Revised statutes include term limits, independent members, governance reforms, greater financial transparency, and effective compliance processes

Zurich, Switzerland (Thursday, February 25, 2016) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) today announced that its Member Associations voted unanimously to approve a comprehensive package of reforms, which were first outlined in the CONCACAF Reform Framework and later drafted by CONCACAF’s Statutes Reform Committee, at the Confederation’s XXII Extraordinary Congress. CONCACAF’s revised statutes will become effective immediately as the Confederation and its Member Associations begin implementing the reforms.

The reforms to CONCACAF’s statutes fundamentally change the governance structure of football in the region and set new standards for accountability and transparency within international sports organizations. Once fully implemented, CONCACAF’s new structure will ensure that decisions regarding the Confederation’s operations are made in the best interest of CONCACAF Member Associations, confirm that there is strong external oversight of the CONCACAF Council and General Secretariat, and affirm that CONCACAF’s resources are being utilized to achieve the Confederation’s mission of developing and promoting football in the region.

In a statement, CONCACAF said: “The reforms passed today go further than ever before to incorporate essential principles of good governance and compliance into CONCACAF’s statutes. However, it is only the beginning of the equally important process of changing the culture of how football is governed and administered by implementing these reforms in a meaningful and sustainable way. CONCACAF will pursue implementation and enforcement of the reforms with the same determination that led to this important day for football in the region.”

Details on the implementation of key reforms include:

– Governance: Sixty days after the Extraordinary Congress, the current CONCACAF Executive Committee will be transformed into the CONCACAF Council. The CONCACAF Council, led by CONCACAF’s President, will assume responsibility for setting and achieving the Confederation’s strategic objectives and for football-related decision making. The General Secretariat will manage the day-to-day business operations of the Confederation with strategic direction and oversight from the Council and independent committees.

– Independence: Independent committees will be created to oversee Compensation, Governance, Audit and Compliance, and Finance. The Audit and Compliance Committee will be comprised entirely of independent members. The Compensation, Governance, and Finance Committees will be chaired by and comprised of a majority of independent members. Additionally, the CONCACAF Council will include up to three independent, non-voting members, who will be elected by CONCACAF’s Member Associations at the Ordinary Congress on May 12, 2016.

– Ethics: All candidates for the CONCACAF Council, CONCACAF President, standing committee members, members of judicial bodies, and senior Confederation officials will undergo eligibility checks to be conducted by the independent Ethics Committee. Until the independent Ethics Committee is formed, the CONCACAF Council will engage a third-party vendor to conduct the eligibility checks.

– Term Limits: Term limits of twelve years (consecutive or non-consecutive) will be applied to CONCACAF Council members and members of independent committees. Should existing members of the Executive Committee be elected to the CONCACAF Council, they may complete their current term plus one additional term so long as the member is in the last two years of his or her current term.

– Transparency: The CONCACAF Congress will have the authority to review and approve on an annual basis, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, the remuneration and other compensation of CONCACAF Council members, CONCACAF representatives before FIFA, the chairpersons of the Audit and Compliance Committee, Finance Committee, Compensation Committee and the Governance Committee, and senior officials including the General Secretary, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer.

– Accountability: CONCACAF has the right to audit any Member Association or Union receiving CONCACAF funds for a specific purpose to ensure that such funds are being used for said purpose.

The revised statutes will be available on CONCACAF’s website in the coming days.