Human Rights Groups Call for Systemic Transformation to Prevent History Repeating Itself
FIFA’s current crisis spotlights the need for governance reforms and transparent systems to protect human rights, the Sport & Rights Alliance said today. Though Gianni Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal has been rightly withdrawn, the growing calls for further measures should also address the deeper human rights crisis that, if ignored, risks yet another system that tolerates corruption and covers up abuses.
“The person who leads FIFA matters a great deal, but the bigger problem is systemic. The landscape for human rights, transparency and good governance will not improve if FIFA’s structures are not addressed,” said Andrea Florence, Executive Director of the Sport & Rights Alliance. “This crisis must spur long-overdue reforms to finally embed human rights protections at the heart of world football. Only a systemic transformation that addresses the many abuses linked to FIFA’s operations will prevent history repeating itself.”
The current turmoil within FIFA is reminiscent of the worst corruption crisis in the organization’s history, in 2015, when the United States Department of Justice indicted dozens of football officials with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. Despite this scandal, Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president days later, though he eventually stepped down. During the 2016 election, the Sport & Rights Alliance asked all five candidates to commit to six clear steps to mitigating rights abuses. Gianni Infantino was elected as Blatter’s successor, promising change and affirming that “FIFA is fully committed to respecting human rights.”
