President Sepp Blatter is guilty. Of everything. He has repeatedly failed to maintain the integrity of the game. Dating back to 1998, Blatter has built this organization in his image. Elevating FIFA to the most powerful body in the sports world, Blatter has overcome challenge after challenge, scandal after scandal. Despite this clear corruption though, Blatter continues to be re-elected.
However, Blatter announced today he will resign. Adamant that their investigation was not over, the U.S. Justice Department sent a clear message to the world of soccer: we will not stop until we take down Blatter. And they did it.
Fans, along with everyone else connected to the soccer world, should be jumping up-and-down. FIFA has a chance to start over and build a foundation of honesty, something it has not had in over two decades. In the short-term, some sponsorships have pulled out of FIFA while other brands such as McDonalds and Adidas have stuck strong, perseverance that will soon pay off. FIFA has received a vast amount of criticism the last few days, but the game of soccer stills remains as a global power. Implementing a new foundation will return FIFA to its global supremacy. With this turnaround, sponsorship opportunities will become more valuable than ever; you can find a variety of these soccer sponsorship opportunities at OpenSponsorship.com.
Soccer is the world’s leading sport, and it is finally taking back the respect it deserves.
For those of you who live under a rock, below is a brief summary on everything you need to know about Sepp Blatter and the world of FIFA.
In the voice of Buzz Lightyear, “Corruption, corruption everywhere.” That short statement would summarize how May 27 went for FIFA. According to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, a pleathora of charges were brought against nine FIFA officials, including two vice presidents. The charges stemmed mainly from bribes, as the 14 detained received more than $100 million in corrupt agreements. Unfortunately, this is more than likely only the beginning.
While the reports are disturbing, they should not be surprising. Lynch claims these officials, along with many others, have been marring the sport for over 24 years, impacting tournaments, such as the World Cup, and sports marketing firms everywhere. In addition to these allegations, FIFA has faced a variety of other scandals over the years.
Following the collapse of the marketing company ISL in 2002, FIFA general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen was suspected of impropriety. Fast-forward nine years, and you will encounter a presidential election characterized by malice, as soccer executives Jack Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam were expelled amid accusations of corruption. Even last fall, when a partial release of the Garcia report showed improprieties in the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Corruption in FIFA is rampant; it has become commonplace. With that being said, most businesses will stray from anything that involves the world of soccer, especially since FIFA’s stock is currently plummeting. A variety of people will also argue that if this corruption has gone on for so long, why would it not continue? While both arguments may have some merit, they are not entirely correct.
Similarly to Cameroon’s economy, FIFA’s corruption starts at the top. When you do not provide enough incentives and institutional regulations, corruption ensues. In order to be re-elected three separate times in said organization, the president will more times than not turn a blind eye to the corruption, especially when it is so widespread. Sepp Blatter was the root of all problems concerning FIFA.
