The European Parliament plans to weigh in Thursday on the FIFA corruption scandal with a resolution that calls on president Sepp Blatter to step down immediately.
The motion demands that the international soccer organization appoint an “appropriate” interim leader rather than allow Blatter to stay in the job for several months, according to a draft of the resolution obtained by POLITICO.
It also calls on EU countries and sporting organizations to work with the U.S. and Swiss authorities, and welcomes the probe into how FIFA awarded the World Cup in 1998 to France, 2010 to South Africa, Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.
The motion, which appears to have widespread political support, expresses Parliament’s “long held view” that FIFA is full of “systemic, wide-spread and persistent fraud and corruption.”
The MEPs single out Blatter, saying FIFA’s credibility won’t be restored until he is gone and reforms are put into place.
MEPs will also urge FIFA to implement a strict code of ethics and conduct, and support the call of the New FIFA Now campaign.
Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, beaten by Blatter in the controversial May 29 FIFA election, has a team of lawyers looking for a loophole that could see him take on that role, but for now Blatter remains at the helm until a successor is elected at an Extraordinary Congress, which, under FIFA rules, will not be for at least four months.
Notably, the Parliament will make the point that “corruption and money laundering are intrinsically linked and a large number of Member States have been affected by match fixing.”
The MEPs will also urge FIFA to implement a strict code of ethics and conduct controlled by an independent monitoring body and support the call of the New FIFA Now campaign, which aims to establish an independent, non-governmental reform committee overseen by an independent national authority.
And Parliament wants to hit FIFA where it hurts: it calls on all sponsors and broadcasters to support the reform process at FIFA and demands they “follow up their words with continued pressure.”
The joint motion will be voted in plenary in Strasbourg on Thursday and will almost certainly pass with minimal changes.