FIFA to name key anti-corruption figures next week

BERNE (Reuters) - FIFA will appoint next week the two figures who will play key roles in trying to banish corruption from soccer's governing body, a decision that was originally due to be taken in May.

FIFA's executive committee will hold a special meeting on July 17 to confirm the nominations for chairmen of the two chambers of its recently-reformed ethics committee, FIFA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The meeting will also discuss its recent decision to allow a team representing the former Serbian province of Kosovo to play friendly international matches.

FIFA's Congress has already approved the decision to split the ethics committee which in the last two years has been responsible for investigating several cases of corruption. These related to the contest for the hosting of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and last year's FIFA presidential election.

Although the ethics committee has banned a number of high-ranking officials, including FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam who has been kicked out of the game for life, it has been criticized for not taking the initiative and only acting in the wake of media reports.

Top international prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, best known for pursuing war criminals, is expected to be named as head of the chamber responsible for investigating cases.

The other chamber will be responsible for judging cases and handing out sanctions. The chairman proposed by FIFA's independent governance committee declined the offer for health reasons in May, delaying the reform process.

The members of the two chambers will also be confirmed next Tuesday, FIFA said.

However, further reforms proposed by the governance committee, headed by Professor Mark Pieth from the Basel Institute for Governance, will only be put before FIFA's next Congress in May 2013.

These include age limits for the FIFA president and executive committee members who would also be restricted to two four-year mandates.

On Kosovo, FIFA said in May it would allow a national team to play friendlies but the decision upset European soccer's governing body UEFA as well as the Serbian football federation.