SHAKEN by corruption scandals, global soccer body FIFA on Wednesday presented the detailed reforms it will ask members to adopt in February at a special congress that seeks to restore its reputation and elect a new leader.

    The reforms include limiting the number of terms top officials can serve, following the banning for eight years of Sepp Blatter, who had been FIFA president for 17 years. His reign ended in the worst graft scandal of the body’s history.

    The amendments also seek to put a tighter rein on FIFA’s 209 member associations and separate policy and management positions, with a 36-member FIFA council replacing the 25-member executive committee.

    “This is a landmark occasion in the history of FIFA, and it comes at a crucial time as we focus on the hard work of restoring credibility and stability,” acting FIFA President Issa Hayatou said in remarks prepared for a February 26 congress in Zurich.

    “I hope that all of the confederations and our member associations will fully embrace these reforms. This will demonstrate to the world that we have listened and learned from recent events and are taking the necessary steps.”

    FIFA is in the throes of criminal investigations in the U.S. and Switzerland. Its ethics committee this week banned Blatter and UEFA boss Michel Platini, long expected to succeed him in the job, for eight years for ethics violations. Both deny any wrongdoing.

    Soccer bosses from across South and Central America were among the latest 16 people charged by the United States with bribery schemes for marketing and broadcast rights, bringing the number of indictments so far to 41 in an investigation spanning dozens of countries.

    “The president shall aim to foster a positive image of FIFA and to ensure that FIFA’s mission, strategic direction, policies and values, as defined by the Council, are protected and advanced,” one amendment reads. (SD-Agencies)