Tuesday 17 January 2017 13:52, UK
A more diverse culture in football may have prevented the number of historical allegations of sexual abuse, one of the game's top female officials has claimed.
Moya Dodd, who is campaigning to join the FIFA Council, says wrongdoing is "less likely" to occur in a more accountable environment.
The number of suspects in an ongoing UK investigation has reached 155, the National Police Chiefs' Council announced last month, with 429 potential victims involving nearly 150 impacted clubs.
"I do think that a more diverse game is one answer to ensuring that these sorts of things are less likely to occur," Dodd told Sportswomen on Sky Sports News HQ.
"We do know that very non-diverse environments are where bad decision-making flourishes. It's where secrecy, corruption and wrongdoing can flourish.
"I do reflect on the importance of diversity in management, in boards and in decision-making in the game as one means to immunise us against this kind of wrongdoing. Along with other initiatives, of course, which everyone is now reflecting on.
"We will never know exactly what difference that would have made. But we do know that wrongdoing is less likely to flourish in a culture, an environment that is more open, accountable and transparent. Diversity is part of that."
Dodd, who served on FIFA's top executive committee for three years until 2016, believes more needs to be done to increase female participation in football.
"I think when we ask ourselves is football, is sport, equally accessible to your daughter as your son, then I think the answer is still no," she said.
"I think ensuring that there are genuine equal opportunities for boys and girls, from (aged) five, 10, 15 and upwards, that's the key to saturating the game with gender equality from the bottom up.
"I think it's exciting times for women's football globally. We're off the back of a World Cup, off an Olympics. There is a new management team within FIFA."
Dodd has also welcomed the FIFA Council's decision to expand the Men's World Cup to 48 teams, from 2026, and has called on the game's governing body to consider increasing the number of entrants in female competitions.
"The realistic prospect of qualifying for a World Cup has a very tangible impact so I think that’s very positive,” she added.
"My second reaction, of course, was 'well, what about the women's game, should we be optimising those competitions as well?' I think there's a great opportunity to do so. I'm sure that will be done."
