I declare that there is no interest, relationship, kinship, disagreement, or everything that can be described as a conflict of interest in any way, and I also declare that I will not communicate or accept it from or with any of the parties, or whoever represents them in any capacity or form regarding procedures outside the scope of the place And the time allotted for dealing throughout my work period, with the exception of: casual meetings and social events, without going into hints or details about the business.
I also declare my acceptance to abide by all the rules of appreciation or policies and procedures, while notifying my job reference of any developments related to conflict of interest during work procedures and dealing with any third party.
These are guiding models of what should be the recognition of conflict of interest disclosure, the rules of commitment and compliance with transparency in order to protect the work or position, ensuring impartiality and independence, and the rules of fair competition to enhance integrity and combat corruption in all sectors and authorities.
The Ministry of Sports recently hosted the first global ministerial conference on sports values, ethics and integrity, and for this I will present the meanings of integrity, transparency and conflict of interests in the sports sector as follows.
Governance means selecting a general assembly in accordance with fair, well-known and declared legal bases and rules that lead to the selection, appointment or election of members of boards of directors, working committees and senior executives according to selection and nomination criteria based on competencies and experiences and not corrupt relationships and interests in the sense of hiring and choosing the right employee in the right place and job.
With the imminent election of a new board of directors for the Football Association, all clubs have the right to nominate committee members according to competencies and experiences, and the General Secretariat must choose committee members through those nominations that will manage the game through the choices of stakeholders, who are professional football clubs to distance themselves from suspicions of corruption, conflict of interests and other suspicions. To enhance transparency and competitiveness in the football sport sector, and also to contribute to combating sports fanaticism, promoting professional practices, and supporting a human rights culture in the field of sports.
It is not permissible for any employee of the Ministry of Sports, the Olympic and Paralympic Committees, and all sports federations and clubs to nominate or employ any person for work or contracting who has a family, social or financial relationship in any way, otherwise he will be accused of abusing power and influence, which is one of the crimes that the Anti-Corruption Commission undertakes Integrity, and it is also not permissible for him to exclude the nomination or employment of any person or entity for personal reasons or interests, and this must be based only on competencies and experiences, not interests and whims.
In the business sector related to sports, it is also not permissible for any employee or decision-maker to have any relationship with any of the local or international companies, whatever that relationship may be, such as a direct investment for him or a member of his family, or funds or national or international companies in particular that have an interest, relationship or To own, manage, or influence the decisions of any other investment company related to his direct work in the club, federation, or ministry, and even indirectly, especially to enable him to have knowledge of information and its confidentiality from programs and projects planned for the future, and here the use of power and influence is for personal interests.
The Ministry, sports federations and clubs must abide by their legislative and oversight duties without going into executive and judicial work to leave room for more clubs, federations and companies to work and enter the sports investment sector, otherwise the sector will be hit with a monopoly that contradicts what is required of the investment competitiveness of the private sector.
Conflict of interests is a very important and dangerous principle because it pushes work towards professionalism, transparency, and competitiveness and supports entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises. Violating it means monopoly, corruption, bribery, fraud, and abuse of power and influence, all of which are crimes that have severe penalties to protect the economy and society.
The Ministry of Investment’s recent signing of memorandums of understanding and cooperation with a number of companies in the field of sports in general and motorsports in particular will enable small, medium and large companies to work and open new horizons and hopes that are consistent with the aspirations and plans of Vision 2030 for the sports sector and quality of life.
Majid Qaroub