Ferwafa officials attend Fifa Congress

THREE Rwanda football federation officials are in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius to attend the 63rd Fifa Congress set for May 31, as the football’s world body gathers to vote on the final set of proposals in Fifa’s two-year governance reform process.The officials who departed for Mauritius yesterday include; chairman Celestin Ntagungira, secretary general Michel Gasingwa and competitions chief Boniface Nsabimana.The beautiful island location could hardly be more apt, as the representatives of Fifa’s 209 member associations meet to discuss the last set of proposals put forward as a result of Fifa president Joseph S. Blatter’s 2011 Congress pledge to steer “the Fifa boat..back into clear, transparent waters.”With a busy 19-point agenda awaiting them at the two-day gathering, the delegates will have little time to savour the scenery beyond the Swami Vivekanada international Convention Centre.The most important piece of business will clearly be the proposed amendments to the Fifa Statutes relating to the last remaining decisions in the two-year governance process.Following on from the major steps already approved at last year’s Fifa Congress in Budapest, the member associations will vote on a final series of amendments, comprising ten main points aimed at further strengthening Fifa’s governance structures, as well as increasing the integrity, transparency and representative nature of world football’s governing body.Fifa World Cup biddingConcerning the bidding process for the hosting of the Fifa World Cups, the proposals call for final decisions to be taken, in future, by the Congress. Already approved in principle at the 2011 Congress, this will involve the Fifa Congress voting on the location of future final competitions, following the drawing up by the Fifa Executive Committee of a shortlist of up to three bids.Among the other proposed amendments of the Fifa Statutes include a series of clarifications and specifications, including in particular a re-drafting of articles 2 and 3 to incorporate stronger and more detailed wording on the promotion of ethics and the fight against discrimination respectively.Following the vote on these multiple amendments, the Congress will then turn its attention to two further items put forward; the introduction of age limits and that of limited terms of office for key office-holders.

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Ferwafa officials attend Fifa Congress