CONCACAF president Webb calls for FIFA overhaul

FIFA needs an overhaul at the highest level including changes to the way its governing executive committee is elected to become a fairer reflection of today's global soccer landscape, FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb said on Tuesday.

Webb, 49, the president of the CONCACAF confederation which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, told delegates at the Soccerex Global Convention that the world was changing and FIFA needed to reflect those changes after years of having its image tarnished by one scandal after another.

He also said he had no aspirations to challenge Sepp Blatter for the presidency of FIFA after the incumbent president said on Monday he would stand for a fifth term of office in next year's elections.

But he candidly stated: "FIFA has some huge challenges and the image and perception is definitely the No.1 challenge.

"With all due respect, I don't think FIFA has done a great job communicating its message over the years and its image and public perception is affecting the game.

"Obviously, we don't see that when it comes to the revenue and the business side where Sepp Blatter and (secretary general) Jerome Valcke have done a great job, but from an ethics and moral standpoint we have got an awful lot of work to do to rebuild trust.

"We have to have trust and confidence. We have to go further with reforms, the landscape of global football has changed. FIFA was formed in 1904 -- that is far away from 2014. We should be bold enough and brave enough to reform the executive committee.

"I believe it should have proportional representation. Is it fair for Africa to have the same number of members as UEFA and that Africa has four or five members on the executive committee and Europe has eight or nine.

"I am a big fan of independent board members. We have made a huge step adding women, but why not someone from refereeing, from the economical partners, and of course the players."

RACISM FIGHT

Webb is the head of the FIFA Task Force charged with driving racism and discrimination out of the game but was pessimistic about the odds of that happening soon.

"Sadly, I think we will still be fighting racism in 10 years time. Unfortunately we have a culture of brushing things under the table instead of really confronting them and having a real discussion and conversation about racism in sport and football.

"I believe football can be a catalyst to aid society in this fight, but in so many instances we are scared to confront it. We see it from FAs and clubs consistently. Sadly, it comes down to revenues and commercialisation."

He also said he would like CONCACAF to have four guaranteed places at future World Cups instead of its current allocation of 3.5 slots - three qualifiers and a fourth country involved in the intercontinental playoffs.

"We should have four slots. We have shown it on the field, we have earned it over the last two or three tournaments," he said.

Three of CONCACAF's four finalists, Costa Rica, the United States and Mexico, all advanced from the group stage in Brazil with Costa Rica reaching the last eight for the first time before losing to the Netherlands on penalties.

Costa Rica's last eight appearance was unexpected, but Webb said: "That was no real surprise to us because Costa Rica have been very good for the last two years and, pro rata, only South America did as well as us at the finals."

He also said that the 2026 World Cup should return to the CONCACAF region, for the first time since the United States held it in 1994.

"By then it will be 32 years and that is long enough. We were hard done by when rotation (around the confederations) stopped and it should return to us for 2026."

He said he would like future World Cups to be decided by an "open vote" of members. The next vote for the 2026 World Cup finals is due be taken in 2018 by all of FIFA's 209 members at Congress rather than the executive committee.

"We have an open vote to decide matters in CONCACAF and I would like to see an open vote in FIFA too," Webb added.