Home   >   Opinion   >   Sepp Blatter and the need for change at FIFA

Sepp Blatter and the need for change at FIFA

By on May 31, 2015

One of many frustrating parts of solving the puzzle of corruption in FIFA is the utter lack of transparency within the organization. I certainly don’t know the full extent of what’s going on, neither does Loretta Lynch and probably not even Sepp Blatter himself. On the outside, we only get a vague picture, with multiple uncovered details clouding the story of corruption in FIFA.

The corruption has been recognized both on the outside and inside the organization for years. “We will continue to work with the relevant authorities and we will work vigorously within Fifa in order to root out any misconduct, to regain your trust and ensure that football worldwide is free from wrongdoing,” Blatter said following arrests of multiple FIFA Exco members.

So, a few years back FIFA hired Michael Garcia to head a probe into the allegations of bribery and corruption. But even he couldn’t get far with limited capabilities and eventually resigned his post in frustration.

And so loom the walls of the impenetrable organization. We know it’s bad, they know it’s bad, but Blatter remains in charge after the recent presidential election. The very presidency he said he wouldn’t run for in 2011. Not a week after the FBI announced it had arrested some of his closest allies on corruption charges. Yet nobody can touch Blatter’s position.

How? Because whatever scandals affect the organization, Blatter manages to keep his hands clean. He’s not once been found, or even accused of handling bribes himself. The Guardian recently highlighted how, in fact, Blatter has supported smaller members and as such has their unwavering support. He’s played to them directly, the 180 third-world countries of FIFA’s 209 members.

Maybe it’s only those below Blatter taking part in the corruption; Blatter’s build up his fortress to protect his presidency and a side effect is corruption.  He says he wants FIFA rid itself of corruption, and for all we know he is sincere. Why should he want his term’s legacy to be of corruption? Sure, he may financially mismanage the organization but it’s hard to know how engaged he actually is in such jobs.

What Blatter can be accused of is lobbying to stay in control. He says this is his last term, but we’ve heard that one before. He’s nearing twenty years at the helm of FIFA. And while it may not be a dictatorship exactly because Blatter keeps his hands superficially clean, it’s far from the democracy it claims to be. Blatter keeps only his allies around him to remain in charge, but knowing their jobs are safe, those allies then do as they please, it seems. That’s where the corruption stems from. And the cracks in Blatter’s pyramid have so far done little to rid the rats within.

So, if change is what we want, that’s where Sepp Blatter meets his end. He may not be taking part explicitly in the corruption, but unwilling and possibly unable to fix it for the very purpose of staying in charge, because it seems to start with his apparent will to stay in power. He might not be a good person but because FIFA is so impenetrable we don’t know if he’s actually a good president. His term will obviously be marred by the scandals, but it’s easy to demonize him too quickly. Recent FBI investigations are likely to topple Blatter’s pyramid soon enough, but we don’t know what they’ll have to say about Blatter. He may not be Machiavellian, just in contempt or willing to turn a blind eye to the corrupt parts of FIFA to stay in power.

Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.