Sepp Blatter’s Resignation Removes an Obstacle to FIFA Overhaul

What is fascinating about the Blatter saga is how little mention was made about the fact that FIFA, in 2012 and again in 2013, hired outside experts in corporate ethics to carefully examine the organization and make recommendations on what it could do to address the growing concerns being raised about the organization and potential corruption.

In both cases, the experts presented their recommendations and their findings were immediately dropped and/or watered down, pretty clearly at the behest of Mr. Blatter and his cronies.

Ironically, had those recommendations been implemented, the latest brouhaha might never have risen to the level of leading to Mr. Blatter's resignation. His sheer chutzpa upon his election immediately following the recebt raids and indictments plays extremely hollow when he claimed that FIFA clearly needed to clean up its act and he was the man to lead that efforts....particularly in the wake of the 2012 and 2013 recommendations.

He knew exactly how FIFA operated, he was deeply involved in its operations and its ethics and even when he had a chance to actually do something about it, he refused. Let's see how far the indictments go.....I suspect a lot of bodies are going to be uncovered in the process.

At this point, there are so many FIFA officials diving for deep cover that it will be months before the dust even starts to clear. What is, and has been going on in this organization has been years in the making. The sudden resignation of Herr Blatter isn't going to change anything that quickly, but it's a great start!

Finally a US President has a chance to undertake (successfully!) the idea of nation building. This time applied to an international organization - FIFA. The resurgence of a clean, non corrupt FIFA is now in the capable hands of American foreign policy makers.

Culture is only people. Therefore, it is the people who should be changed, not the culture.

Just another "Eruo Trash" member to fall, taken down swiftly by the Americans!
Must be an embarrassment to Swiss and British law enforcement authorities who have been trying to take down FIFA's corrupt practices for a decade or more.

So, by logical extension, could MLB "remove an obstacle" to ethical overhaul by getting rid of Seling-Come-Lately Manfred? Or the NFL by ousting Goodell? Or the NBA by ousting Silver?

Or is a "culture, which is shrouded in secrecy, corruption and self-enrichment" the exclusive provide of FIFA? How convenient!

FIFA is our big house. The World Cup is the ultimate gift/reward for football fans all around the world. Even casuals fans can join the big party.
True football fans dont really care where you play all the matches. They just want to see the beautiful game, the players:s skill, the dramas, and they want to feel the national pride.
If we cannot fix our big house:s problems, if we cannot agree on who should host the 2022FIFA World Cup, lets the judgment of Solomon inspire us to find a fair solution for all.
Lets have two FIFA 2022WC: one in Qatar and one in the US.
US stadiums are giants, beautiful and ready. Qatar:s brand new facilities will be. And let each FIFA member have the choice to compete, in Qatar or US.
With 209 federations affiliated to FIFA, we can afford to hold 2 WC at the same time. End of story.

It is interesting to read the many "this is an anti-Russian plot" posts in conjunction with the recent Times revelation of widespread internet trolling by the Russian government.

It is amusing to read posters suggesting an American has a chance in a million of heading FIFA or that the US will hold a world cup in the next 20 years when such a large percentage of FIFA voters pocketed the bribes the US has uncovered and there is no chance they will all be chased out.

Sepp Blatter did NOT resign. Read his words carefully.

"I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective Congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA President until that election."

He is still running FIFA and will control the investigation,
He suggested that the executive committee must be reduced in size and its members “should be elected through the FIFA Congress”. Dominated by soccer powerhouses like Monserrat, Lichenstein, and all of Africa, the Congress can get rid of all the people that have been a pain to Sepp recently.

He said FIFA central must control all integrity checks and cut the regions of any power to police, reducing their power to help stop the corrupt out of control current power structure. Target = UEFA.
He will get himself declared to an "honorary" title which will continue to pour money on him for life. This is on top of however much he has already "acquired."

Sepp is smarter than all those after him.

