UEFA, I really hope you weren’t bluffing when you said you’d back out of FIFA, because you may get your bluff called.
FIFA, the governing body of world football, has denied the appeal by their own ethics investigator, Michael Garcia, to have the full report released regarding the charges of ethics violations regarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar. This comes as a shock to absolutely nobody, considering that the man who wrote the “condensed version” of the 400+ page report, Joachim Eckert, was head of the committee to hear the appeal.
Garcia continues to say that the condensed version of his report contains numerous problems and factually incorrect information, but FIFA has decided that the man that investigated these charged for 18 months isn’t in a position to speak about it.
The problem, of course, is that Garcia is bound by a contract not to divulge any details regarding the report unless he wants to get sued into oblivion and become a martyr, which he does not want to do. FIFA knows this and has used it to their full advantage.
So, the question remains: Is there anyone that can save us from the atrocity that is FIFA?
The answer to that question is “Yes” but it will take some time.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the United States has opened a probe into the allegations of bribery. It may seem a little out of their jurisdiction, but many reports state that the bribes were completed with U.S. Dollars, meaning that the FBI can get involved since it involves the official currency of the country. There is no word as to how much pull they’ll have, and chances are high that they won’t have access to that report.
The other organization that can light a stick of dynamite to this situation is UEFA, the governing body of European Football. UEFA President and well-known lap dog to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, Michael Platini, has stated that UEFA could opt to leave the jurisdiction of FIFA if the full report isn’t released. This is obviously a bluff, but what if UEFA actually followed through on that bluff?
FIFA cannot lose UEFA under any circumstances. The European organization accounts for anywhere from 50-70% of all revenue regarding the sport. While some advertisers are locked into contracts with FIFA already (Coca-cola, Carlsburg, Heineken, etc), it wouldn’t be difficult to envision a mass exodus if UEFA decided to just leave and try to start a new organization. It would be difficult, but it’s plausible.
So, FIFA wins yet again because there is no checks and balances to keep the organization under wraps and we can expect the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to be played in Russia and Qatar….for now.
