Proposed FIFA reforms, including term limits, face rejection

Journalists are reflected in FIFA's logo as they wait during an extraordinary meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee in front of FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland October 20, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

MIAMI - A leading member of FIFA's reform committee, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, says up to 40 percent of the reform proposals made by ethics and compliance chief Domenico Scala could be rejected, including plans for term limits for top executives.

Sheikh Ahmad, one of the key power brokers in international sport, defended the decision of the reform committee to turn down a proposal for term limits for members of world soccer's scandal-plagued governing body.

Scala had originally been in charge of FIFA's reform plans before the creation of a Reform Committee headed by Sheikh Ahmad's ally, former International Olympic Committee director general Francois Carrard.

Scala presented an eight-point plan for reform of FIFA on Sept 1 but several items have already been rejected by FIFA's reform committee, according to an interim report published on Oct 20.

Asked about Scala's reforms, Sheikh Ahmad said "60-70 percent" of the proposals were being backed by the committee but said term-limits would be restricted to the FIFA president alone.

Scala proposed term limits of three, four-year terms also for members of the Executive Committee, the Secretary General and members of FIFA's other independent committees.

The Swiss businessman also proposed a system of enforcing the same term-limits for continental confederations and national federations, meaning no-one in the game would be able to hold the same office for more than 12 years.

But the Reform Committee report, which went largely unnoticed after being released at the same time as a raft of news from FIFA's Executive Committee last month, had no mention of term-limits for other officials other than an age limit of 74.