Posted on May 25
The FIFA sign is displayed at the entrance of its headquarters in Zurich, 2011. FIFA adopted a first wave of statutory reforms centred on ethics, as well as the creation of its first executive committee post for women's football, to combat claims of corruption and double-dealing.

FIFA on Friday adopted a first wave of statutory reforms centred on ethics, as well as the creation of its first executive committee post for women's football, to combat claims of corruption and double-dealing.

Delegates at the annual congress in Budapest voted to strengthen the role of the audit and compliance commission, which from now on will not just deal with financial issues but also adherence to rules and regulations.

The head of the commission will be the Swiss-Italian Domenico Scala until the next gathering when an election will be held.

Congress members also voted in favour of create separate investigation and adjudication offices at the heart of the ethics commission. Appointments to the posts will take place at the end of June.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter described the developments as "historic" and said they were an important step forward for football's world governing body, after a series of corruption scandals tainted the organisation's image.

But Blatter warned: "We can't do everything at once. It's impossible. We can only cherry-pick."

The reforms were proposed after allegations of graft and conflict of interest last year, notably claims of bribery for the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to the Gulf state of Qatar.

Lydia Nsekera, president of the Burundi Football Association, was co-opted on to the executive committee on Tuesday and took her seat on Friday. She will stay in the post until 2013, when elections will be held.