Please FIFA, can we have our Ball back?

We love football, but we abhor, and are embarrassed by, FIFA.

This is the slogan of NewFIFANow – a movement for change within football that was launched in January 2015. They background a lot of the issues that have been brought more to light since the arrests in Zurich of FIFA officials.

The group wants to achieving genuine, long-lasting change in the governance of world football. Their Charter is a demand for change “for everyone who loves football: fans, players, sponsors, broadcasters, those who work in media and who form our governments.” These are people who believe football can truly be a force for good, and not let those words be an empty, hollow slogan for yet-another money-grubbing multinational. They say on their website:

It is for everyone who is of the view that football deserves a world governing body that is free of corruption, mismanagement and self-interest.

It is for everyone who wants to see football governed by people who make decisions and take action in a transparent manner, and who are held accountable in the best interests of the sport and civil society. 

And it is for everyone who shares in the community of football around the world.

They have called on FIFA ‘to have the same level of transparency and accountability that most citizens expect of their governments, major institutions and organisations’. To get there they are seeking ‘an interim time-limited administration, led by an eminent person with a broad mandate to develop a new constitution, governance arrangements and policies and conduct new elections.’

And by jove – you know – I think they’ll get it. Or something like it. The ball is rolling – I don’t think anyone can stop it now. But where it will end up is anyone’s guess.

This whole FIFA debacle and unravelling gives me great cause for hope in regard to any form of corruption or injustice. Let’s keep the ball rolling.

Support NewFIFANow – sign the petition!