Every account I have read assumes that Mr. Blatter decided to resign only after his reelection. This is not obvious. Suppose he had made up his mind to resign before reelection but wanted to remain interim head while his replacement were chosen and to enjoy the endorsement of reelection?

The contrary assumption seems to be based on the hope or desire that he was somehow forced to resign by an event during the four days after his reelection, and various candidates are suggested. None makes anything close to a strong case.

What is the exact date of blatter's resignation? Unless that has been set, I think it is inaccurate to say that he has "resigned".

If the speech the other day was truly his resignation letter, he needed to walk directly out of the headquarters, never to return (his admin can clean out his office for him). If he is still in the seat of power, nothing has changed ... in fact, I would claim he has a plan to delay a vote for his successor and wait for all this to blow over so that he can retain his presidency.

Remember, this is the same criminal liar who said prior to the 2011 election that he would not run again. How can anyone trust what he says now?

How about a Corruption Investigation into the politicians in the White House and Congress who scheme, push, and vote for FastTrack and TPP--a radical Corporate Rights agenda which will further destroy the lives of the 99%? We need a corruption investigation into these politicians.

If only Chuck Blazer had paid his taxes...
FIFA has turned into Reservoir Dogs with Blatter as Mr. White.
Moving forward - 1. There is no way Russia18 will be re-visited. No tracks left in the snow and anyone who thinks the Russians will give an inch on this hasn't been paying attention. Putin is already using this as further proof that the US wants to snoop thru the world's trash. Russia IS a legit football country, certainly a solid 2nd tier Euro soccer power. As opposed to S Africa and Qatar. 2. QatarWC22 - Yes US bid was victim of whatever shenanigans went on here, but no way the result of this USDOJ/FBI led investigation is USWC22.
So let's just stop that fantasy right now. In fact, depending on how much time it takes (6 mos? 1yr?) to put together what actually happened, the Qatar facilities will be well underway. So what do we do, tell the Qataris that they cheated and they should just blow up their half-built multi-billion stadia and infrastructure? Eliminate thousands of jobs (yes hazardous and underpaying but still coveted by many an unemployed and uneducated Middle East worker) in a region of the world that badly needs them? Oh yeah, and Qatar is one the key Sunni states that can sway ISIS one way or the other.
The bottom line is the best we can probably hope for is cleaning out the rot of the current generation of gouty old men, financial reforms, and voting based on combination of FIFA rankings and relative revenue generation. USWC26?

All this fuss about corruption in FIFA nothing else
as another hidden game against Russia and opportunity
of the World Cup there.
I do not believe that the United States attended with corruption in FIFA
seriously. And why now? In the USA dozens
examples of corruption. Starting from Wall Street, ending the Pentagon.
All this is dirty game against Russia.
And Russia also understand this.
Who believes the USA? Who will believe the USA in the future?
If USA's policy - hypocrisy ...

Argentina got $ 25 million for tis second place in the World Cup in Brazil last year (that's the prize for the second place in a World Cup that is played every four years); FIFA earned about $ 4.8 bn.

It seems like we've heard about many institutions that need to "change their culture" in the last 15 years or so, and it seems like it never really happens. A couple of people are fired or arrested, who may or may not have been the only, or even the major, culprits; a big fine is paid that, no matter how large, doesn't significantly cripple the organization; the organization figures out how to keep its head down and avoid publicity for a few years, and then when they re-emerge it turns out they're still operating with the same values that got them in trouble in the first place: rewarding arrogance and loyalty, punishing innovation and transparency, finding new ways to cheat its customers and low-level workers, and buying off politicians who will insist that any scrutiny of the organization is anti-American or anti-business. Basically all they've learned is how to swagger a little less conspicuously.

(Wall Street, General Motors, Penn State.....)

Given that this investigation won't curb the sport's popularity one bit or the willingness of corporations and governments to look the other way from FIFA's corruption while reaping its benefits, I find myself skeptical that this story won't follow a similar trajectory.

