Bribery and Corruption Undermine Sport

Bribery and Corruption Undermine Sport

The arrest of some of the most powerful figures in global football on bribery and corruption charges is a wakeup call for New Zealand as well, according to Transparency International's New Zealand Chair Suzanne Snively.

Although the scale of the alleged corruption is beyond what many New Zealand sporting bodies could imagine the principles remain the same: that bribery and corruption undermine sport just as they undermine good governance and business practice. The arrests of top FIFA figures comes as New Zealand is hosting the Fifa under 20 world cup. It is crucial that New Zealand leads by example as questions are raised over other countries acquiring hosting rights for major tournaments.

Prior to the hosting of the FIFA under 20 and Cricket World Cups New Zealand enacted the Crimes (Match fixing) Amendment Bill 2014 but if New Zealand is be transparent and corruption free with regards to sport we must also demonstrate our willingness to carry those principles through to other areas such as the elimination of "facilitation payments" in business and complete transparency in our trade dealings.

According to Ms. Snively, " The positive aspect of the FIFA arrests is that it shows a willingness of authorities to tackle corruption at the highest level and in circumstances where perpetrators thought they were too important to be held to account. But it is also important for every business and government agency to contribute in their own way by insuring they have processes in place prevent bribery in their own industry."

Transparency International, the parent organization to Transparency International New Zealand, issued a global call for FIFA's reform today: 4 in 5 football fans say Blatter should not stand for FIFA President.

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