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 A statement on Thursday by Prince Ali's campaign organizers said the
group would "help steer FIFA through its first year to recover from
crisis and to support the future reform process."
Soccer's world ruling body is engulfed in a graft scandal that has
led to the indictment of several dozen leading soccer officials in
the United States, and is under enormous pressure to reform.
Prince Ali is one of five candidates standing to replace outgoing
FIFA president Sepp Blatter, himself banned for eight years for
ethics violations, in the Feb. 26 election.
Last year, campaign group New FIFA Now also called for Annan to be
put in charge of an independent reform commission.
Thursday's statement said Prince Ali had already discussed the idea
with Annan.
It said the group would focus on governance issues "with the goal of
stabilizing an organization in crisis."
In the longer term, it would turn its attention to FIFA's
development policies, and advise on aspects of the sport such as the
expansion of the World Cup and combating match-fixing.
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"The FIFA Oversight Group ...is an essential element to revive
FIFA’s reputation and restore it to what it should be – a service
organization for football," said Prince Ali.
"Having the commitment of a group of people with such impeccable
credentials, unquestioned integrity and global standing represents
an unprecedented response to the unprecedented crisis sweeping
FIFA."
(Reporting by Brian Homewood; editing by John Stonestreet)
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