I dout this will really change things - what they need is a complete outsider to lead a real change process - something like Tony Blair who will do it for 4 years sort so and move on, someone with enough gravitas outside of soccer and bureaucratic experience
Of course the rules prevent such an outsider, I am sure the executive committee could assign him, but they will not
Now we wait to see if in the 4 months they somehow arrange a crony to not investigate anything, or some other person who may be worst that Blatter,
they also would be afraid of someone not being invested, as then questions will come up about the Russian WC and the Qatari one - in the end the truth will be known, Russia will do a shoddy job, like in Sochi hotels won't be ready, etc, plus some other problem. In Qatar it will we worst - first of all who will go to watch games at huge holel prices and no freedom of movement, and then if you go you ay get in trouble for doing what FIFA wants you to do (drink beer for example) - I am less than optimistic

FIFA do not need soccer hating country like USA. it almost seems like they are treating FIFA as another Iraq and libya and try to replace with some form of rubber stamping YES man. No wonder RUSSIA is furious. RUSSIA sees it as real threat and intention of USA to destroy russia. Russia may not have power to destroy USA but put a serious hurt on USA with 5000 nukes. There won't be europe and half of USA after nuke war. USA still wins by nature of positioning all their nukes because USA got better nuke submarines. Russia can spread dirty nukes all over the world before world war III starts. SO it reverberate even after world war III. Any war with USA russia looking for suicide but it will be good suicide because half world population is done and dusted. Rebuilding will start.

Anybody else think that Mitt Romney might be the perfect solution for what ails FIFA? I didn't vote for him, but he has the kind of organizational and leadership experience that could clean up FIFA's corrupt culture (and he's not going to be swayed by anyone offering him money); he's got a sports background from his days with the US Olympic committee; and he might see this as a great final chapter. Just saying . . .

There is something really fishy about the furor and level of attention given to the peccadilloes of FIFA. Commercial bribery is as fundamental to Capitalism, as the extension of credit is; it's the grease that spins the wheels of business, and Professional Soccer, like any professional sport, is a business.

Who was being cheated here? The only issue was choice of venue, which is inherently arbitrary. Certainly, the assignment of the 1994 World Cup to the United States was extremely arbitrary. Since we are told that FIFA corruption goes back for decades, certainly some money changed hands to get that done - why aren't we freaked out about that?

The only logical conclusion, is that this case is all about FIFA's refusal to bail out on their 2018 Russia World Cup choice. They should have honored this request on its inherent merit, but if they choose not to, why are we foaming at the mouth, as we fit the FIFA officials with concrete overshoes? How many of them are really guilty of anything? This is a third class investigation and a first class witch hunt - yes, I know that some of them have ratted out others, but isn't that what happened at Salem?

Are we, as the Muslim Terrorists and Putin claim, bullies to the world? Let's be sure our accusers, the real bullies, don't have a way of making a case against us on that score.

Ironic that the country whose citizens have the least amount of interest in the sport is the one that will force the complete overhaul of the sport's governing body.

Transparency and accountability are the remedies for FIFA's heart and soul suffering from the two deadliest of orgaznizational diseases; greed and hubris. The best physcians to admister the requist treatments to and oversee the rehabilitation of the FIFA are the major corporate sponsors of soccer acting as honest brokers and public trustees for the fans.

Both Russia and Quatar should voluntarily withdraw their country's award of hosting the World Cup given the pernacious and extensive allegations of bribery thoughout the biding process. One would think Russia and Quatar, out of a sense of nationaal honor, would be unfailingly supportive of any reformation of the FIFA and express confidence in their chances to again win as hosting privleges in a new, transparent host selection process.

For Russia and Quatar to continue to object or complain to a rebidding of the hosting of the FIFA World Cup raises questions of wheter or not they believe in again prevailing under a new ethically reformed site selection process.

