Scala winning support to head FIFA's reform task force - sources
By Simon Evans
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss businessman Domenico Scala has been asked by heads of at least three regional confederations to take on the role of 'neutral chairman' of FIFA's new reforms task force, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. Scala is not an elected FIFA official but already holds two roles at football's global governing body, which is facing a massive corruption scandal following the indictment by U.S. authorities of 14 current and former football officials and company executives for bribery-related offences. He is chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee and chairman of the Ad-hoc Electoral Committee, handling the process for February's vote for a new FIFA president to replace Sepp Blatter. His involvement inside FIFA will lead to questions about whether he qualifies as a neutral party. Scala has already been working on reform plans which were presented to FIFA's executive committee meeting on Monday. FIFA has said that the chairman of the task force would be decided in consultation with the confederations' presidents. Those confederation heads, who attended Monday's meeting in Zurich, held informal soundings with Scala about the role and a source said he is expected to decide later this week whether or not to accept their proposal. One of the sources, who is close to CONCACAF - the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean - said that it backs him becoming the task force head. However, Michel Platini - who is head of the European confederation UEFA - would prefer to see someone well-known, from outside FIFA circles, to lead the task force and has not given any formal backing to Scala, a source close to Platini said. "He has no major problem with Scala and could entertain the idea but he would prefer a high-profile independent person for this role," said the source. Platini has emerged as the front-runner to replace Sepp Blatter in February's presidential election but he has yet to decide whether he will run. FIFA has not made any decision on who will make up the ten-person task force, other than stating that the members will be drawn from the six continental confederations. "This is a work in progress," said a FIFA spokeswoman. Campaigners for change at FIFA have been critical of the creation of the task force, calling instead for the reform process to be carried out by an entirely independent, third party, commission. The idea of an outside independent reform process was also supported by FIFA sponsor Coca Cola last week.
(Reporting By Simon Evans; Editing by Martin Howell)
