FIFA Presidential candidate and Reform Committee chair head speakers at Securing Sport Conference

FIFA Presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale will be among the speakers at the Securing Sport 2015 Conference ©Getty Images

Problems within football's world governing body FIFA will be a major part of discussions at the Securing Sport 2015 Conference starting here tomorrow, with speakers including Presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale, Reform Committee chair François Carrard and US Soccer President Sunil Gulati.

Sexwale, the former South African Government Minister and anti-Apartheid campaigner who became the fifth figure to announce his intention to run for the FIFA Presidency last month, will deliver a keynote address during the International Centre for Sports Security (ICSS)-hosted event.

The political activist and freedom fighter, who was imprisoned alongside Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, is also currently heading up a FIFA monitoring committee which oversees issues affecting the development of football in Palestine and acts as a mediator in the ongoing dispute between the Israeli and Palestinian federations.

He will speak on the themes of sport safety, security and integrity.

Also present will be Swiss lawyer Carrard, who in August was appointed independent chairman of the FIFA Reform Committee to investigate the scandals which have so rocked the governing body.

He formerly served as director general of the International Olympic Committee between 1989 and 2003, and served a key role in leading reforms in the body following the Salt Lake City corruption scandal in the late 1990s.

“With many challenges facing the safety, security and integrity of sport, it is important that all sports continue to grow and evolve and ensure that they are governed in a way that observes the highest possible standards of integrity, openness and transparency," he said.

“I look forward to sharing my experiences at Securing Sport 2015, which will gather top international experts from around the world and will provide an important forum to discuss how to protect sport in the future.”

Both figures will speak tomorrow, while Gulati, a current member of the FIFA Executive Committee who has been one of body's most vocal critics of corruption, will speak on Wednesday (November 4).

An experience figure within the IOC and now FIFA, François Carrard is well-placed to talk about problems within sport ©Getty Images — An experienced figure within the IOC and now FIFA, François Carrard is well-placed to talk about problems within sport ©Getty Images

Now in its fifth year and making its US debut, Securing Sport is billed as a major forum to examine the biggest threats to the safety, security and integrity of sport and unites high-profile decision-makers, law enforcement officials and senior policy makers.

Issues to be discussed range from the "Legalisation of Sport Betting in the United States" and "Cyber-attacks and other 'emerging threats' during major sporting events" to "Financial Transparency, Corruption and Organised Crime in Sport."

Another speaker will be former World Anti-Doping Agency head Richard Pound, with the Canadian IOC member due to participate in a panel discussion titled "Bringing Accountability Back to Sport: The Role of Government and Governing Bodies".

Past and present US political figures will also participate, including the former US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, a key figure in the administration of George W Bush, as well as former US Attorney General Eric Holder and Richard Haass, the President of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Representatives of the Doha-based ICSS will also be present, including the body's President Mohammed Hanzab and director of sport integrity, Chris Eaton.

The two-day event will begin at 9am tomorrow at the Harold Pratt House, with a full timetable available here.