Two Lower Mainland women are bringing law and order to soccer's global governing body.
Vancouver Police officer and 2010 Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Silvana Burtini was named two weeks ago to FIFA's strategic committee, chaired by embattled president Sepp Blatter. Annapolis, Md.-based lawyer Alexandra Wrage, who is originally from North Delta, meets for the first time this week with FIFA's independent governance committee in Zurich.
Burtini and Wrage are among seven Canadians appointed to FIFA standing committees, signaling Canada's rising influence since last March's award of hosting rights for the 2014 Under-20 Women's World Cup and 2015 Women's World Cup.
Blatter promised reforms after he ran unopposed for a fourth term last May. Corruption rocked FIFA when Qatari challenger Mohammed bin Hammam was banned for a vote-buying scandal brokered by CONCACAF president Jack Warner, who resigned to avoid a bribery probe. (CONCACAF is the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.)
Wrage, president of the non-profit Trace International, and Toronto anti-corruption lawyer James Klotz are on the 11-member panel chaired by Swiss law professor and anti-bribery expert Mark Pieth. Journalist Andrew Jennings, Football Supporters Europe and Transparency International refused to join because FIFA is paying Pieth. Wrage, however, said she would not accept fees or expense payments from FIFA.
"There are a lot of allegations, passions are high, we have a lot of work ahead of us," Wrage told the Courier. Her 2001-founded organization aims to reduce bribery and increase transparency by advising 205 major multinational corporations and 4,500 small and medium enterprises. She calls FIFA's case a "cocktail" of passionate fans, huge sums of money and a complicated corporate structure.
"Providing guidance and insight into a compliance program for a vast multinational company and for FIFA is not such a different undertaking," Wrage said. "The difference is the amount of public scrutiny it gets."
Burtini was a pioneering member of Canada's women's national soccer team in 1987 who retired after Canada's fourth-place finish in the 2003 Women's World Cup. The 10-year VPD vet initially patrolled the Downtown Eastside before investigating vehicle collisions. Her beat is now the West Side. Burtini and Const. Tony Blouin were recognized with a 2004 provincial valour award for saving a drugged, suicidal man on the Hastings Viaduct.
"To me, the biggest thing is fairness, honesty and opportunity for all the different countries despite what their economic ability or religious beliefs might be," said Burtini, who joins a committee with Brazilian star Marta and Swede Pia Sundhage, coach of the U.S. entry in the Jan. 19-29 CONCACAF women's Olympic qualifier at B.C. Place.
The committee also includes European soccer president Michel Platini, English Premier League chairman Dave Richards, head coaches of Spain's World Cup champions and Japan's Women's World Cup champions and Blatter-loyal FIFA members Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay. The latter two were accused of accepting kickbacks from Switzerland's defunct ISL marketing agency.
"I will uphold the law, any law that I am able to," Burtini said. "I definitely want to see FIFA succeed and for the right reasons, it should be done through honest means. I don't agree with all of the betting controversies going on. At the same time FIFA has to be seen as a neutral governing body and not giving special rights to certain groups, or certain peoples or certain countries."
