Fútbol Transparente introduced in Colombia
The recent corruption scandals surrounding football have negatively impacted the beautiful game. In Colombia, where the FIFA -gate had a direct impact at the heart of the Football Association, there is an innovative multi-stakeholder initiative that aims at tackling this issue from its core: Fútbol Transparente.
When Luis Bedoya, former Colombian FA president, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to bribery and fraud, diverse sectors linked to Colombian football thought it was time to improve the running of the sport. However, nothing seemed to change and part of his succession line took over the Governing Bodies.
If a change was to be done, it had to be undertaken from an alternative approach. Hence, three independent organisations [FanVox, Foro Nacional por Colombia and Transparency International, Colombian Chapter] joined forces to create Fútbol Transparente, a national project that aimed at tackling corruption and promoting transparency and accountability from the industry. It clearly is aligned with the values shared by Responsiball, as it identifies good governance as the core pillar to make football better.
The project went live with a national survey on the perception of Colombia’s Football Governing Bodies. With 971 valid responses, the general results were very explicit: an average score of 2/5 for all three Governing Bodies. The main conclusions extracted from the study were:
- Colombian Football is exposed to corruption risks derived from the international context and the local transparency deficit.
- The lack of transparency is linked to a) High Discretion; b) Monopoly in Decision-Making; and 3) Low levels of Accountability.
- There is no trust in the Governing Bodies, but it is often overshadowed by success on the pitch by the National Team and professional Clubs.
With those results in mind, the next step was to present the results before the public audience. The Fútbol Transparente Forum took place in Bogotá, Colombia with the participation of diverse football stakeholders: the President of the Colombian FA, sponsors, government representatives, journalists, agents and players. Their participation was instrumental to set the foundation for the Fútbol Transparente Initiative, a multi-stakeholder round table that will feed in the project roadmap around the topics to jointly improve in Colombia Football Governance. It stands out as an innovative approach as the three organisations will facilitate the direction of the agenda agreed by all stakeholders.
Fútbol Transparente aims at a better football in Colombia and believes that good governance is the best starting point. The roadmap envisions a multidisciplinary set of activities that are divided into four different sections. Firstly, it will undergo a thorough Institutional Framework Diagnosis with the support of the Academia. Right after, and with the support of sports media and the government, Fútbol Transparente will deploy a communications campaign to generate brand awareness on CSR in football. Subsequently, and with the support of the football stakeholders network, educational campaigns and local workshops will be undergone to empower citizen participation and mobilization.
In the end, the expected outcome would be to deliver a yearly snapshot of the state of Colombian football along with the creation of the Transparency Index in Colombian Football (INFUTCO®). Moreover, and working hand in hand with Responsiball, Fútbol Transparente will promote the inclusion of the Fútbol Profesional Colombiano Clubs in the Responsiball Index as a definite proof of incorporating best practices to bring more transparency to Colombian Football.
We will work hard in an ambitious long-term project that will positively and structurally change Colombian Football. Help us achieve it!
Visit the FanVox website for more information.