Who inside of FIFA is going to be capable of making these sweeping overhauls? It is allegedly an organization widely infused with corrupt behavior. All it took was one investigative/prosecutorial team to finally pull on a loose thread, and the whole ignominious enterprise seems to be collapsing. Moreover, many of these remaining officials will (rightfully) be looking after their own hides, since they will have already done something that implicates them in the crimes, or, if not, may become embroiled with one false move.

It seems to me it will require disbanding FIFA altogether or imposing some type of receivership, where an external team comes in with a strong mandate to clean house without mercy, without fear of being embroiled in the investigations for the prior behavior by FIFA and their personnel.

With all respect to Mr. Garber, this is not a time to declare that a “dark cloud” has been lifted. Blatter’s begrudging resignation is just the beginning – like looking at a 7-day forecast of steady rain for the first 6 days, and only a “chance” of showers on the 7th day.

Highly doubt Platini will take the reigns- there is so much bad blood between him and Asian, Africa, and the CONCAF federations. There is a tinge of being-colonialism that these federations loathe and that is what Sepp capitalized on. One country, one vote-democracy at its best, ironically now being scorned by the same former colonial powers except Dpson and Portugal!

Why is Sepp Blatter so popular with most representatives from Asia and Africa? Because he supported their development unlike the last Fifa president from England who supported the apartheid regime in South Africa and awarded his own country the 1966 World Cup. Then there is the 1970 World Cup where high profile matches were played during mid day in the Mexican heat for the benefit of European TV companies. It was always about the money, even before Blatter.

A South Africa style reconciliation is not possible. South Africa is a single, soverign country that can establish its own laws, rules, and consequences.

FIFA itself is a corporation, not a government, and the soccer officials committed crimes in dozens of countries. All of those countries would have to agree to immunity. Not going to happen.

Thing is, insiders and close followers sort-of-knew everything was putrid, and no one cared.
BTW, in this type of international body it makes sense to abolish the unfair, world-skewing one-country-one-vote principle.

He can move over to Wall Street where he would be a lot safer !!

I love this sentence: "It seems clear that FIFA not only has to change its president after Mr. Blatter’s resignation but also its entire culture, a foul ethos of secrecy, corruption and self-enrichment". The world is up in arms about FIFA and this type of culture while every day that same ethos applies to HSBC, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citi Bank, RBS, etc. etc..

When will people rise up and have the Justice Department go after actors that have ruined millions of people's lives, weakened the world's economies, and generally run roughshod over everyone? We are fiddling over FIFA while the real world's economy is burning and the real rogues are being allowed to pillage under the mantra "we are too big to fail or to be prosecuted".

Will we ever see anyone in the Justice Department, Congress or the Presidency say "It seems clear that Banks not only has to change their management structure, but also their entire culture, a foul ethos of secrecy, corruption and self-enrichment"

I know one man who will straighten this mess out: Pele'

It took too long for Sepp Blatter to get caught. I have been involved in the World Cup tournaments since 1986 in Mexico and consider 1986, 1990 and 1994 the last 3 clean World Cups, in 1998, the final between Brazil and France was fixed in exchange for large sums of money and Brazil hosting the 2014 games. The semi-final between Brazil & Holland in 2010 in south Africa was also tainted and no explanation has been given. Match fixing seems to be one of the greatest problems in the past World Cups, and finding the crooks behind it, would be a great thing to do.
FIFA has been hiding its operation in Swiss territory for quite a long time. It would be important to move its headquarters away from there in a less neutral country and should be run as a for-profit company, in the stock-market. New York would be an ideal place for it to be.

I am very happy Jose Marin from Brazil got caught, this guy, and others in the Brazilian football federation are very shady people, including Teixeira who is being investigated by the Brazilian Police as well.

The senior staff of FIFA probably faced a Catch-22 when the USA struck at their boss. The less guilty members could try to overthrow Blatter and his guiltiest lieutenants as a hostile take-over of the organization (in which any opportunity to suppress further revelations would be lost), or they could join forces with the guilty ones, agreeing to an extreme program of reform that would help minimize further damage to Blatter and the organization.

