By Richard Murphy Edited by Peter Cordi
Another FIFA Presidential election will soon be upon us. Current President, Sepp Blatter, is seeking a fifth term running the world governing body of football. FIFA Vice President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, Portugal great Luis Figo, and Dutch football association chief Michael van Praag all want to end Blatter's reign, which began way back in 1998.
The 78 year old has ruled with an ever-increasing iron fist and many feel that his re-election is nothing more than a formality. Even though, he has upset several members within FIFA, as during his last campaign he stated that this current tenure would be his last.
The President has been ridiculed on countless occasions for comments such as the following; Latin American fans would applaud John Terry for his extramarital affair, that issues of on and off field racism could be solved with a handshake, or that female players should wear shorter and tighter shorts in order to attract more male fans. If these comments were his only downfall, then he would probably be seen as ‘the lovable old uncle’ just speaking his mind again. Sadly, this isn’t the case.
Since he took up the role, he and his committee have been dogged by bribery and corruption scandals- none more so than the decision to choose Russia & Qatar as the venues for the 2018 & 2022 World Cups, respectively.
Up against England and joint bids from Holland/Belgium and Spain/Portugal, Russia seemed to be the weakest of the 4 bidders for the 2018 event but as the bidding progressed, it became more apparent that the Russian’s were somehow getting the backing of FIFA members. Even when the time came to announce the winner, Russia was still considered the least favourable. In spite of this, they won the vote. Only time will tell whether the event will be a success or not, but in a country that is renowned for having a very strong racial problem- many black players are even booed by their own fans- just imagine how the home supporters will react when the African teams play. There is also the issue of poverty, which was also a problem during the Brazilian tournament last year. Demonstrations, leading to riots is a very real possibility.
The decision of Qatar for the 2022 World Cup was even more controversial. Both America and Australia had far better claims to host the event. The infrastructure for both was excellent and either would have held a terrific World Cup but they lost out to the inferior bid. The fact that the stadiums have yet to be built is a minor issue. The biggest issue is the heat. It was common knowledge that if they did win the vote then the event would have to be moved to a different time of year due to the temperatures. Which is proving the case as all the talk at present is of re-scheduling.
The rumours of bribes still rumble on today, but will that stop Sepp Blatter from retaining his seat at the top table of World Football? The answer unfortunately is an unequivocal no.
Another FIFA Presidential election will soon be upon us. Current President, Sepp Blatter, is seeking a fifth term running the world governing body of football. FIFA Vice President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, Portugal great Luis Figo, and Dutch football association chief Michael van Praag all want to end Blatter's reign, which began way back in 1998.
The 78 year old has ruled with an ever-increasing iron fist and many feel that his re-election is nothing more than a formality. Even though, he has upset several members within FIFA, as during his last campaign he stated that this current tenure would be his last.
The President has been ridiculed on countless occasions for comments such as the following; Latin American fans would applaud John Terry for his extramarital affair, that issues of on and off field racism could be solved with a handshake, or that female players should wear shorter and tighter shorts in order to attract more male fans. If these comments were his only downfall, then he would probably be seen as ‘the lovable old uncle’ just speaking his mind again. Sadly, this isn’t the case.
Since he took up the role, he and his committee have been dogged by bribery and corruption scandals- none more so than the decision to choose Russia & Qatar as the venues for the 2018 & 2022 World Cups, respectively.
Up against England and joint bids from Holland/Belgium and Spain/Portugal, Russia seemed to be the weakest of the 4 bidders for the 2018 event but as the bidding progressed, it became more apparent that the Russian’s were somehow getting the backing of FIFA members. Even when the time came to announce the winner, Russia was still considered the least favourable. In spite of this, they won the vote. Only time will tell whether the event will be a success or not, but in a country that is renowned for having a very strong racial problem- many black players are even booed by their own fans- just imagine how the home supporters will react when the African teams play. There is also the issue of poverty, which was also a problem during the Brazilian tournament last year. Demonstrations, leading to riots is a very real possibility.
The decision of Qatar for the 2022 World Cup was even more controversial. Both America and Australia had far better claims to host the event. The infrastructure for both was excellent and either would have held a terrific World Cup but they lost out to the inferior bid. The fact that the stadiums have yet to be built is a minor issue. The biggest issue is the heat. It was common knowledge that if they did win the vote then the event would have to be moved to a different time of year due to the temperatures. Which is proving the case as all the talk at present is of re-scheduling.
The rumours of bribes still rumble on today, but will that stop Sepp Blatter from retaining his seat at the top table of World Football? The answer unfortunately is an unequivocal no.