The war on FIFA and the plan to liberate the football world

For years now, football’s governing body, FIFA, has faced extreme scrutiny. Accusations of immoral, unethical, clueless and corrupt behaviour have haunted the organisation through different mediums, including books and film as well as news headlines.

FIFA was formed in 1904, and has withstood every bit of firepower that has been thrown at it thus far. However, many question whether FIFA has withstood attack, or managed to cover it up.

FIFA president Joseph Blatter, commonly known as ‘Sepp’, has been under fire for controversial statements and been accused many times for corruption.

In 2004, Blatter stated that female footballers, in a bid to attract more fans, should wear tighter shorts and lower cut jerseys. It wasn’t the first time his mouth had gotten him into trouble, with jokes made after Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid was successful about homosexuals refraining from sexual activity during that time, as in Qatar engaging in homosexual acts is illegal.

His decision to not have goal-line technology installed resulted in a controversial goal not given in a crucial World Cup game between England and Germany. The decision has now been overturned, however the damage that many argue could have been avoided is already done.

While many question some of the comments said and decisions made by the controversial president, it is the accusations of corruption and financial mismanagement that have been the cause of outrage within many of the football community.

Accusations of corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids have caused uproar. Reports of possible bribery leading to a successful bid for Qatar have led to investigations into the organisation. With the image of FIFA becoming further tarnished, many believe it’s time for a change, and this time, it could happen.

Enter the campaign for a ‘new FIFA’.

British member of parliament Damian Collins has organised a summit on the January 21, which is to be held at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.

Collins has been an open critic of FIFA for a long time, and says that the summit in Brussels will be the first step into turning the idea of a new FIFA into reality. He believes that “the people have had enough”.

“I speak to amateur and professional players, fans, and mums and dads whose children play and love the game. It has reached the stage where FIFA is a laughing stock. We all love the game, but we all detest how it’s run,” he said.

“We want to see football governed by people who make decisions and take action in a transparent manner, and who are held accountable in the best interests of the sport and civil society.”

Collins claims that it was the events that surround the Garcia report that gave him and others the final push of motivation they needed to take action, but the publication of the report, and the report itself, were not the biggest issues.

“Like the decisions surrounding Russia and Qatar, the farce surrounding the Garcia report is symptomatic of a governing body where democracy, transparency and accountability were long ago forsaken in place of corruption, mismanagement and self-interest.”

Many people are set to attend the summit, including FIFA presidential candidate Jerome Champagne, former chairman of the English FA Harold Mayne-Nicholls and other high profile names in football.

A successful campaign against FIFA would result in monumental changes in the way the sport is governed, and could affect everyone involved in the beautiful game.

For more information, and for people who wish to show support by signing their petition, check out this website.