CSA President Montagliani “pleasantly surprised” by FIFA reform discussions

When Canadian Soccer Association President Victor Montagliani was tabbed to a part of FIFA’s 13-member reform committee, he was skeptical.

“I had some reservations in terms of whether FIFA was really serious about change,” he said Tuesday.

But Montagliani said he’s been “pleasantly surprised” by the process, so far.

FIFA instigated a reform process in the wake of a series of arrests of top-ranking officials on fraud and racketeering charges. The Swiss-American investigation is still ongoing. Allegations swirl around vote-fixing and vote-buying schemes over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. And FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke has been suspended over allegations over his role in a ticketing scandal.

In May, the Canadian Soccer Association decided not to back FIFA President Sepp Blatter in the organization’s election, putting its vote behind challenger Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein (CLICK HERE), who pulled out of the race after the first round of voting.

But, soon afterward, Blatter announced he would step down and that a reform process would be initiated. The reform committee is headed by Switzerland’s Francois Carrard, who was the director general of the International Olympic Committee from 1989-2003.

Montagliani is one of the 12 other members of the committee.

So far, they’ve had one meeting to discuss reform proposals, and will meet again Oct. 16 in Switzerland. Montagliani said he’s expecting that the group will meet two or three more times before coming up with a draft of reform proposals that will go to all 209 member federations.

The proposals will be part of the agenda for the Feb. 26, 2016 FIFA Congress; which is also the day Blatter’s successor is scheduled to be elected.

But, by FIFA rules, the 209 member associations need 60 days to mull over the documents. So Montagliani said that the reform proposals will need to be in the associations’ hands by Christmas. That gives the reform committee a very tight timeline in which to work.

Montagliani said that the committee has a good balance of “football people” and “independents,” and they have been working well together. But he can’t get into the specifics of what’s being discussed at the reform committee level.

“I think we have found a balance. In football, success is all about finding balance, whether its on the field or off the field.”