Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Bahrain was at the centre of controversy in recent days although, refreshingly, it was only a by-product of its location as the host for FIFA’s 67th annual congress.
As His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Work and Youth Affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President, welcomed the delegates with a warm, yet powerful, speech introducing the participants to Bahrain’s role at the forefront of Middle East sport (showcasing its role with F1, triathlon and pro-cycling), FIFA’s President, Gianni Infantino, responded by introducing a new sport … that of ‘FIFA-bashing’!
In a tirade eerily resembling those emanating from Washington DC this year, he referred to ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’ as he attempted to defend corruption within football’s highest power.
The use of Bahrain as host for the conference was a wonderful show of solidarity and support for the rival he defeated in the election to replace the disgraced former leader Sepp Blatter, demonstrating the strong future role that the Asian Football Confederation’s Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has to play in shaping the future of the world’s most popular sport.
In total, 211 member associations that constitute the FIFA Assembly validated a number of reports in Manama relating to FIFA’s activities in 2016 while also agreeing future initiatives.
Amongst these was the acceptance of a detailed budget proposing the spending of nearly $3bn in 2018, 91per cent of which is allocated to global football activities with the largest cost being the expenses related to the organisation of the World Cup.
Delegates also agreed on the bidding process ahead of the next annual conference at which the venue for the 2026 World Cup will be decided.
None of this hinted at the controversy waiting to unfold. Ironically, it was the decisions to hand the World Cup to Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 that unleashed an FBI-investigation into corruption within
the games governing body that led
to the two most powerful men in football, Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini, losing their respective jobs.
Furthermore, the US initially indicted 14 FIFA officials on charges of ‘rampant, systemic and deep-rooted’ corruption with another 16 charged later in 2015 as a result of co-operation with Swiss investigators.
FIFA was heavily-criticised for failing to release details of its own investigation into corruption which resulted in the independent author of the report, American lawyer Michael Garcia, resigning in protest.
Given this recent history it was shocking to witness FIFA dispensing with the services of the chairman and all but two of its ethics committee. The ousted chairman, former German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, and Swiss prosecutor Cornel Borbely, argued that this would effectively ‘neutralise … hundreds of ongoing investigations’.
Without being on the inside of the organisation it is difficult to understand this decision, yet history will determine whether the ends support the means. Undoubtedly, there will now be increased scrutiny on their replacements Maria Claudia Rojas and Vassilios Skouris to produce results and share these openly.
I argued in this column last week that the IAAF (athletics) had gone too far to rid itself of a global perception of cheating by effectively erasing all results pre-2005 that could not be verified now. Yet does FIFA need to consider similar draconian measures to cleanse its image?
There is no single step that will solve the problem. FIFA needs to start with the national football associations, the representatives of which are FIFA’s delegates and decision-makers.
These officials are tasked with using the revenues handed to them to support football’s growth at grass-roots levels. Unfortunately, many have been proven to simply want to enrich themselves instead.
This has been made possible by the process which is where many believe FIFA needs to start. True democracy within these associations would help rather than allowing the heads of national associations to wield so much power.
This could be achieved by allowing all registered players and administrators a vote in a transparent electoral process. Even England, which often holds itself up as a model, provides too much power to the wealthy clubs.
Then there is the money. The World Cup generates far greater revenues than it costs to stage, which then funds the handouts to the associations.
Typically FIFA has sold the rights to marketing companies, which are then responsible for re-selling the TV rights, advertising and marketing.
It is at these latter stages that some FIFA officials it appears have made huge sums of money personally by receiving hidden payments.
FIFA needs to take greater control of this whole process, simply employing specialists to act on its behalf. This would generate even greater revenues for the game whilst ensuring a regulated process that could and should be transparent. Any ratified arrangement could then be mirrored – and audited – at a national level.
And, FIFA should consider separating the World Cup in a similar manner to F1 in 1998 when the FIA parted the management of F1 from the governance of motorsport.
Infantino can argue as much as he likes about alleged fake news about FIFA yet he really needs to recognise that modern perceptions emanate from genuine facts entrenched in courts of law. Until he does so then change will be slow and problematic. The greater cost will be that of an opportunity wasted.
