Olympic chief Thomas Bach calls for ‘painful’ reform at Fifa

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach believes Fifa is going though a critical time. Pierre Albouy / Reuters

LAUSANNE // The International Olympic Council (IOC) chief Thomas Bach has said scandal-plagued Fifa needs “painful” but necessary reform.

The IOC president said the crisis at football’s world governing body was bigger than the bribes-for-votes furore over the awarding of the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City.

“We know from our experience that putting everything on the table can be painful but it’s absolutely necessary. We’ve seen that in our past,” he said on Monday. “It’s only by doing that that the IOC restored its credibility.

“We can only encourage Fifa to pursue the reforms that it has chosen to carry out. We appreciate that Fifa should be ready for substantial reforms,” Bach said the scale of the 2002 Games affair was nothing in comparison to the storm enveloping Fifa.

“The difference in magnitude is enormous,” he said. “There is almost no comparison with what happened with Salt Lake City and what is happening at Fifa. It’s hard to compare, perhaps on the principle, but not on the scale.”

On top of a mass of bribery claims involving Fifa officials, Swiss judicial authorities are probing the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar that has also raised questions about the 2010 event in South Africa.

The scandal triggered the resignation of Fifa president Sepp Blatter, four days after his reelection for a fifth term.

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