European Aquatics was represented at the 2nd SIGA Football Integrity Forum, held under the theme “Protecting Football’s Future Through Integrity”, with good governance and independent verification at the centre of discussions.
The forum brought together governance and compliance experts to examine how sports organisations can move beyond formal commitments and demonstrate meaningful, lasting institutional change.
During the session “Good Governance and Independent Verification: From Commitment to Demonstrable Impact”, European Aquatics was highlighted as a practical example of an organisation undertaking a structured governance journey based on independent assessment and continuous improvement.
Following its second independent review through the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS), European Aquatics achieved Bronze Level Certification. The certification provides independent recognition of the progress made by the organisation and its commitment to embedding good governance and continuous improvement as strategic priorities.
European Aquatics was represented on the panel by Gianni Minervini, Acting Executive Director, who joined Andrew Mercer, General Counsel and Director of Legal Affairs at the Asian Football Confederation, and Roberto Fiore, Partner at LP Avvocati studio legale and Member of the SIGA Council.
“I was delighted to share European Aquatics’ experience at SIGA’s Football Integrity Forum. Our governance journey has taught me that independent scrutiny should not be seen as a threat, but as an opportunity to understand where you stand, identify where you can improve and keep raising the standard. Good governance is a journey, not a destination” said Gianni Minervini, Acting Executive Director of European Aquatics.
The discussion focused on the role of independent governance assessment and verification in strengthening accountability, institutional credibility and stakeholder confidence, while also helping sports organisations identify areas for further improvement and manage governance and reputational risks.
For European Aquatics, participation in the forum provided an opportunity to share its experience of the SIRVS process and underline the importance of treating good governance as an ongoing journey rather than a one-time objective.
European Aquatics President António Silva has previously identified good governance as a strategic priority for the organisation. European Aquatics began its governance journey with an independent SIGA gap analysis, which provided the basis for a Corrective Action Plan and subsequent reforms. The organisation has since undergone further independent reviews, with its latest SIRVS review resulting in the retention of Bronze Level Certification and continued work towards the next level.
The discussion in the forum reinforced a central principle shared by European Aquatics and SIGA: governance commitments are most meaningful when they can be independently assessed, demonstrated and continuously improved.
