FIFA audit committee chair resigns in protest

Basel-born Scala has been chair of FIFA's audit and compliance committee since May, 2013. Keystone

Domenico Scala, chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, announced his resignation on Saturday following the implementation of a new measure at the world football governing body, which he believes will “deprive [the committee] of its independence”.

Italo-Swiss Scala made the announcement the day after the 66^th FIFA congress in Mexico City, which brings together the world’s football federations. At the congress, new FIFA president Gianni Infantino adopted an amendment that would give FIFA’s governance the power to appoint or dismiss chairmen of the ethics and audit committees.

With this decision, it is possible for the board, chaired by fellow Italo-Swiss Gianni Infantino, to “hinder investigations against members at any time, by dismissing committee members from office, or by winning their approval through the promise of return,” Scala said in a statement.

“These bodies [FIFA’s audit and ethics committees] are in fact deprived of their independence and are threatened to be made auxiliary to those they are supposed to supervise,” he said.

FIFA, which has been involved over the past year in the worst corruption scandal in its history, adopted in February a series of measures to officially strengthen governance and transparency. The amendment adopted Friday at the FIFA congress was not anticipated in these reforms.