CONCACAF to vote on anti-corruption reforms

CONCACAF has been in the eye of the storm of the US-led criminal investigation into football corruption, with former President Jeffrey Webb arrested in Switzerland last May when the scandal erupted.

Webb was replaced as CONCACAF chief by Honduran official Alfredo Hawit -- who was himself then arrested during a second series of raids in Switzerland in December before being extradited to the United States.

CONCACAF said in a statement Monday that the region's national member associations will vote on the reform package when they gather in Zurich on February 25 on the eve of the FIFA presidential election.

Among the key reforms are the creation of a new ruling CONCACAF Council comprising up to 15 members, which will replace the existing executive committee.

Members will also vote on new rules regarding term limits of 12 years for CONCACAF Council members and members of independent committees.

Any candidates for CONCACAF offices will also be subjected to extensive eligibility checks by a newly created independent Ethics Committee.

CONCACAF also plans to introduce new powers which give the body the right to conduct an audit of any national member association receiving funds from the confederation to ensure money is being spent properly.

Allegations involving corruption in the CONCACAF region form the centerpiece of the US criminal investigation which ultimately led to the downfall of former FIFA President Sepp Blatter last year.

The Justice Department probe alleges that bribes and kickbacks worth more than $150 million were paid out over two decades regarding tournaments in North America and South America.

Former CONCACAF powerbroker and FIFA vice-president Chuck Blazer helped lift the lid on the murky inner-workings of the region, serving as an informant to federal investigators probing corruption.