Lausanne, June 8: International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach said that scandal-plagued FIFA needs "painful" but necessary reform. The IOC president said the crisis at football's world governing body was bigger than the bribes-for-votes furore over the awarding of the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City. [IOC concerned about Rio water pollution]
"We know from our experience that putting everything on the table can be painful but it's absolutely necessary. We've seen that in our past," he said at the IOCe's Lausanne headquarters. "It's only by doing that that the IOC restored its credibility." He added: "We can only encourage FIFA to pursue the reforms that it has chosen to carry out. We appreciate that FIFA should be ready for substantial reforms."