In a 60 Minutes interview titled, “Not Playing By the Rules? FIFA Scandal Unfolds,” Michael Hershman, President, The Fairfax Group and Ethisphere’s Strategic Advisory Board member recounts his experience working to root out corruption at the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Hershman spent two years at FIFA after being appointed to an independent governance committee tasked with rebuilding the organization in the wake of all the scandals.
“I assumed that we would be able to take this organization and help turn it around but I was dissuaded from that notion fairly early on,” Hershman told 60 Minutes. “There was a lot of push back from the President, Sepp Blatter, and the executive committee members, many of whom were dinosaurs and didn’t want to see the system change.”
Earlier this week, the suspended Union of European Football Associations President Michel Platini spent almost a day at FIFA headquarters fighting his eight-year ban for accepting a ‘disloyal payment’ of £1.3million, which was approved by Blatter. In December, FIFA’s Ethics Committee, banned Blatter and Platini and said that the payment lacked transparency and raised conflicts of interest, said news reports.
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In an effort to redefine the profession and promote best practices in integrity and business behavior around the globe, the Ethisphere’s 8th Annual Global Ethics Summit, March 9-10, in New York City, will focus on how business leaders can increase transparency to restore investor confidence and public trust. To learn more and to register, click here.
