There was significant irony watching members of FIFA’S inner sanctum hiding behind white sheets as they were whisked into police cars in Zurich yesterday.
Each has been accused of living ghost-like lives amid the upper echelons of the sport – working in the shadows, accepting bribes, and according to The New York Times, involving themselves in money laundering, wire fraud and racketeering.
Those arrested and charged in Switzerland – at last count, seven FIFA officials and five corporate executives who are alleged to have had dubious dealings with football’s global governing body – are not only facing corruption charges but the possibility of extradition to the United States to stand trial.
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Following the arrests, US attorney general Loretta Lynch made some explosive comments, stating that “The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States. It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.”
The US Department of Justice said those under investigation are alleged to have accepted bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than US$150m over a 24-year period.
Aside from those already charged, others are also reportedly on the radar following a three-year investigation by the FBI.
Corruption in football? What’s new, I hear you ask?
Well, this time around the principal accusations raised by the US are not being made with respect to the behemoth that is the World Cup and the sordid and corrupt way hosts have been chosen.
These latest charges centre on much smaller tournaments conducted in the United States and South America.
NBC’s Bill Neely summed it up nicely on Twitter.
Among those arrested were FIFA vice-presidents Jeffrey Webb and Eugenio Figueredo, former executive committee member Jose Maria Marin and Eduardo Li, who was to be elevated to that August committee tomorrow.
Running parallel with the US case will be an investigation announced yesterday by the Swiss authorities into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding processes, with plans to question at least ten current members of the FIFA executive committee over alleged illegal dealings.
The members who have been named in the media include highly-placed administrators from Europe, Africa and Asia.
The Swiss prosecutors launched their criminal proceedings against persons “on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.”
Ironically yesterday’s arrests were made on the eve of FIFA’s World Congress in Zurich, an event boasting delegates from 203 nations.
The most important item on the agenda is electing the president of the world body, a position held for the past 17 years by Swiss Sepp Blatter – again the irony of the arrests continues.
Under Blatter’s watch the sport has been continually sullied by allegations of bribery on a colossal scale.
The perennial survivor and ultimate politician, Blatter is seeking a fifth term. His only competition is from Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan.
As an interesting sidelight, the Prince informed police that his election team had been approached by a man who could deliver him 47 votes in his quest for the presidency.
It is hard to be surprised by such an allegation.
Blatter has not been implicated in these latest developments and FIFA was quick to quell any suspicion that he was, issuing a media release shortly after the arrests became public.
According to FIFA the presidential election will proceed as planned.
While not one of the ten named to date by the Swiss investigators – all of whom are domiciled overseas – Blatter and fellow Swiss Michel Platini, the president of UEFA, are expected to be questioned.
The claim that the current US investigation has unearthed alleged bribery and foul play dating back 24 years means the irregularities and illegalities have been ever present throughout the near two decade stewardship of Blatter.
These latest allegations are potentially far more incendiary than the myriad others that have been raised during Blatter’s tenure.
His current term at the helm, which commenced in June 2011, has proceeded beneath the shadow of numerous allegations of irregular and illegal activities from members of FIFA’s executive committee.
Over the past four years key playmakers in the sport have been jettisoned as a result of unacceptable, and at times, criminal behaviour.
Yet, through it all, Blatter has remained a Teflon-like character.
Men as high up the totem pole as FIFA vice-president, Trinidadian Jack Warner, have been forced to resign their position over ethical irregularities.
And now two more vice-presidents have been arrested, but through it all Blatter has maintained his rule over the World Game.
Surely though the buck has to finally stop at his door.
No other man in a position of elected power has survived such consistent and ongoing scandal.
Sadly many feel that his return for a fifth term, at the age of 79, is a fait accompli.
Such a result, in the current climate, would be nothing but another retrograde move for the sport.
Surely it is time that those that underpin the president of FIFA show some leadership of their own.
If they are truly in their positions for the betterment of the sport and not merely the associated gravy train they need to show some backbone.
Throughout his time on the throne Blatter has sought to dismiss out of hand any suggestions that there has been systemic and widespread wrongdoing.
Yesterday was yet another example of just how wrong he is.
Re-electing Blatter will do little to set FIFA on a righteous path.
Tomorrow’s scheduled presidential election needs to be suspended or should it go ahead it is incumbent on those who vote to ensure there is a new hand on the tiller.
Outlier
Guest
All the people who do not understand why poor countries love Blatter should read articles like this http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32928984 Before you can lecture people about right or wrong, you have to allow honest introspection of yourselves. There would have been no Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter today if not for the exploitation that went before. The same exploitation taking place on a global scale economically. These events in football should serve as an eye opener to wealthy countries. Engage in honest introspection and be more sincere when engaging with the many poor countries. A better tomorrow cannot be built on a lie.
Kev
Guest
Cut the crap. The only reason you're apologizing is because of the threat of a ban. No one here believes it for a second. This is par for the course for you and you're happy to do it whether it's the author or other commentators.
Griffo
Roar Guru
FFA will back Prince Ali with their vote if the election goes ahead.
Thomas
Guest
https://www.change.org/p/delegates-voting-in-the-2015-fifa-presidential-election-sepp-blatter-has-to-go
Socrates
Guest
Will the FFA make an official statement, their the silence is deafening....time for Gallop to show some leadership.
