aLawyer specializing in sports and human rights I receive over 200 messages a week about abuse in football alone. Some messages are from players, some are from whistleblowers. Almost everyone expresses fear, frustration and anger about how the system is failing. Not that abuse was allowed to happen. Such that when he alerted the powers, he was ignored, gaslighted, or silenced.
Since 2016 I have worked with victims of sports abuse across five continents. From England to Afghanistan, Argentina to Haiti, Canada to Gabon, football is being used as a vehicle by sexual predators to intentionally reach, groom and abuse children and young adults. In all cases, someone was aware that the abuse was taking place – often someone senior in football’s governing structure.
FIFA, as football’s global governing body, is ultimately responsible for investigating allegations of abuse where national federations lack capacity or the alleged perpetrators are directly appointed by FIFA. This happens frequently and in those cases FIFA also decides whether to fine or ban offenders. By all means, FIFA has struggled on this front. This is an area in which FIFA has little experience, and its systems and procedures for tackling match-fixing and doping are better suited to abuse and discrimination.
To its credit, FIFA has managed to ban two major offenders to date. Relying heavily on evidence presented by international players’ union Fifpro who supported survivors and whistleblowers to reconcile accounts of abuses that have been going on for years. FIFA has also been brave enough to accept the challenge of investigating these cases, while many other federations bury their heads in the sand. Now it is proposing to start a multi-sports unit which will help sports bodies to manage cases of abuse. That new entity not only has the potential to influence youth in elite sport, but has set an example for professional and grassroots athletes in the sport.
However, Fifpro and the international NGO Human Rights Watch have already raised concerns Regarding whether FIFA’s plans present a realistic alternative and meaningful improvement on the current system. So how can we feel confident that this proposed new entity is on the right track?
1) Freedom and Transparency
why it matters
Speaking about abuse is incredibly difficult. It’s even harder if speaking up can end a lifelong dream of becoming a top athlete. But if victims and survivors don’t report, game rarely learns about predators.
This means that we must do everything possible to encourage and facilitate secure reporting. And for this people need to trust the unit. This will not be an easy task: there are countless instances of federations concealing abuse, ignoring reports and concerns, keeping perpetrators a secret or tampering with investigations – often personal relationships. Or because of vested interests.
In the current system, you have to report in the same infrastructure that recognizes, recruits and often promotes your abuser. For the new system to work, it must be completely transparent and undeniably free.
what to see
The key here is governance structure, and what kind of rigorous scrutiny this structure will warrant Everyone who participated in, facilitated or neglected the abuse, regardless of their status in the sports community. We need to see clear and concrete examples of how the entity would be free to determine, without any actual or perceived interference from FIFA, when it investigates a complaint and does not; How far does it cast its nets; And when it does and doesn’t publish its findings.
The new unit should also welcome outside scrutiny to help it stay the course. This means the participation of civil society, and victim and survivor representatives, in the organization’s key governance structures and decision-making functions. It also means ensuring that victims and survivors receive appropriate legal aid. Legal action will be taken against all criminals and sports bodies. It is only appropriate that victims and survivors, often children or young people, and almost always the general public, should receive the requisite professional representation. Only with these changes will victims and survivors believe that the organization is capable and willing to make the pain of re-living their worst experience worthwhile.
2) A person centered approach
why it matters
Although the game is increasingly employing buzzwords such as “trauma-informed” or “survivor-focused” in its rhetoric, this rarely translates into action. Overwhelmingly, victims and survivors say that their reports of abuse were met not with a desire to provide protection, to find out the truth and to root out the problem, but instead with a defensiveness that tarnished the reputation of the sport. Puts defense at the top.
Many victims, survivors and whistleblowers also experience significant harm after engaging in the investigation process. I have arranged several emergency evacuations (eg after a whistleblower’s home was shot by armed gunmen) or obtained immediate psychiatric help for athletes who were suicidal after engaging with unsafe and incompatible sporting bodies.
what to see
A clear and detailed understanding of what is involved in this process for victims, survivors and whistleblowers is key here. At each step, we seek to identify the challenges they may face and how these may hinder reporting or engaging in the process.
This is a complex task but we must look at several commitments from the unit, including: conducting a risk assessment into the potential impacts for victims, survivors and whistleblowers; to train employees, agents and partners in trauma-informed practices and how to avoid biased scrutiny; Obtaining informed consent from victims and survivors to participate in the investigation clearly outlining what this entity can and cannot realistically achieve; and to listen to concerns and avoid actions that may be construed as favoring the person of concern or as a defense of institutional reputation. For example, prolific rapist Larry Nassar in the United States Gymnastics cases Recommended as a doctor for athletes After a long time the allegations were made.
The new entity should also sincerely accept and deal firmly with the shortcomings of the existing system. it would probably only be able to make recommendations For sports bodies. In turn, those sporting bodies continue to operate under the same flawed system that was not designed to handle abuse cases. So the new entity should either try to create a comprehensive and bespoke framework for abuse cases, or seek changes to the personal association rules.
3) Expertise and Adequate Resources
why it matters
This is a problem that will require extensive resources to deal with its causes and effects. If the new unit is under-resourced it will fail: Victims and survivors will be encouraged to report in a structure that may not respond promptly and effectively. It will become a black hole in which worries will disappear. Meanwhile, sporting bodies in charge of keeping children safe will have successfully outsourced responsibility for any failures.
what to see
The key here is a clear and transparent commitment to sustainable funding. If sport is serious about tackling a problem this big, and it is serious about mitigating significant risks to the victims and survivors who report the problem, it must also acknowledge that it has a serious price tag.
The new entity should hire specialist staff and build partnerships. As well as those already involved in these matters (such as sportsperson representatives and human rights NGOs) the unit needs to engage and pay for live organizations and experts with live experience. Many survivors work tirelessly to repair these systems for shoestrings or for free. This is highly unreasonable: if the sport is to benefit from their expertise it needs to be sure that they have the ability to do the job well.
So, what will all this cost? WADA, the independent anti-doping agency, spends $46m a year to give you ballpark figures. The game can easily afford it. In 2018, FIFA generated more than $4.6bn in revenue, including 2019 reserves $2.7bn . extended to, In his own words, it is a “healthy and sustainable financial conditionBut if this new entity has the potential to benefit athletes across the sport, FIFA should not be picking the tab alone.
If, and only if, the above criteria are met and the new entity achieves full buy-in from victims and survivors, as well as those who have been in the game for decades, should others join the board . FIFA has been clear about its willingness to work with the International Olympic Committee and governments to help foot the bill. This will make the institution more viable: the value of the global sports industry is estimated at approx. $620bn, with growth that is faster than global GDP, Only 0.01% of that global value would see the new unit as a resource well enough to accomplish this important task.
As someone who has witnessed the devastation caused by child abuse around the world, I can’t think of a better way to spend that money.