Soccer’s scandal-plagued governing body needs more women leaders, says a former Canadian national player.

“Maybe there’s going to be more transparency,” Carrie Serwetnyk told the Straight in a phone interview today (June 3).

On Tuesday (June 2), FIFA president Sepp Blatter stepped down amid allegations of bribery against several officials of the soccer organization.

Blatter is expected to attend the final game in Vancouver of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, which is hosted by Canada this year.

The competition kicks off Saturday (June 6) in Edmonton.

Serwetnyk is a recognized figure in the Canadian soccer world. She played on the national team from 1986 to 1996, and was the first woman inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.

Serwetnyk is also the founder of Equal Play, a nonprofit that seeks to level the playing field for women in soccer.

According to her, 47 percent of registered players in Canada are girls and women, but only represent one percent of decision-makers on provincial and national boards.

“CSA hadn’t had a woman on their board for a 100 years and then they put one,” Serwetynk said about the Canadian Soccer Association. “Now they have three.”

In the case of the Zurich-based FIFA, she noted that its executive committee has only one woman on its board.

“It’s so testosterone-driven,” Serwetnyk said.

That’s where FIFA can learn something from Rwanda, according to her.

After the infamous 1994 genocide that killed about one million people, the African nation put in measures to ensure that women were given a huge say in rebuilding the country.

According to several published reports, two-thirds of Rwanda’s current parliamentarians are women, the highest proportion in the world. Half of the country’s Supreme Court judges are women. Women are also represented well in the country’s police and armed forces.

According to Serwetnyk, Rwandans instituted measures to allow better representation for women because they believe that “women are much more difficult to corrupt”.

“So maybe this could be an answer,” she said about FIFA’s problems.

As part of her advocacy, Serwetnyk has launched a girls’ leadership project in Vancouver elementary schools.

“I’ve been in 23 schools where each school received a free two-month leadership program and each player received a ball,” she said. “It was the idea that the girls could create their own World Cup.”

Olympic medal designer Corrine Hunt has created a silver necklace featuring an eagle and soccer ball as a fundraiser for Equal Play.

According to Serwetnyck, the unraveling of FIFA in recent days may have produced an unintended benefit for the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Unlike the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, the soccer event hadn’t created a buzz until now, she noted.

“Because this is a mega news story,” Serwetnyk said laughing, regarding the corruption scandal, “I think Canadians now know the World Cup’s going on.”

Still, she feels a lot of disappointment.

“It’s sad; we all still love the game. It’s like the columns are falling down,” the former Canadian national soccer player said.

As to whether Blatter should come to Vancouver for the final game, Serwetnyck said, “Maybe, just because I want to see a train wreck. I don’t know.”