Daily Dispatch

Soccer well rid of Sepp

ABUSIVE execution of their positions and powers. That was the damning indictment of former Fifa strongman Joseph “Sepp” Blatter and European soccer boss Michel Platini by their erstwhile Fifa colleagues on the ethics committee.

The pair were banned from soccer for eight years and also received cash fines over a $2-million payment by Blatter to Platini in 2011.

Both men have indicated their intention to appeal the decision, using sport’s legal processes as well as the Swiss courts. It’s fair to say, however, that Blatter’s prospects of a return to the sport are slim.

Platini, his protege until they fell out and the Frenchman challenged Blatter for the presidency, is likely to fancy a comeback in the future.

For those who have had a jaundiced view of soccer’s governing body, the ethics committee finding is no surprise. Indeed, the decision will be celebrated for kyboshing Blatter’s flawed fiefdom, although the question must be asked: What finally caused Blatter’s colleagues to take action after turning a blind eye for so long to questionable decisions, if not outright shenanigans.

Swiss national Blatter succeeded João Havelange as president of soccer’s Zurich-domiciled top structure in 1998. His chirpy, easygoing public persona belied the steely grasp he maintained over every aspect of Fifa’s governance for 17 years.

Blatter was not averse to seeing himself as equal to – if not above – the status of the presidents of countries that feted him. But then Fifa also regarded itself as being an extra-territorial entity, not bound by the laws of sovereign states, as South Africa discovered during preparations for the 2010 World Cup.

In comments following his banning this week, Blatter likened his situation to the persecution suffered by Nelson Mandela during the apartheid struggle.

Sadly, many around the globe must rue for some considerable time Blatter’s rule. And it will be a long while before Fifa is free of their former president’s blighted tenure.

South Africans will watch with interest what emerges from United States prosecutors’ investigation of a $10-million payment to the then president of soccer in North America and the Caribbean, Jack Warner.

That payment allegedly was made by Blatter’s acolyte Jerome Valcke on South Africa’s behalf as part of the euphemistically named Diaspora Legacy Programme. It remains to be seen who among this country’s 2010 World Cup organising officials will be held to account by the US prosecutors.

If the old adage about thieves falling out still applies, individuals hauled before the courts might be enticed to spill the beans in pleabargaining deals. And Blatter may have more to worry about than a lost presidency.

For now, Blatter’s ban is a case of “good riddance” .

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