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you said something about
racism against Qatar and
people are not taking you
seriously any more. This is
not good for FIFA and it is
not good for the game.”
UEFA president Michel
Platini has stated that he
thinks ‘…FIFA needs a breath
of fresh air.’
But Blatter still has a
great deal of support from
the African and Asian
federations.
There is no doubt that Blatter has been instrumental in bringing
about a great deal of reform in the game and has presided over
a period during which FIFA has gone from strength to strength.
However, his playing down of the corruption scandal surrounding
the 2022 World Cup does him no credit. As President of FIFA, Blatter
needs to take the lead in weeding out any sign of corruption and
should be championing the cause not downplaying it. There clearly
is a need for greater transparency in the decisions to award the event
Now a number of major World Cup sponsors have begun pressing
FIFA to tackle corruption. BP, which owns FIFA partner Castrol, and
Budweiser joined Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa, Sony and Hyundai in voicing
concerns about the allegations of corruption. This raises the stakes
further as it strikes at the heart of FIFA’s finances.
Michael Garcia, the former New York attorney who has been leading
FIFA’s investigation into the controversial bidding process for the
2018 and 2022 World Cups will deliver his conclusions in mid-July.
Sport must transcend such allegations and needs leaders who will
staunchly and vigorously defend the governing bodies from any
suggestion of corruption.
There is absolutely no suggestion that Blatter is implicated in the
allegations. But, just as a government minster must take ultimate
responsibility for the mistakes of his department, or a company
CEO must bear the blame if the company underperforms, so must
Blatter bear some of the responsibility for the Qatar situation and
the controversy surrounding the corruption claims if they are proven
to be true.
As with so many people in power it often is difficult for the
incumbent to give up the position. But if the Garcia investigation
findings confirm the allegations, it may require a new President to
make sure that Fifa does not remain tainted in the future.
WORLD CUP FOCUS
4
More at stake than winning the
World Cup
6
All outta love:
How the World Cup of Football has
polarised a nation
16 Sharp shooters:
The danger men of the World Cup
20 The referee’s perspective:
Nobody loves me
24 Brazil’s greatest teams
29 Fantasy team: Richest eleven
FEATURES
12 BOSS 2014 Panel Discussion:
Tackling concussion
32 Downhill ski, medals triumph and failure,
world records and curling: A risky business?
38 Interview with Kateryna Logachova, 2013
Victorian Coach of the Year
LEGAL FOCUS
26 When does a risk become ‘obvious’?
34 Specialist legal advice key for major events
BRAZIL
18 Biography: Ayrton Senna
22 Sport profile: Capoeira
REGULARS
4
Sports shorts
30 At risk
39 World sport news round up
MORE INFORMATION
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STEVE BOUCHER