FIFA spokesman Walter de Gregorio described it as ‘a good day’ for the organisation. Wednesday was anything but.
FIFA said they were surprised by the 6am raids. Few others were.
Football’s governing body has so long viewed itself as a deity in the business world. Because, for too long now, it’s seemed as though this is a vehicle for profit rather than an institution to take the game forward.
If anything, the latest findings have set football back, not aided its moral standing.
First, the facts. Two separate, but cooperative, investigations were launched. One by Swiss authorities into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups; the second a federal pursuit in the United States following leads on US$100 million worth of bribes.
More:
» It’s time Blatter’s cronies developed a conscience
» FIFA corruption scandal – who’s been arrested and what did they do
» US Feds raid FIFA hotel, arrest officials
» FIFA corruption scandal – latest updates
On Wednesday evening, the US Department of Justice charged 14 people with “racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies” in what they say has been a “24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer”.
Nine of the defendants are either former or current FIFA officials, including current vice president and executive committee member Jeffrey Webb, former vice president and ExCo member Jack Warner and current FIFA vice president and ExCo member Eugenio Figueredo.
The situation continues to develop and this is just the start of a defining week in the horrifically blighted history of FIFA. As a number of key players in the World Cup bidding game head to courts – and possibly face extradition to the US – we would expect to take some solace in the fact that the deep-seeded corruption is finally being addressed.
But it’s a mere first step on the road to reclaiming football.
It was a typically gutless display from president Sepp Blatter to not front the media himself on Wednesday. Instead, he offered up the Director of Communications, who managed to do more harm than good on some fronts.
He insisted Blatter is feeling ‘relaxed’, despite his organisation crumbling around him, as he is an innocent party in all this. Then he revised it to claim the 79-year-old is merely ‘calm’, ‘not dancing in his office’.
Just two days out from an election, it should not have been De Gregorio’s duty to defend FIFA on arguably the most important day in Blatter’s reign. The Swiss continued to show no accountability, putting his own interests above those of his many colleagues and the health of the game itself.
We were fed the erroneous line that Blatter remains unfazed by the hotel shakedown, impending law suits and prison sentences, all because he had no involvement. We’re supposed to believe that the most powerful man in football was oblivious to the circus going on around him.
So instead of the man in charge being brought into the spotlight, he’s absolved of all wrongdoing, palms the responsibility onto those lower down in the food chain and prepares to become even more powerful, should he be re-elected on Friday as expected.
De Gregorio explicitly stated that both the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 event in Qatar will be going ahead regardless of the latest findings.
The clear message here is that it’s acceptable to launch a dirty bid, provided you only get caught after the fact. Should claims of corruption in both bidding processes be recognised, there will be no punishment beyond that handed out to individuals.
And let’s not forget Australia’s involvement in all of this.
Last year’s Garcia Report proved scathing of the FFA’s $43 million bid for the 2022 World Cup. The summary released by Hans-Joachim Eckert – though criticised by the report’s head Michael Garcia – labelled Australia a guilty party in the murky world of corruption.
Eckert said Australia attempted to divert funds “towards initiatives in countries with ties to FIFA executive committee members with the intention to advance its bid top host” and “the Australia 2022 bid team appears to have reached the conclusion to provide financial support under the title ‘football development projects’ preferably in some areas home to FIFA executive committee members.”
The development project he speaks of is the near half-million dollars deposited into an account controlled by then-CONCACAF president Warner. The intention was to upgrade the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya, Trinidad – land believed to be owned by Warner, though something he has denied.
It has been widely reported that this move was designed to persuade Warner’s vote ahead of the vote in 2010. Of course, it proved fruitless. $43 million of tax payers’ money and an allegedly failed bribe all amounted to nothing for Australia.
Now that Warner has been chased down by the US authorities, the FFA should have every reason to be watching their back. If this is a thorough investigation, which we must expect it to be, chances are that all guilty parties down the ladder will also be brought into question.
Another man dragged into the mud is former FIFA ExCo member Chuck Blazer. Reports suggest the American became an FBI informant and planned to bug a number of meetings with football officials, including FFA chairman Frank Lowy during the 2012 London Olympics.
This action would suggest those meeting Blazer would have damaging information to offer, though it is not known whether Lowy met with the 70-year-old.
There is likely to be more to come for Australia over the coming weeks. The FFA was declared a guilty party by some measure following the tentative release of the Garcia Report. And with the full report set to be released eventually, it’s time for the organisation to either clear its name if innocent, or be probed further if not.
Far from a good day for FIFA and football, this is just another dark one. It’s encouraging that action is being taken, but the game will take another significant hit if Blatter is re-elected over Prince Ali bin Al Hussein on Friday.
Commercial sponsors must surely start to realise the power they have in forcing FIFA into greater accountability. The shamed body may just meet its match in taking away the money that motivated this wave of crime.
nordster
Guest
Exactly, with all the shallow demonisation of putin and russia it must be close. You're all being primed for it. Russia has its problems but for a former totalitarian communist country they are going remarkably well.
nordster
Guest
Still built it ...,and cant blame them for broader australia not embracing broader based clubs. For some reason broader straya needed the migrant clubs purged before they would watch. Weird...
nordster
Guest
Well champ there is room for euro social club teams and broad based teams, when australia eventually embraces an openly competitive multi tier league. Franchise cartel league football wont last forever....its anti football....