The latter option may have won out, creating a chance at a win-win by allowing everyone to continue working for months, while Blatter's slow-motion resignation allows him to participate in strategizing to mitigate further damage to the organization and staff. The document shredders will probably be working overtime.

If Lynch procedes with non-stop racketeering and bribery indictments, though, the FIFA leadership left standing may find themselves with no choice but to spawn a cleaner-looking successor organization, over which -- happily, for them -- they will retain a degree of control.

A lot of the pressure for transparency is going to have to come from FIFA sponsors. They are major global brands that should face serious reputational risk in dealing with a less-than-transparent FIFA. Granted, none of the major sponsors have been implicated in any wrongdoing - otherwise the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could possibly come into play. But they should be the ones demanding transparency and accountability.

FIFA's voting structure also needs to change; one country, one vote is a ridiculous system that is rife for abuse. The big countries that have the most players, the biggest leagues, and put the most money into the game should have the most say. It's beyond ridiculous that the Cayman Islands have as big a say within FIFA as Germany, or even Russia.

After decades of corruption - there is only one answer to the 'trouble with FIFA'.
Every nation/state and promising nation/state (such as Palestine) must have parity - between men's and women's teams. 50% of the world's population deserve 50% of fútbol - along with the proceeds. And since men have screwed everything up for decades - a woman must lead FIFA. After she drains the swamp, there organization should be led by co-presidents - one from each gender.

You can obfuscate all you want, sons of patriarchy - but men created this mess. And it's time for women's sport to be on parity with men's.

The King is dead, long live the King.

I doubt very much that many obstacles are removed since one can say many things about Mr. Blatter but like Napoleon he never sees to amaze and surprise his opponents. Mr. Blatter has shown during 40 years that he is a strategist pur sang and with this surprising chess move forward he attacks, while he even more than before determines the Agenda of FIFA during the next 6-9 months.

Now he places pressure on his opponents and has the control back which he lost after the election. In doing so he has found a way to turn the discussion around to his opponents and won time.

As to any discussion about a possible boycott against Russia, which was the main purpose of this exercise, this will have to wait until a new president has been elected. By that time it will be too late to take the world championship away from Russia, which personally delights me.

As Mr. Blatter was supported by almost two third of FIFA 209 members, the same members who will vote for the new President therefore Mr. Blatter will have the backroom support of most members and be the "Kingmaker" for the next President.

Most likely this will be Michel Platini or Sheikh Ahmad al Sabah from Kuweit, the new member of the executive board.

FIFA was built on a foundation of corruption thnx to the dassler family to which blatter is/has been captive. He followed the model. It's all very simple: bribes are paid on everything that generates "revenue".
Will the house be cleaned? Hopefully.
More importantly, what impact has this corruption had on football? If the answer is little if any, then FIFA has served no useful purpose (other than enrich select individuals) and, therefore, must be downsized to serve a purely administrative function.

This FIFA Blatter corruption scandal has turned out to be a lot more interesting to watch than soccer / football itself.

All the countries which voted against Blatter should leave FIFA and start their own organization. Leave what's left of FIFA to the countries that destroyed it.

Term limits is a power shift to "staff" because they know the game, know the plan, and by the time anyone else figures it out, staff can keep their power by saying "next"!

US has obviously actual an efficient anti bribary enforcment system in place...so it might be best to choose an US cititzen on FIFA top's Position... e. g. Sunil Gulati...on the contrary Swiss anti bribary law is only a private offence including positive conditions that are neither applicable on international Sport organisations like FIFA...

Blatter didn't resign,he only declared an intention to do it.He's still there,managing everything in the FIFA.He'll,only,step down,possibly, in March,2016.So much for a resignation.

Three changes would make FIFA and all professional sports much more transparent:

1. Annual public audits of all financial accounts by an independent auditor.

2. Elimination of all tax breaks and incentives to any professional sports league.

3. Significant criminal penalties, including mandatory jail time and fines at least triple the amount involved in any financial mismanagement to be paid personally by the miscreants.