He has now ordered the Swiss Sports Agency, an agency of the Federal Government, to set-up an investigation into "corruption in sport" and how it can be confronted and eliminated

FIFA, football's world governing body who are based in Zurich, have been at the centre of allegations for several weeks after two members of its Executive Committee were suspended following an undercover investigation by the Sunday Times in London.

"It's clear that Switzerland is obliged to do something to fight corruption as we have lots of international federations with headquarters in Switzerland and we want to set an example in solving this problem," Maurer told a media briefing in Zurich today.

"But resolving this issue won't be easy, as we have the federations with their rules, national and international laws and global problems."

Nearly 50 leading sports organisations are based in Switzerland, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne and UEFA, European football's governing body, in Nyon.

Such bodies are granted tax breaks and flexible legal terms that allow them to govern their own affairs.

Non-profit sporting entities are, for example, exempt from Swiss anti-corruption laws – last updated in 2006 - a loophole that Maurer (pictured) is seeking to close.

"Switzerland has allowed FIFA and other international sports bodies to operate without any transparency," Daniel Kaufmann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington based think-tank, and formerly, a director for governance and anti-corruption at the World Bank, told Market Watch last month.

"If nothing changes, Switzerland may be seen by many as offering a 'safe haven' to non-transparent and mismanaged sports organisations, as it had done with the banks until not long ago."

Maurer has now decided that he must take action to protect Switzerland's image.

"Recent developments need for swift action because Switzerland must become a model in fighting corruption in sport," he said today.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
December 2010: IOC member claims conscience is clear over Panorama bribe claim