Arrests at FIFA dwarf any action on the pitch
The comings and goings have begun in the esteemed courts of soccer, and I’m not just talking about the transportation of FIFA executives from their offices to the local police station.
This week’s news has been dominated by events in Switzerland, where the long arm of the law has cuffed numerous officials from FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, which is looking more and more like an evil organization in a James Bond movie. This happening as its members gather to re- elect President Sepp Blatter to another four- year term. Some think four years behind bars might be a better end to his reign.
Blatter, 79, might or might not keep his tarnished crown. ( By the time you read this, he already might have won the election, which was to begin at 12: 30 a. m. Friday.) No matter how the votes unfold, the current FIFA model is damaged beyond repair. Powerful forces are engaged in a fight for the future of world soccer. The ending as of yet is unwritten. Back to the pitch: Europe has wrapped up its domestic leagues. No surprises with the royalty wearing the crowns: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris St. Germain and Juventus are champions of the Big- 5 countries.
Happy days are here for the winners and their coaches. Not so much for their rivals. In Spain, Real Madrid fired manager Carlo Ancelotti the day after the campaign ended, just one season after he guided the club to its 10th European Cup victory. No silver arrived in the Spanish capital this year.
Rumors among the chattering classes abound. Is Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo seeking new pastures outside the Iberian Peninsula, despite having scored 48 goals in La Liga this year? Another Madrid player thought to be unhappy with life in Spain is Gareth Bale, the Welshman who signed for $ 130 million in 2013. Rival European powers with sacks of gold in the vaults are watching interestedly.
Older legs on wise heads are leaving the continent and heading to the New World. Having spent his whole career with Liverpool FC, Steven Gerrard, its famous captain, ended his Liverpool career crushed under a 6- 1 defeat by Stoke City on Sunday, Liverpool’s worst result in 50 years. He hopes it is not an omen. His long- and- winding road will end in Los Angeles with the Galaxy. He’ll be banking on the California sun depositing energy into his aging timber.
Add the old warrior, Frank Lampard, to the ship’s register heading to America. In his sack, a wealth of hard- earned career highlights at Chelsea, lately at Manchester City. New York City FC is his destination. In London, there is talk this week about his old Chelsea teammate, Didier Drogba, age 37, looking to make MLS his final frontier.
If these old stars think they might be calling the shots in a small town called Soccer USA, they will be in for a surprise. The huff and puff of MLS distributes parity among its teams via the salary cap and draft system. Dominance is harder to achieve than in Europe. Sure, when the playoffs come, these old princes will be expected to produce. But not everyone with a grand reputation overseas makes it in America. A more humble narrative of the immigrant arriving ready to work hard and to earn respect from those already here might serve better.
One lasting image from the close of the European season was 16- year old Norwegian Martin Odegaard coming on as a substitute for Ronaldo in Real Madrid’s final game of the season Sunday. Promising youth emerges, a new generation taking football forward. May such measure apply to FIFA.