Thursday, December 16, 2010

FIFA vs International Olympic Committee rules

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Was going to write a piece about FIFA vs IOC rules, following the corruption allegations against FIFA and the farce of taking the Wold Cup to Russia in 2018 and in particular Qatar in 2022. However, I see that the BBCs James Pearce has already done a good job on this issue.

BBC - James Pearce: Fifa should learn from IOC

...Wide-ranging reform at Fifa is unlikely to happen in the short term. But even if Blatter wants to nudge his organisation gently on to a path of greater transparency, then he could do a lot worse than follow the IOC's example. Look at how the IOC reformed its voting system after the Salt Lake City scandal. In particular, there was one major change that dramatically lessened the opportunities for corruption.

If you are an IOC member, you are no longer allowed to visit any candidate cities without permission. Instead, the IOC members are told to form their opinions from the official technical report. Yes, in Olympic circles technical reports are actually read, unlike the Fifa ones that appear to have been ignored. A city that had been branded "high risk" in the way that Qatar was by Fifa would be very unlikely to win an IOC vote.

In contrast, the 24 members of Fifa's executive committee were able to travel the world for free during the contests for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. If one of them fancied a weekend in London with his wife, then all he needed to do was pick up a phone or click his fingers and it was all laid on. A five-star hotel, limousine, hospitality at the Premier League game of his choice... The bid teams had no choice but to pander to the voters' every need. These lucky men were wined and dined in destinations stretching from Moscow to Sydney, via New York, Tokyo, Seoul and many other of the world's great cities.

The IOC put a stop to all this. The rules for Olympic voters are now far tighter.
If Fifa voters are banned from travelling to the bidding countries, it would not be enough to make the process appear clean but it would at least be an important first step....

Unanswered green spaces questions

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Bristol City Council due to decide on sell off plan despite unresolved questions

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TODAY the city council's cabinet is due to decide on a plan to sell off up to 64 parks and green spaces, despite a string of unresolved questions on the controversial scheme.