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CONCACAF adopts reforms, no FIFA endorsement

Mexican Football Federation president Decio De Maria speaks to journalists after an extraordinary congress of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) on February 25, 2016 in Zurich

CONCACAF approved major reforms on Wednesday, part of the body's effort to move past a series of devastating scandals, as it confirmed it will not vote as a block in FIFA's presidential election. The confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean, which has been at the centre of the crisis within world football, said its new governance measures would help curb graft. The goal is "to make sure that the organisation doesn't operate in a way that others can use for their own financial gain, fraud or criminality," Samir Ghandi, CONCACAF's legal advisor, told reporters. Two of the body's former presidents, Jack Warner and Jeffrey Webb, have been charged with corruption by the US justice department. Ghandi conceded that years of mismanagement had hit the organisation hard, and that following Webb's arrest in May, CONCACAF learned that it had just over $2 million (1.8 million euros) in available cash. "That is a very, very low amount," Ghandi said, adding that CONCACAF had repaired its finances in recent months, with an estimated $28 million (25.4 million euros) of cash now available. The confederation has cancelled at least 18 partnerships agreed by previous regimes, and on Thursday passed reforms that aim to bolster financial transparency, including stronger independent auditing and term limits for key executives. Those moves came a day ahead of the FIFA election which many believe will be crucial in determining whether world football as a whole can clean up corruption. A CONCACAF spokesman told journalists that unlike other regional confederations, the body would not endorse any candidate in Friday's vote. The head of the Canadian soccer association, Victor Montagliani, who is running for the CONCACAF presidency, noted that questions regarding the involvement in possible human rights violations by leading candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa raised concerns. "If those allegations are true it's a pretty uncomfortable situation," Montagliani said. Human rights groups have accused Sheikh Salman of being involved in the arrest and torture of footballers involved in the 2011 civil protests when he was head of the Bahrain Football Association. Sheikh Salman, who heads the Asian Football Confederation, has denied all wrongdoing. "I'm sure if the allegations turn into more than allegations, whether (the sheikh) is in office or not, he is going to have to face the music," Montagliani said. Some have said concerns over Sheikh Salman's background could hurt him in the race in which he is seen as a front-runner facing a strong challenge from Gianni Infantino, the acting head of European football.