Blatter’s legacy one of contempt
Outgoing head ran FIFA as his fiefdom
On Blatter’s watch, some of his FIFA cronies gorged themselves
It was one of the most beautiful sounds in football, the tenor and type of words spilling from the tensed lips of a ruined despot as Sepp Blatter voiced his resignation. It was one of the most beautiful sights in football, the image of Blatter shuffling towards the exit, a security man holding open the door, obligingly on his side — for now. Auf Wiedersehen, Sepp.
Adieu, his royal smugness. “Why would I step down?” Blatter declared defiantly on Friday. “That would mean I recognize that I did wrong.” Four days later, the FIFA president did step down. He recognized he had done wrong. He had brought shame on the game for many years, not simply over the warped bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. The charge-sheet laid against Blatter is as long as one of the wine-lists in FIFA’s Baur au Lac fastness so sweetly raided by the Swiss working in conjunction with the FBI.
On Blatter’s watch, some of his FIFA cronies gorged themselves, enriched themselves, exploiting a system scandalously lax on checks and balances.
FIFA became trough central under Blatter. For the game, for the world? No. For the greed. Money sluiced through FIFA and, for some, the temptation was there to siphon off tranches of dollars. The racket the FBI heard was racketeering.
A price could al s o be placed on patronage. Bidding for World Cups became vulnerable to corruption, a point the FBI realized swiftly. The process that saw US$10 million wired to Jack Warner of CONCACAF over bidding for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was a murky masterpiece of business subterfuge.
It was scandalous that payments were made to a “legacy” program before the event even took place. Timing, gentlemen, please. It was no surprise that little mention has been found of the “African diaspora in Caribbean countries” supposedly benefiting from the $10 million of FIFA funds via Warner.
Blatter’s close lieutenant, Jerome Valcke, was named in a letter from the South African FA that accelerated yesterday’s denouement. The money trail had wound its way to Blatter’s office or certainly the desk of his deputy.
Guilt by association came the instant verdict. This, ultimately, was the tipping point in ushering Blatter through the door marked exit, even if he has another nine months to serve. Yesterday did not mark the end for Blatter.
It did mark the beginning of the end of his 17 years in office but also the understanding that the FBI remains on the case, and the hunt goes on, the clock ticks louder.
His legacy will stir only contempt. There will be certain countries who benefited from his largesse, from FIFA’s development Goal program. There will be many nations who appreciated the voting system under Blatter that allowed Guam, 176th in the world rankings with a population of 165,000, to wield the same influence on FIFA presidential elections as Germany, the 80-million-strong No. 1 ranked nation and current world champions.
Blatter ran FIFA as a fiefdom. In the art and craft of staying in power, the Swiss lawyer proved the arch-politician. He focused on Asia and Africa, delivering investment with far more urgency than UEFA nations, and reaped the reward of the support of the Confederation of African Football and the Asian Football Confederation when the FIFA hustings took place.
Concern over the antics road show that was the Blatter election campaign centred on more than sustained outrage over World Cup bidding. He has long been disparaged for assorted felonies against football and civilized life. There was his “tighter shorts” plea to women footballers in 2004. There was his use of the word “slavery” in 2008 to describe Manchester United’s attempt to keep Cristiano Ronaldo, rather ignoring his lavish salary at Old Trafford. There was his 2010 view on John Terry’s dalliance with Wayne Bridge’s ex that “if this had happened in the Latin countries I think he would have been applauded.”
The man’s a menace, a disgrace, a charlatan yet he is also the symptom as well as the cause of FIFA’s culture of deceit and disdain. It can never be forgotten that 133 of the 207 FIFA nations backed Blatter in the presidential election last Friday, taking him to a fifth term of office when his one challenger, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, withdrew. Blatter has many friends and allies in football, many of whom loathed the oldest association, England’s Football Association, which has campaigned for his ousting.
The Blatterdammerung played out in a small auditorium in Zurich yesterday was composed and orchestrated by the FBI. American gumshoes have tracked down the FIFA felons, placing pressure on those fearful of tax-evasion charges to spill the beans. Blatter has yet to be charged but, God and the Feds willing, it will happen.
Before sidling off towards the exit, Blatter had the audacity to claim that: “I will be in a position to focus on profound reforms. For many years we have called for reforms. But these are not sufficient.” Clearly not.
Blatter is toast but the future menu for change remains to be established.
Time will tell. So will the Feds. The FBI will shape the future for Blatter, FIFA, Qatar 2022 and for all of world football. At least yesterday brought a breath of fresh air into the putrid corridors of power in Zurich. The sounds and sights of Blatter’s demise were pure joy.