Money.
Money drives people. For some, it is motivation to work harder and strive for excellence. For some, it is a privilege that they are born with. For others, it’s what lands them in a spot of bother. Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, realised this the hard way.
Football. The beautiful game, as it’s called, is known for the love, passion and togetherness it brings to one and all. Unfortunately, its governing body is under the radar for being part of one of the biggest bribery scams the world of sport has ever seen. Though only a few eyebrows may have been raised when Russia was announced as the official venue for the Football World Cup of 2018, Blatter’s cheap tactics were brought to light when he made his next mistake. Qatar.
One could always overlook the role that Russia’s climate would play in determining their capabilities as good hosts. However, a close analysis of Qatar would reveal that they have no infrastructure readily available for stadiums, no previous recognition on a global stage for FIFA, and would require great investments to pull off such a massive feat. Not one of your brightest moments, huh, Blatter ?
Remember how I said that money lands people into spots of bother? Well, Blatter was definitely in one. After investigations by the US and Swiss Police department into 9 other FIFA officials and their financial statements, all 9 were found guilty of bribery and other forms of financial misconduct. The spotlight then turned to Blatter, against whom an open investigation for “suspicion of criminal mismanagement” and “misappropriation” was raised. Blatter was found to not only have accepted bribes from sponsorship companies in Qatar and Russia, but was also found to have financial contracts with former Carribean FA President Jack Warner and UEFA President Michel Platini.
Though Blatter still roams a free man, he decided to step down as President due to the continued investigations. ThoughThe extent of bribes that he may have received is still unknown, there is talk of him having paid Platini over 2 million, which he claims to have made for ‘work purposes.’
As a fan of the so-called ‘beautiful’ game, it is quite saddening to see that the ones managing it see beauty only in the money they gain from it. I, for one, am appalled to see how much one can abuse their power when one is at the top. To go through so much effort and to disappoint so many people in one go, just for a few extra digits in the bank account. I’m afraid that this is not the so-called ‘beautiful’ game I grew up watching.
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