust, to take all appropriate measures to tackle any possible indication of corruption of FIFA officials or of a national football association on EU territory. (Isabelle Lamberty)