ZURICH (Reuters) - FIFA has promised to publish more details and give clearer explanations when announcing verdicts in disciplinary and ethics cases, the global soccer body said on Thursday.
Until now, FIFA has usually given only the bare minimum details in such cases and until three years ago, many disciplinary decisions involving World Cup qualifying matches were not officially announced to the public at all.
"People will be able to compare and contrast decisions .....whether its racism, discrimination or violent conduct," said FIFA's deputy general secretary Alasdair Bell.
"The whole problem which has existed is that people aren't able to see why the decisions are taken... and the inevitable consequence is people get suspicious."
In a statement on Thursday, FIFA said that it had set up a legal portal "to provide direct access to documents of interest to all stakeholders involved in FIFA’s legal and compliance activities."
Decisions which would be published in more detail would range from the banning of officials for bribery and match-fixing to racist behaviour by supporters at matches and more mundane cases of bad behaviour by players and coaches.
It would also publish documents related to proceedings at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in which FIFA was a party.
(Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by Toby Davis)
