New Zealand Football chairman Frank van Hattum will jointly lead one of four task forces created by international soccer's governing body FIFA to improve its governance processes.
Van Hattum and Paraguayan Football Association president Juan Angel Napout will head the transparency and compliance task force, one of four announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter last week.

The first reform proposals from the task forces will be discussed at the next FIFA executive committee meeting in Tokyo on December 16 and 17.


Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/NZ-soccer-chief-t...x#ixzz1cnChqOBd

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soccer/2011/1105/1224307137051.html

In an interview with the website insideworldfootball, ahead of that speech, Blatter said: “It takes time to shake the tree until all bad apples have fallen to the ground.

“What I want to make clear is that by December of this year we shall present further facts, this time with names attached, on how we want to tackle the necessary changes in the governance of world football.”

“I want you to know that today we scrutinise everything, no matter where the chips may fall — be that within Fifa or on its periphery around the world.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/11/07/fifa.austin.ap/

ZURICH (AP) -- Caribbean football leader Lisle Austin has lost his appeal against a one-year suspension from all football duty.

FIFA says its appeals panel upheld Austin's ban for breaking football rules by seeking a court injunction against the CONCACAF confederation.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2011/11/07/sp-fifa-corruption.html

"I will also now, let's say, put to life the strategic committee … where FIFA itself will show to the world that we are going to work in our own family," Blatter told delegates at a conference in FIFA's home city.

Blatter is chairman of the 28-member panel, which includes Marcello Lippi, coach of Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning team, FC Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, former France international Christian Karembeu and Sunil Gulati, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation.

FIFA describes its role as dealing with "global strategies for football and its political, economic and social status." It last met in April 2009.

Blatter said the group will work separately from four FIFA task forces which are suggesting changes to a good governance committee. That so-called "solutions committee" of up to 18 members from football, politics and public service will steer reforms of FIFA's ethics, investigative powers and legal structures over the next two years.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sport...ow/10648744.cms

LAUSANNE: Former FIFA executive committee member Ahongalu Fusimalohi gave evidence at sport's highest court on Monday to challenge his two-year ban for corruption during World Cup bidding contests.

The Tongan official was caught in a British newspaper's sting during bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Fusimalohi and other former FIFA officials reportedly advised The Sunday Times's undercover reporters how to bribe their former colleagues.

He is the last of three officials to appear at CAS among six banned by FIFA last year based on the newspaper's evidence.

Amos Adamu of Nigeria, who FIFA ruled had asked for bribes, challenged his three-year ban from all football duties last month.

Amadou Diakite of Mali faced the same FIFA charges as Fusimalohi. He appealed his two-year ban last month.

The CAS panels are scheduled to give their three verdicts within several weeks.

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/11/07/Emirates-FIFA-Pullout-110711.aspx

"We are seriously thinking about not renewing our partnership with FIFA beyond 2014," said Boutros Boutros, the divisional senior vice president of corporate communications for Emirates, told Australia’s B&T Media. The comment took FIFA by surprise, according to Bloomberg.

The company, which paid $195 million back in 2006 to be an official sponsor of FIFA for eight years, is now researching if the scandal affected its brand in any way

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetai...s-/Default.aspx

Air-conditioned stadiums to beat 50-degree (122 Fahrenheit) desert heat in June were a defining theme of Qatar’s winning bid last year. Qatar hired Populous to help its campaign, drawing on the firm’s experience in building signature projects...

The firm built a small prototype of an air-conditioned stadium in Doha to help persuade a FIFA inspection team that the tiny nation’s ambitious World Cup project could succeed.

Populous director John Barrow said the system is too expensive and “notoriously unsustainable” for the environment when used on a large scale.

After all the talk of using state-of-the-art air conditioning to cool stadiums at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the architect in charge of one of the venues claimed Tuesday that a more old-fashioned solution would be cheaper and better.

Barrow now believes the planned Sports City arena can be kept cool by shading seats and using traditional Arabic methods for ventilation.
“We are doing away with all the air conditioning kit that is going to cost a fortune to run,” Barrow said.
Instead, he is proposing wind towers that suck up hot air to create fan-like air movement inside the 47,000-capacity stadium.
“It is part of the building tradition in the Gulf to create wind towers which naturally ventilate. If you have got an air movement which keeps you cool like a fan that makes all the difference.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...e.html?ITO=1490

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is under intense pressure today after the head of the Professional Footballers' Association and the Sports Minister led calls for him to resign over his racism gaffe.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson said: 'This is incredibly serious but it is part of a pattern of behaviour.'

"When you see the corruption they've had at FIFA, the comments he made about homosexuals not going to Qatar, the way he talked about women's football, the style of the arrangements for the World Cup, the fact he won't have technology. I think it's really time to move over for Michel Platini.

'My comments have been misunderstood. What I wanted to express is that, as football players, during a match, you have 'battles' with your opponents, and sometimes things are done which are wrong. But, normally, at the end of the match, you apologise to your opponent if you had a confrontation during the match, you shake hands, and when the game is over, it is over.

'Anyone who has played a football match, or a match in any sport, knows that this is the case.'

I was reading about this in a SoccerAmerica publication last week and thought it was some sick and twisted article from the Onion. Outrageous! #OccupyFIFA!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/fifa-boss-blatter-apologizes-for-racial-remarks/article2242248/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2242248

Sepp Blatter apologized for the fact his statements on racism in soccer have caused an “unfortunate situation,” according to a report, but the FIFA president said he would not resign, adding, “Why would I?”

“I cannot resign,” he told BBC Sport. “Why should I? When you are faced with a problem you have to solve the problem. And to go out and to leave the organization, this would be unfair, this would be totally unfair and is not compatible with my fighting spirit, my character, my energy, my commitment.”