The FIFA Ethics Committee met yesterday, Monday, 15 March 2010, under the chairmanship of Claudio Sulser (Switzerland), who was recently appointed as the new chairman of this committee. During the meeting, the committee examined the current state of the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups™ and agreed to remind all bidders of their obligations with regard to this process.
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter opened the meeting and stressed the importance of this committee: “Football is more than a game. In its socio-cultural approach, football is hope, brings emotions and is a ‘school of life’. Football has also reached a huge economic dimension. All of this brings not only a social responsibility, but a moral commitment too. This is why it is so important to have an independent Ethics Committee that can supervise and make sure that fair play and the Code of Ethics are respected.”
Chairman Claudio Sulser said: “As a former professional footballer, I am very honoured to chair this committee, and I am certain that we can do something positive if we work together as a team, with a transparent approach and with a clear application of the Code of Ethics in order to protect the integrity of football.”
The committee also agreed to send a letter to all of the member associations bidding for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups™ in order to remind them that they have signed regulations to respect fair play in this contest and that the Ethics Committee will remain vigilant to ensure that all regulations are adhered to.
At its meeting in Munich on 9 June 2006, the FIFA Congress voted in favour of creating a new, independent Ethics Committee as FIFA’s third judicial body in addition to the Disciplinary Committee and Appeal Committee. As an independent judicial body, the Ethics Committee has decision-making powers and the option to establish any sanctions the committee deems appropriate, acting in accordance with the FIFA Code of Ethics. The committee also has the mandate to supervise the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups™ in order to ensure that fair play and the Code of Ethics are respected.
Claudio Sulser is a lawyer and a former professional football player. During his career, he played for Vevey-Sports, Grasshopper Club Zurich (winning four league titles and one Swiss cup) and FC Lugano, and he was also capped 49 times by Switzerland. As a striker, he was twice the top scorer of the Swiss league and once the top scorer of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. He is a member of the Swiss Olympic Anti-Doping Committee and an independent lawyer at Sulser & Jelmini in Lugano.
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