FIFA Corruption Scandal: 7 Most Damning Allegations Ever
Harder to tackle than Lionel Messi.
By now everybody is aware of FIFA: the scandal-blighted governing body of the world's most popular sport. But what are the main accusations that have been levelled against FIFA and some of its members?
Among others there have been accusations of rampant bribing from numerous sources for numerous reasons including, but not limited to, internal elections, World Cup bids, marketing contracts and ticket sales.
In addition to this hefty dirty laundry list is the way in which the body appropriates money from World Cups, leaving host nations with debt and domestic social instability while FIFA amasses more money - now $1 billion or more, described as a "rainy day fund". Unless the rain is made up of nuclear bombs it is difficult to work out how it would be useful.
The major bone of contention is not the above-board operations of FIFA, which are certainly laudable; football has grown exponentially under Sepp Blatter around the world. It is the way in which the organisation has been accused of operating as a corrupt autocracy.
Blatter has rarely, if ever, had any tainted money or paper trail lead back to him. But crucially his rule of FIFA has allowed for the game to become tainted and has done little to eradicate it, even in the face of a series of damning allegations. Critics argue that is guilt by continued association, even if he is innocent.
7. Cash For Votes Scandal In The 2011 FIFA Presidential Election
Blatter had started out well-intentioned with a program called Goal in the 90s. Through Goal, grassroots funding across Asia, Africa and Latin America was provided and football became more accessible and popular than ever before in these regions.
It later emerged that two officials in particular had been doling out big wads of cash in return for votes. The two men accused were Mohamed Bin Hammam and Jack Warner, who were both vying for FIFA Presidency at the time. FIFA promptly denied any wrongdoing by the pair.
Bin Hammam was also indicted in the Qatar 2022 bid and Warner in the Russia 2018 bid. Yet, despite overwhelming evidence, only Bin Hammam was punished. He was banned from all football-related activity for life, a ban which FIFA upheld in 2012 on appeal.
Warner on the other hand, who has had to defend himself against various accusations on numerous occasions - including for allegedly misappropriating funds meant for the Haiti earthquake relief fund - was acquitted of all charges, in the same way he has been exonerated of all other aforementioned allegations.
Jack Warner was one of the arrested members this week, and on posting bail was greeted in his home nation of Trinidad and Tobago by crowds of cheering supporters. He maintains that he never accepted a single bribe.