(ATR) CONCACAF lawyer Samir Gandhi tells Around the Rings the confederation is at risk if it does not act on its proposed reforms.
"We can pass the greatest statutes in the entire world but if no one follows them and the people responsible for enforcing them don’t enforce them, it doesn’t really matter," Gandhi says.
"The key part of reform is the ability to change the culture of the organization. That eventually will be the best way to solve CONCACAF’s problems by actually following reforms and strengthening our culture of compliance reform."
CONCACAF is proposing reforms to put an end to the corruption that has mired the confederation during the reign of the past three presidents over the last thirty years. The scandals have put the confederation on the watch list of the United States Department of Justice as it tries to root out corruption from world football. Gandhi says that waiting to pass substantial reforms could lead to a harsher crackdown by the DOJ.
"If you don’t pass the reforms, and you actually have a choice to do so and you try not to, that’s an indication you may not want to change the organization and that may be an indication of non-cooperation," he says.
However, Gandhi says the regional football confederation of North and Central America and the Caribbean has more to fear than the disdain of the U.S. government.
"It’s not just the prospect of the government shutting us down; it’s the prospect of our business slowing down," Gandhi tells ATR. "It’s not just the DOJ - it’s broadcasters, sponsors - it’s everyone we do business with."
CONCACAF will vote on its reform package in Switzerland on Feb. 25, just one day prior to the FIFA extraordinary congress that will elect the next FIFA president and approve its own set of reforms.
The leaders of the 41 football associations of CONCACAF gathered in Miami, Florida on Feb. 11-12 to discuss the proposed reforms and work out any outstanding differences. Gandhi was also on hand in Miami to participate in the reform discussions and says there seems to be a general consensus that the reforms are best for the confederation.
"I think we’re still talking about a few things. One of the main concerns is independent directors on the CONCACAF Council or executive committee, but I think the general view is that we need these reforms to pass," he tells ATR.
Although the confederation agrees that change is needed, some of the proposed reforms could be revised on the floor on the day of the reform package vote in order to garner the required 75 percent support, or roughly 31 of the 41 FAs.
"There will be some clean up as well, we had some thoughtful comments and people had a real discussion so yeah we could change things on the floor and still pass the reforms," Gandhi says.
Gandhi tells ATR that the time for talking about reforms is over; it is now time for action.
"When people say maybe we can wait a little bit, we can’t," he says. "Passing these is not just important but the symbolism of passing the [reforms] gives an indication that we are actually going to fix the organization and we’re committed to that."
"This is the first step in a long road ahead."
Reported and written by Kevin Nutley
Homepage photo: CONCACAF headquarters (Getty)
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