Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros unanimously re-elected as SIGA Global CEO
The highly experienced global leader in Sport will continue in his role as head of the organisation dedicated to eradication corruption in sport.
Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros will continue in his role as Global CEO of SIGA, the Sport Integrity Global Alliance, after being unanimously re-elected for a second term (2022-2026) at a meeting of the SIGA Council earlier today, Thursday.
SIGA is the world's largest coalition fighting against corruption and for good governance in sport. It is, according to SIGA, an "independent and neutral organisation whose mission is to bring about meaningful reforms and enhance the integrity of all sports through a set of universal standards operated by an independent and neutral body." This newspaper is a proud partner of SIGA and fully supports its fight for integrity in Sport.
Continuing the fight for integrity in Sport
Commenting his motivation to run for a second term, Macedo de Medeiros explained:
"SIGA has been my life since February 2014, when the idea of setting up a global coalition like ours first sparked in my brain. I am immensely proud of what we have jointly achieved and how far SIGA has come. But I didn’t run for re-election focused on the past and the many, remarkable achievements we have made. I ran for re-election with eyes set on the future and what we can, and will, achieve over the next four years."
Macedo de Medeiros also underscored his priorities for his second term, with the expansion of SIGA’s membership and footprint, and plans to set up a new continental structure in Asia in 2022. Key to the success of SIGA’s reform agenda is the worldwide adoption by sports organisations of SIGA’s Universal Standards on Sport Integrity, with more organisations committing to go through the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS). Last year European Rugby League became the first sports organisation to achieve certification.
In a strong call for collective action, Macedo de Medeiros stated:
“All of us know the challenges, and what we need to do. We must be decisive in our actions and unflinching in our resolve. We have the strength, the knowledge, and the capacity, as a worldwide coalition of like-minded organisations and individuals, to realise this mission. Our mission! The millions of people who love Sport want real change for the better, and they recognise the necessity and the benefit of an organisation like ours. They expect us to lead by example and work to the best of our ability to meet the crucial challenges ahead. I am ready to take up this cause and get the job done!”
Commenting today’s elections, SIGA Chairman, Judge Franco Frattini, stated:
“A tremendous amount of work has been done and exceptional achievements have been made during the current term. It is truly amazing to look back and contemplate how far SIGA has come since its inception, and the tremendous level of recognition, representativeness and respect it currently enjoys within the global sports industry and beyond. Self-evidently, this would not have been possible without Emanuel. Without his reformist vision, charismatic leadership and relentless dedication to our mission. For SIGA to continue to progress and meet the growing challenges ahead, SIGA needs him as Global CEO. It was therefore with this spirit, and full confidence in his leadership qualities, that I had the honour of being the first to propose, and endorse, his candidature to a second term as Global CEO of SIGA.”
In a press release to announce the re-appointment of Macedo de Medeiros, SIGA provided the following overview of the CEO's career:
"Born in Ponta Delgada, Azores, and lawyer by trade, Macedo de Medeiros is a highly experienced global leader in Sport. His debut, as a sports executive, took place in 1993, as a Director Legal of Boavista FC. Between 2000 and 2006, he served as Director General of the Portuguese League. Several senior leadership roles followed. He co-founded the European Professional Football Leagues and the World Leagues Association and served both organisations as elected CEO for a decade, until 2014. He also co-founded and led, on behalf of the employers' delegation, the steering committee of the European Social Dialogue in the Professional Football Sector (2007 – 2014) and was an elected member of the UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council between 2006 and 2014. The vast experience accumulated by Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros at the forefront of the global football industry includes other roles, such as: member of the FIFA Club Football Committee; member of Portuguese Government's Special Task Force in charge of reviewing the legal and fiscal framework of sporting companies and clubs; member of the UEFA Professional Football Committee; and other responsibilities exerted as senior expert at the World Economic Forum, OECD, European Union, Court of Arbitration for Sport and other international organisations."