FIFA published a new code of conduct for all football players and officials Thursday which includes direct orders to reject bribery and corruption in the game. FIFA has sent drafts of the code's 11 core principles to 208 football nations ahead of their annual Congress next month in Budapest, Hungary. Key aims include urging “the FIFA family” to “reject and condemn all forms of bribery and corruption,” and “behave ethically and act with integrity in all situations.” “The observance of the principles laid down in the Code of Conduct is essential to FIFA and its objectives,” the governing body states in the document. Failure to follow the code “might jeopardize the integrity of matches or competitions or give rise to abuse of association football.” A FIFA-appointed transparency task force will present its conduct charter on May 25 as part of President Sepp Blatter's drive to repair FIFA's battered reputation after bribery and alleged World Cup vote-rigging scandals. Also in Budapest, a separate task force analyzing football's statutes will suggest an age limit of 72 for all candidates for FIFA positions. Member countries will also be asked to choose leaders of the world governing body's new and independent ethics and compliance committees, who will head anti-corruption probes and monitor FIFA's billion-dollar annual spending. Other agenda items at the Congress include proposals for a new disciplinary sanction ordering players or officials to perform social work, and prohibiting referees and match officials being paid in cash for working at international matches. The meeting comes midway through Blatter's promised two-year campaign to cleanse and modernize FIFA, guided by an independent panel of experts chaired by Swiss law professor Mark Pieth.
