September 19 – Francois Carrard (pictured), the former Olympic supremo who led the team that drafted FIFA’s much-trumpeted governance proposals, says international sport is now “in crisis and must reform itself.”
Carrard has taken somewhat of a backseat since coming up with his reform proposals but it still regarded as a knowledgeable and experienced voice when it comes to governance matters.
Last week, he was on a panel at an ethics in sports forum at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters and bemoaned the fact that world sport, rocked by the FIFA corruption and Russian doping scandals, had plummeted to such low levels, in the main because sport – or a section of it – had become too reliant on money.
“Many advisers and professors are giving lots of advice but if we want to be really practical, we must never forget that sport has always been the mirror of our society,” said Carrard. “Money brings greed and greed breeds corruption.”
Carrard says the only way to solve the crisis is to educate the leadership “which has yet to understand fully the seriousness of the problem.” And that, added Carrard, is due in large part to cultural differences when it comes to what is and what is not acceptable.
Appearing to be referring specifically to FIFA, Carrard said. “In my opinion reform has to come from within. That means the decision-makers and thosee who are in power.”
Turning to the process of elections within sports organisations, again seemingly referring to FIFA, Carrard added: “One country one vote as a democracy may be very noble but in practise does it really work?”
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