Even before their first meeting, the newly appointed members of FIFA's Independent Governance Committte (IGC) have received an indication of the scrutiny their work will face. Committee members are being criticised for not being independent enough of FIFA, whilst organisations like Transparency International and Football Supports Europe have declined to join the committee.

For decades Julio Humberto Grondona has been ruling football in Argentina as well as being one of the most powerful men in FIFA. His harsh leadership has earned him the nick name ‘Don Julio’, but time is running out for 80-year-old Grondona, who is confronted with unpopularity in his home country and new allegations of corruption. Ezequiel Fernández Moores writes a portrait on one of football’s controversial figures.

FIFA has become an international commercial behemoth, but it has been at the expense of the reputation of world football and without regard for the forgotten stakeholders of the game – the players and fans – argues the former head of corporate and public affairs in Football Federation Australia in an article based on her presentation to the Chartered Secretaries Australia Conference in December 2011.

Analysis: An internationally leading expert in anti-corruption, Swiss professor Mark Pieth, is appointed to lead FIFA’s governance committee while Transparency International backs out.

Comment: Turmoil and scandals in the Caribbean Football Union haunt the whole Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) that represents almost a fifth of FIFA’s members. But true changes in Caribbean football seem unlikely.

One of FIFA's biggest sponsors, Emirates Airlines, is concerned that the sponsorship deal with the world governing body of football has caused long term damage to its brand.

FIFA promised reforms, but has so far delivered illusions: It will take months and years before any change can materialise. The only obvious reform aims at repairing the image of President Blatter himself.

A new committee on good governance supplemented by four task forces is going to propose reforms in FIFA, FIFA-president Sepp Blatter said at a press conference on Friday. He also announced that the so-called ISL case will be reopened. But it is still uncertain how far-reaching the reforms will be.