Op-Ed: For the game – Dan Gaichas, Windy City Soccer

Sepp Blatter may still get elected on Friday, but he can only evade the problems for so long.

by Dan Gaichas, Editor windycitysoccer.com

When Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup, my first thought was that the 24 members of FIFA’s Executive Committee at the time who voted would either be dead, retired, or in prision by that time. It appears that some of them and others will fall in the latest of the three after the US Justice Department unleashed indictments on Thursday. Fourteen executives, including current CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb, have been indicted on racketeering and bribery charges.

Some are hopeful that this is the start of sweeping changes within FIFA, some are not. Whatever way you look at things, FIFA President Sepp Blatter is in a lot of hot water. Although not named in the indictments, yet, all of this corruption has happened under his watch. He is the one who keeps insisting that the 2018 World Cup should still be held in Russia and the 2022 Cup held in Qatar in Winter since it’s extremely hot during Summer time. It all honesty, they should be held elsewhere.

If anything Russian criticism of the indictments will come off as hypocrisy–as well they should given Russia’s meddling into Ukraine’s affairs (to say the least). Qatar’s issues can no longer be ignored with all the billions they are spending. The fact that they flat out ignored the Technical Committee’s recommendations and warnings about Qatar showed that the fix was in.

The indictments should not disrupt upcoming tournaments as well it shouldn’t. The far reaching implications of the investigation has indeed reached the NASL as the Carolina RailHawks are owned by Traffic Sports whose president Aaron Davidson plead guilty to charges.

But going back to Sepp Blatter, whenever they do held the elections for FIFA President, any vote for Blatter should be considered a vote for complicity for FIFA’s corruption. Blatter may still win a fifth term, but chances are at this point that Blatter may not last until 2019 as dark clouds gather around FIFA. Some sponsors may jump ship to join others that have done so already.

Simply put, a federal indictment is something that cannot merely be brushed off. FIFA will be naive to think it can simply brush it off given that most of the transactions in question involve US-based companies and some transactions occurred on US soil. CONCACAF itself is based in New York.

Whatever way you look at things, Sepp Blatter does need to be held accountable for the problems that FIFA is now facing and the corruption that is at the root of those problems. Any federation that votes for Blatter for President will be labeled as complicit in the corruption and not undeservedly. Any sponsor who does not want its reputation tarnished should be more proactive in calling for change and reform or soccer fans will be asked to boycott those companies. Anyone calling for change and reform in FIFA should continue to call for it loud and clear. It may be tomorrow, it may not be until Sepp Blatter is out, but the calls still need to be made.

Call me an optimist and naive, but I rather follow naive hopes than to give into cynicism. FIFA’s tune needs to change, or it will face the music. Blatter may get re-elected to a fifth term, but this is something he may not escape. As I said before, the people who voted for Russia and Qatar five years ago will likely be dead, retired, or in prison by the time those World Cups take place. In the case of a few and maybe more, it could be the third of those options.

For the good of the game, things need to change. There’s zero trust in Sepp Blatter to facilitate those changes and he may fight to stay, but one can only evade problems for so long.

Related:

Sepp Blatter statement in full

UEFA calls for Blatter to resign but bottles boycott; sponsors nervous; Nike embroiled

Editorial: Only corporations and UEFA can save the World Cup now

UEFA may boycott FIFA Congress on Friday, calls for election postponement

NASL suspend Aaron Davidson

Grim day for FIFA: 2016 Copa America involved $110m bribes; Jeffrey Webb arrested