Lionheart
Guest
India is hardly a western country, and India controls cricket. I think you are getting a bit carried away.
balotelli
Guest
Fascists are trying to take over football using underhand dealings
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
My apologies, Glenn Mitchell if any of my comments were hurtful - that was never my intention towards you. Towards others, yes. I'm happy to not turn the other cheek. But, to you I meant no offence.
nordster
Guest
Taxation being theft is by definition corrupt as are all Lobbying for the spoils of that crime ....tax "professionals" lol are beneficiary cronyists feeding at the trough of tax law and regulatory complexity. Get a real job ya bludgers haha...they know i am correct on that one, most compliance based jobs are BS jobs and they know it. Govt welfare has usurped private charity, and we are the worse for it. Trust me i come from a family of welfare heads....struggle street is more common than u think! The private sector do many things that there are no profit in and would do much more were the tax burden reduced or eliminated. As for profit shifting, the only way past that is some one global super state and forgive me if i pass on that. The only thing keeping govt even partly in check is the possibility of competing jurisdictions driving down the tax burden. Tax havens should in that sense be encouraged from a minarchist perspective. A race to the bottom, tax burden wise ...all good...
nordster
Guest
Fair points there....the unfashionable countries are playing the same old game the west always was and now winning it. Hence the 'clean up'. Throw into that the broader geopolitics around the us justice department investigating a russian bid which beat out their's. Amid the current climate between those two. Had the US won the bid then we would be hearing nothing of fifa's dealings. Have to agree with much of the russian foreign ministry statement on it ....strange times indeed....
balotelli
Guest
@outlier...These countries were never marginalised...Its simply democracy taking place and we all know Western countries hate democracy... Why shud the hosting of tournaments and decision making powers be the preserve of certain "fashionable" countries at the expense of others...Isnt that what they call a "dictatorship"??? Basically UEFA shud be given powers to veto all decisions made by the rest of the World...
balotelli
Guest
People who hate democracy are the ones making noise against Sepp Blatter...Why shud Blatter leave at the request of some moral champions and yet 209 countries will soon take a free and fair vote.. Its simple Western countries want rigged systems in their favour...They want "small and independent" commissions they in fact control to oversee Fifa..By the way these commission will not be elected by anyone.. They want a World Rugby and International Cricket Council scenario here in which some countries,mainly Western nations and their close allies are more equal than others...They hate democracy hence they want an Security Council set up in which some nations will be more permanent than others... Its shocking that the same USA police which is busy killing unarmed black people is seen as credible enough to look into matters of football transparency...
Ian
Guest
not surprised at Nordster's views that taxation is wrong and a form of corruption. Tax pays for community goods. no doubt nordster views it as unconstitutional - that is a point laughed at by tax professionals and tax authorities alike. profit shifting is about multinationals diverting income or deductions away from the true source country where the income or deductions were earned or incurred to decrease their tax liability. there is no rational link to corruption except they are knowingly pushing the boundaries of what the tax law is meant to imply. Nordster hates rules of any kind but would argue if these companies are operating within the law as it allows free capitalists to make as much money as possible while reducing their contribution to society. tax provides for community and public goods and services that everyone utilisies and/or enjoys. the private sector would not provide some of these goods of their own accord as there was no money to be made from it.
Outlier
Guest
The big mistake Blatter made was to marginalize large western countries. In Cricket and Rugby for example, western countries control who gets to host and benefit from global tournaments so nobody will ever investigate the barter trading that goes on behind the scenes there, they even have more votes than some of the poorer countries how is that for democracy. Blatter has made it possible for unfashionable countries like South Africa, Russia and even Qatar as opposed to Australia England, the USA or other rich countries to benefit from tournaments. The means have been the same as they have always been, or do people really think this started when Sepp was appointed Nobody on this blog can deny that there would never have been an African or Asian World Cup tournament without Sepp. This is why some of us who scrape a bit below the surface when we read news stories about how there is gonna be some clean up to rid organizations of corruption are sceptical. It is usually just code for installing someone who will look after western interest. Corruption is okay as long as the beneficiaries are rich western countries.
nordster
Guest
not justification just some perspective on root causes and where the problem lies. Usually drug war related, both black on black crime and police on black crime....
nordster
Guest
Maybe because u think what we have now is capitalism? True capitalism is better than political democracy ...its market based democracy ....its voluntary and proportionally representative. Most political democracy is far from proportionally representative, and when it is its a mess. It usually involves one 'side' of a debate lording over the other. In fact they are usually mediocre centrist clones that achieve little of note.
Ian
Guest
it's a fact. not relevant to police brutality though and justification for any police shooting unarmed black men as opposed unarmed white men.
Midfielder
Guest
N Again you seem to imply that capitalism is better than democracy ... and that for someone like me is scary
Danny
Guest
FIFA is like the world bank, the Vatican, the IMF, the UN, the CFR. 100% cartel + corruption.
nordster
Guest
Sheek many a reasonable man have repeated the same mistakes expecting a different result. Yet the state persists.... The small gubbiment agenda is very relevant in sport given how it lives off the public teat, even for large scale trophy facilities. Fifa's "corruption" is no more or worse than most other state style, vote driven processes. If ending corruption was as simple as punishing it, the problem would have ended loooonnngggg ago.....