Top football officials Gaillard and Champagne join Play the Game 2011

Shortly before Play the Game 2011 opens its festival for sports democracy in Cologne, two heavyweight officials from the world of football have announced their participation in the vivid debates on the challenges FIFA in particular and international football in general face.

‘Which FIFA in the 21^st Century?’ is the direct question addressed by Jerome Champagne, who in 2010 retired as FIFA’s International Director after 11 years at the top of world football politics. Few people have more inside knowledge than Champagne, who worked intimately with all the FIFA officials currently dealing with a quagmire of corruption and mismanagement scandals.

Champagne adds his insight and proposals to the Change in Sport Day during Play the Game, in which a number of inside and outside experts from sport will discuss how to improve leadership in international sport.

But the situation in FIFA is not the only challenge to football. One of the most experienced football officials in Europe, William Gaillard, the Senior Advisor to UEFA President Michel Platini, will address a number of conflictive issues – the growing problem with match-fixing being one of them. Gaillard will tell how UEFA deals with such threats on the Opening Day Monday 3 October right after the founding WADA President, Richard W. Pound.

Later the same afternoon, a special session on match-fixing will include experts from Interpol and the World Lottery Association as well as Play the Game Award-winner from 2009, PhD and investigative journalist Declan Hill. As a new contribution to our knowledge about match-fixing, Dr. Werner Pitsch from Saarland University will reveal the results of his studies into match-fixing in German football.

Strong group of speakers

“With the latest confirmations from Gaillard and Champagne we have a stronger group of football and sports experts than we have ever dreamed of recruiting in our quest to find solutions to some of the most urgent challenges in sport,” says Play the Game International Director Jens Sejer Andersen.

“We are grateful that they offer to add their names to an already impressing list which includes former Chilean football president Harold Mayne-Nicholls, fomer World Cup winning captain for Brazil, Raí, WADA Director General David Howman and SportAccord manager Ingrid Beutler.

Leading investigative journalists and whistleblowers in sport, like Andrew Jennings, Jens Weinreich, Mario Goijman and Hajo Seppelt, are also on the programme, which can be found at http://www.playthegame.org/conferences/play-the-game-2011/programme.html

Join the debate – join the conference

You can also join the debates. If you want to ensure full access to all conference activities at Play the Game 2011, it is time to register.

Our full package offers the best value for money, with four days costing 600 Euros per person, meaning a daily rate of just 150 Euros including all meals, Gala dinner and social events.

Packages are also available for accompanying guests, with admission to all conference social events.

For those who cannot attend for the full duration of the conference, we also offer one-day packages for just 200 Euros.

Find all information here.