Blatter Declares Victory, End of FIFA Reform Process

In an offical FIFA interview leading up to this week's FIFA Congress in Mauritius Sepp Blatter described the forthcoming end of the FIFA reform process:

FIFA.com: President, just before the FIFA Congress 2013, do you consider the reform process is now over?
In fact, we are exactly following the road map which was established at the FIFA Congress 2011. Since then, we have been transparent on what was done and we have followed the majority of the recommendations made by the Independent Governance Committee in this two-year process. So I’m extremely proud to say this process will conclude at the 2013 FIFA Congress. However, this does not mean that FIFA will stop adapting and taking measures with regards to governance, and in regards sport politics.

What about the measures which are still under review?
Ten reform areas identified by the Task Force Revision of the Statutes are on the agenda of this year’s Congress. There has been an extensive consultation process observed in order to receive input from the member associations, who ultimately are the ones voting. We have a democratic process in place, we follow it. Between 2011 and 2013, I made a lot of effort to take this reform process as far as I could, but it is now up to the FIFA Congress to decide on these measures.

Mark Pieth, chair of the FIFA IGC, has in the past expressed an intention for the reform work of the IGC to continue. It won't according to Blatter. How that resolves itself bears watching.

Also, Blatter's claim that FIFA has followed the majority of IGC recommendations is something that can be verified empirically.  This analysis will be included in my paper prepared for the upcoming 2013 Play the Game conference in Aarhus. Stay tuned.