Caribbean Football Union (CFU) President Gordon Derrick says in principle he has not fully embraced FIFA’s proposed term limits for individuals serving as president of member associations.

The Antiguan, who has indicated his intention to run for the presidency of CONCACAF at its May 12 congress in Mexico City, told the

Jamaica Observer that he thinks term limits run counter to the true nature of democracy.

“I am a true believer in democracy, so off the bat I don’t think there should be term limits,” Derrick said.

But he conceded that the consideration of implementing this statute of limitation may have become necessary in the overall effort to reform the structure of the world governing body after the recent waves of corruption allegations which have rocked the foundation of the sport.

Derrick said the CFU membership that met recently in the Antiguan capital of St John’s voted unanimously to reconvene at the “soonest possible time” to reconsider the points of concern it has with FIFA’s wide-ranging recommendations to rewrite its bible, which are its constitutional statutes.

“In general, we have accepted the reforms, but we have some areas that some members are asking for more explanation and clarification, especially where it relates to term limits.

“Some members don’t think there should be term limits, as we operate a democracy and I fully understand that position. But in light of what has happened over the last couple of years and what has been coming out, I understand the reason for it and maybe at this moment it’s the best thing. But fundamentally, I have a problem with term limits,” Derrick stated.

The executive committee of FIFA last December unanimously approved a set of proposals, sculptured by the 2016 Reform Committee, which will be put to the general membership for approval at an extraordinary session in Zurich on February 26, where the world governing body will elect a new president.

FIFA is recommending maximum term limits of three terms of four years for the FIFA president as well as all members of the FIFA council, the audit and compliance committee and the judicial bodies.

One of the concerns that the CFU members have is to get clarification whether or not the president will only be able to serve the three terms consecutively, or he could serve one term then lose at the polls, and possibly make a return and would be entitled for another full three terms, or he would only be eligible for two since he would have already served one full term.

Some key recommendations of new statutes are below.

Separation of political and management functions: Clear separation of “political” and management functions. The FIFA Council (replacing the FIFA Executive Committee) will be responsible for setting the organisation’s overall strategic direction, while the general secretariat will oversee the operational and commercial actions required to effectively execute that strategy.

(1) The members of the council will be elected by the member associations of the respective region under FIFA’s electoral regulations, with a FIFA Review Committee to conduct comprehensive and enhanced integrity checks.

(2) Concrete steps to increase the role of women in the governance of football with a minimum of one female representative elected as a council member per confederation.

Diversity: Promotion of women as an explicit statutory objective of FIFA to create a more diverse decision-making environment and culture.

Independent committee members: Key financial decisions to be made by the Finance, development and governance committees, which will have a minimum number of independent members and whose activities will be audited by the fully independent Audit and Compliance Committee.

Enhanced committee efficiency: Reduction of standing committees from 26 to nine, with increased participation of the football community, which will provide efficiency while ensuring that all member associations are involved in a more meaningful and effective way.

Integrity checks: Compulsory and comprehensive integrity checks for all members of FIFA’s standing committees, conducted by an independent FIFA review committee.

Greater transparency and inclusion through broader stakeholder representation: Creation of a dedicated Football Stakeholders Committee to include members representing key stakeholders in the game, such as players, clubs and leagues.

Building on FIFA’s commitment to human rights, the executive committee has recommended that the congress approve the implementation of a new article to the FIFA statutes that commits FIFA to respecting all internationally recognised human rights and striving to promote the protection of these rights.

The executive committee also discussed the proposal from the 2016 FIFA Reform Committee to increase the number of teams at the FIFA World Cup finals from 32 to 40. There was no decision on this proposal, but it will be further debated.