Josh
Guest
Didn't build the game, very nearly ruined it.
Funktapuss
Guest
We might be at war with Russia soon enough the way things are progressing in Europe over their summer, noone will be hosting World Cups.
Funktapuss
Guest
Problem is champ you are limiting your growth, mass European immigration to Australia ended in the early 1970s. If you like the old Euro social club teams, the state leagues are full of them. Personally I could never follow a Greek, Italian, Croat or whatever. Go back to Europe and that continent is full of racial tensions, we are trying to get away from that here.
jack
Guest
Really having a problem with this American intrusion . How can we take seriously the bona fides of people who call the game "sockah " ? We have been told for years that the way FIFA operates is the way real people in the real world operate and if it doesn't suit prissy bogan WASP Puritanism then tough luck and either grow up or p*** off . Yep how can Australia hope to compete with those sophisticates from places like the Cayman Islands ? Of course FFA did try to do the grown up FIFA style thing to get the World Cup- you know bribing bag men and employing "fixers " but they weren't any good at it .Too inexperienced I guess . What the hell it was only tax payers money
balotelli
Guest
UEFA is just 1 confederation...We have Oceania,Africa,Asia,South America,North Amerca who havent called for the postponement of the vote.. This whole issue is a UEFA grievance and World football is not in any crisis as 1 out of 6 confederations is trying to veto the decision made by other Continents... This will never work and UEFA and its allies want a last ditch effort to avoid certain electoral defeat hence they call for commissions god knows who will appoint them to 'clean/reclaim' football... The issue is UEFA is trying to colonise football for itself and nothing else
The artist formerly known as Punter
Guest
Tom the question is why are there football haters, who jump onto the football threads to deride anything good in football & further put the boot in when things aren't going so well, like the poster you are replying to? This is the big question? I don't particularly find AFL that great of a sport, but millions outside of my state do & good luck to them, I do not wish their game no harm like some of these football haters.
The artist formerly known as Punter
Guest
John, it was the ex AFL no 2 Ben Buckley who was in charge of of the FFA at the time & also the one who sacked Bonita Mersiades. David Gallop was not involved he was still head of the NRL then.
Swampy
Guest
There's some old phrase about fiddling and Rome burning that I'm sure applies here...
Jimmy
Guest
Well i dont know about that no fifa = no confederations = no football associations, lets face it football is a great game filled with corruption it is what it is and it has been that way for a long time
tom
Guest
football hates are rejoicing and delusional if they think that what is happening within fiifa is going to put the game back. Fifa is not football. The haters will remind every one at every opportunity about the cost of the bid to taxpayers and then make a quantum leap that this sport is not welcomed in this country. Amongst them are politicians like The green's leadre Di Natale. This is what he had to say about the current developments Greens leader Richard Di Natale repeated his call for an independent inquiry into the Australian bid. "Australia spent over $40 million on our World Cup bid. Question marks have been raised about how that money was spent. This is taxpayer money," he told Fairfax radio. "There are still questions about how some of that money was spent. "I just think we should have an independent inquiry to look at how that $40 million was spent, to make sure we did all the right things and that money didn't end up in some of those officials' hands and paid for holidays to the Bahamas, fancy cars and all that sort of stuff. "I think taxpayers would be appalled if that was the case." This is the same person who at every other opportunity reminds every body of is involvement in Australian community by playing and watching Australian rules. His surname suggests that he is still trying to convince anglo saxons that he is one of them.
Lancey5times
Guest
I can't believe people can't see what's going on here! Blatter has instigated these stings and will march ahead with all the bad eggs gone. Too much instability for a new boss to come in. It's like PM's during wartime. There are already talks of the FIFA election being postponed. Blatter would burn his entire team before he takes responsibility or loses his post. Absolute monster
Futbanous
Guest
Interesting article (for anyone interested in FIFA history) about Sir Stanley Rous to dismay all the Anglophobes who believe it all went down hill at FIFA once the pesky foreigners took over. http://putnielsingoal.com/2014/01/30/stanley-rous-remembered-reassessed/
Kaks
Roar Guru
Let me guess, someone responded to his comment and he had no answer to it so he threw out his trademark "i am here to have an adult conversation and will not be responding to your childish comment" response?
Kaks
Roar Guru
Apparently this has been a close to six year investigation...and the whole time we were thinking that nothing was being done! Glad there is an investigation occurring and i can only hope that Blatter is caught as well.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Fairly good chance he been suspended - again! Don't expect him back anytime soon Kaks. As for this issue, I'm going to reserve judgement on FIFA at this stage. It's good to see the 'long arm of the law' getting involved though.
nordster
Guest
Well not really, its incredibly convenient to investigate and flush the system out only now. Given the amount of skeletons in the football closet, opening up one thing will inevitably draw out the rest.
nordster
Guest
Which is why they are no threat to the broader based teams and should be included in a multi tier league pyramid! :)