Sepp Blatter has confirmed that FIFA's new Good Governance Committee will have the power to review the process that led to World Cups being awarded to Russia and Qatar, though the FIFA president did not say such a review would necessarily occur.
Speaking to FOX Soccer, Blatter said the committee, tasked with recommending reforms to world soccer's governing body, will have broad powers to investigate the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar (respectively), should there be cause to do so.
How was less clear about how FIFA would address issues, should any be discovered.
"If somewhere, something appears … this committee has to have a look [at] that and report it," Blatter said, when asked if there is a process in place to rescind a World Cup bid. "And then we will see what will happen."
Blatter also said asking about how the World Cups were awarded "is not only a difficult question, it's a good question."
On Thursday, FIFA confirmed the Good Governance Committee would be headed by Dr. Mark Pieth, a Basel professor serving as part of a United Nation's team investigating alleged corruption in the Iraqi oil-for-food aid program.
The committee will work with FIFA's four recently created task forces: Task Force Revision of Statutes; Task Force FIFA Ethics Committee; Task Force Transparency and Compliance; Task Force Football 2014.
The Ethics Committee task force could ultimately adjudicate charges stemming from irregularities uncovered by the Good Governance Committee .
Speaking to FOX Soccer (in footage released Thursday night), FIFA president Sepp Blatter discussed youth development and the progress of women's soccer.
"[FIFA wants] to reinforce the Ethics Committee by having one part, which is the investigating part," according to Blatter, "and the other part which is the court."
Blatter cited FIFA's current part in the International Sport and Leisure (ISL) kickbacks case as an example of the body's willingness to revisit the past.
On Sunday, Blatter told a Frankfurt newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung that he expects "some people" to resign from FIFA's Executive Committee, with soon-to-be released documents form a Zug, Switzerland court expected to show FIFA officials accepted cash payments in exchange for awarding television and sponsorship rights in the 1990s to the now defunct ISL.
FIFA is expected to publish an ISL dossier on December 17 after its executive committee meets in Tokyo, with Executive Committee member Ricardo Teixeira (Brazil) and former FIFA president Joao Havelange having been implicated by the BBC as having accepted kickbacks.
"We have already started to close the past on one side," Blatter explained. "This is the famous small part of ISL['s] long-lasting story.
"But then, we look forward … we are touching [on] other events taking place in the future, and [the Good Governance Committee] will give us some more information on that."
Blatter also emphasized the importance of the Transparency and Compliance task force, calling it "the most important" of the four new forces.
"[Task force members] are linked with the national football associations but [are] not member[s] of the Executive Committee," Blatter explained, delineating the independence of the task force.
"[T]he Good Governance [is now] working with Transparency International [on] anti-corruption and anti-bribery."
"We will compose this committee [with] representatives of football - our family - and the representatives must be [from] outside, must be from politics, the economy - from the fans groups, sponsors, all those [that] are involved with football.
"And they are all independent. They are not members of FIFA … They are working for or in football, but they are not members of FIFA."
"This committee with will receive [its members] at the end of the year … and they will start to work at the beginning [of 2012] … Task forces will give them input. They will ask some [questions], and this is dialogue.
"And finally, this committee should formulate proposals [for] the Executive Committee, and then [the proposals will go to] the [FIFA] Congress.
"It takes some time, but we are working step-by-step, and it's important to have the adequate personalities in this Good Governance Committee."
