Football: Helen Clark should reform Fifa - whistleblower

A prominent whistleblower says Helen Clark would be an ideal candidate to head reform of Fifa. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark would be an ideal candidate to head reform of Fifa, a prominent whistleblower says.

Bonita Mersiades, who was part of the Australian bid team for the 2018 World Cup, has repeated her calls for someone of Clark's stature to lead reform of Fifa.

Mersiades presented evidence to the Fifa corruption inquiry chaired by Michael Garcia and is involved in the New Fifa Now campaign.

In an interview with German website zeit.de, she said only an independent person not involved in football could lead the overhaul of Fifa.

"An American would be inappropriate, because US authorities are investigating the Fifa. I think to Kofi Annan or Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and today head of the UN Development Programme," Marsiades said, according to a translation of the interview.

The comments repeat a call made by Mersiades in an opinion piece published by the International Business Times in May.

"Fifa has basically zero credibility, and it's almost impossible to have confidence in anything they do outside of the sport itself," Mersiades wrote.

"There are not too many Nelson Mandelas in the world, but we'd like to see someone of the stature of Kofi Annan, Mitt Romney or Helen Clark, the ex-New Zealand premier to lead the independent Fifa reform commission."