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Quadriga

Suryo BuonoJune 4, 2011

Soccer's world governing body, FIFA, is in the throes of corruption scandals and power struggles. Crisis has engulfed the organization, turning the annual congress into a farce and damaging the sport's reputation. The Swiss Joseph Blatter, president of the federation since 1998, is fighting tooth and nail for a fourth and final term in office.

https://p.dw.com/p/RRkT

Soccer's world governing body, FIFA, is in the throes of corruption scandals and power struggles. Crisis has engulfed the organization, turning the annual congress into a farce and damaging the sport's reputation. The Swiss Joseph Blatter, president of the federation since 1998, is fighting tooth and nail for a fourth and final term in office. He successfully eliminated all potential rivals in the run-up to the vote, paying them off where necessary.

Blatter is accused of allowing the vote on who should host the 2022 World Cup Finals, ultimately won by Qatar, to be manipulated through bribery. Several members of FIFA's executive committee face allegations of corruption. Mohamed bin Hammam, Blatter's last election opponent, withdrew his candidacy for the presidency after a less-than-transparent internal inquiry. FIFA's ethics committee has suspended him until further notice.

The mud-slinging is in full swing. Within a few days, Blatter's rivals turned into fawning election campaigners. A news conference promising new revelations was hastily convened and then called off. What is clear, what has always been clear, is that money changed hands. The question is, between whom?

Now the Scheiks of Qatar fear that they might lose the right to host the tournament in 2022. FIFA's sponsors, too, are worried about economic damage and appalled by Blatter's arrogant stance. Yet, nothing seems to faze him. He rejects the idea of a crisis, preferring to describe it as a few difficulties "…which we will resolve within the FIFA family". Hardly the words of a democratic leader.

What do you think: Foul Play Football - How Corrupt is FIFA?

Write to us at: Quadriga@dw-world.de

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Our guests:

Jens Weinreich – After completing his studies in sports journalism, Weinreich served as an editor of the newspaper "Junge Welt" and as a freelance journalist for several news oulets. In 1996, he became head of the sports section at the German daily "Berliner Zeitung." He has worked as a freelance journalist since 2008. Weinreich's reporting on national and international sports policy has been featured in a number of publications and films, covering the IOC, FIFA, DOSB, Olympic Games and bids to host major sporting events. His core areas of expertise include sports marketing, television rights, corruption, doping, and sports history. Weinreich regularly reports on major international sports events. His blog, www.jensweinreich.de, features interesting insights into the world of sports and encourages a lively discussion.

Wolfgang Maennig - Professor of economic policy at Hamburg University, the former Olympic rowing champion has maintained his links with the sporting world. The main focus of his work is the economics of sport, and he has published widely on the subject. He is often called upon toact as an auditor during preparations for large-scale sporting events, such as the upcoming 2006 World Cup.

Erik Kirschbaum – Born in New York, Kirschbaum began as a reporter for various dailies and magazines in the US. He moved to Europe in 1989 to become a correspondent in Germany and Austria. Kirschbaum now works for the “Reuters” news agency in Berlin.