Bonaire Officially Welcomed As Full CONCACAF Member

SAO PAULO, Brazil (Tuesday, June 10, 2014) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) held today its 29th Ordinary and 20th Extraordinary Congresses in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The meeting, which was attended by representatives of all 41 Member Associations, was highlighted by amendments made to the Confederation’s Statutes that included the following:

Approval of the Code of Ethics and the Code of Conduct.

The addition of a Female Member to the CONCACAF Executive Committee under Article 24.

The definition of the composition of the CONCACAF Disciplinary Committee to allow proper operation and the eventual implementation of a disciplinary code.

The formalization of the existing CONCACAF Audit and Compliance Committee, increasing governance and oversight of the Confederation.

The formalization of the existing Gold Cup Committee.

Stricter regulatory language in the Non-Discrimination and Stance against Racism article.

The approval of an amendment to Article 26, Candidatures for the Office of the CONCACAF President.

The amendments were approved unanimously by the delegates. CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb emphasized that support by urging them to renew efforts in the areas of good governance, infrastructure development, integrity and financial transparency.

“One Vision, One Future, One CONCACAF, is our focus today, but also, it must be our long-term commitment,” expressed President Webb. “We have rebuilt our foundation; now let us move forward to continue the good work.”

The Finance Committee presented its annual report, which reflected a significant growth in the governing body’s finances. In addition, Investment Subcommittee recommendations were approved unanimously.

The Investment Subcommittee also gave its recommendations for the 25 million dollars that the Confederation has earmarked for reserve.

Independent auditors BDO were also on hand to present the Congress with the 2012 and 2013 audits.

Another area of focus was integrity, as the newly created Sports Integrity Department delivered its first report to the membership. The report included results on investigated cases and the introduction of a whistleblower hotline, which will provide fans, players, coaches and executives with a mechanism to report possible irregularities in the game.

“The integrity of the game will remain one of our highest priorities,” said President Jeffrey Webb. “This is a huge challenge and the biggest threat to the game, potentially impacting every single member of CONCACAF. Protecting our beautiful game means that we must all share in one common goal, which is to ensure zero tolerance and embrace all aspects of integrity.”

During the session, President Webb acknowledged El Salvador for its efforts in the fight against match fixing that resulted in a zero tolerance approach and sanctions against offending players.

Additional reports included those from the Audit and Compliance, Finance and Budget Committees.

In his second full year as CONCACAF President, Webb chaired the Congress. FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter led the list of football executives in attendance that also included Asian Football Confederation President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and AFC General Secretary Dato’ Alex Soosay.

Bonaire Full Membership

Dutch territory Bonaire was granted admission as CONCACAF’s newest full member. As a result of its new status, Bonaire will now be able to participate completely in the confederation’s competitions.

Competition Bidding

The bidding process to host a CONCACAF competition was launched for the period covering 2016-2021. Member Associations were invited to bid on all senior and age-group championships (men’s and women’s), plus those for beach soccer and futsal.

At the Congress’ start, President Webb asked all attendees to observe a moment of silence in remembrance of the sudden passing of the father of CONCACAF Executive Member Eduardo Li.