Sepp Blatter/FIFA need a village to race it – Qatargate continues.

There is an African proverb which is saying: It takes a village to race a child. Why do I start with that? Well, it’s a just two days before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil begins in Sao Paolo. Let me say it’s seven points to adress FIFA with and also their president Sepp Blatter. So here we go..

First, when money talks to the main body of Football – FIFA. Starts with a suspicion from Sony, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa and Hyundai/Kia are asking that the process of the bid to Qatar was done without graft and corruption (BBC, 2014). This they do is to save face, because Sony and the other five companies want to share the spoils of a happy event. Not being part of sports activity that is sending the wrong message which doesn’t fit the companies.

Second, CAF is mad. CAF answered with: “that the authors of this smearing and defamatory campaign against African football leaders are brought to book”. Also responded with:” its total and unreserved support to all wrongfully incriminated Africans (..) [We] Condemn the strategy of using African sport movements and its leaders as scapegoats by those who are trying at all cost to acquire a good conscience for themselves”. Issa Hayatou is denying the accusations that of recent (Afrikansoccer, 2014). We all expected this kind of answers. Nobody wants to say their getting gifts and paid to vote a certain way. That the Asian Football body hasn’t answered as hard as CAF is more astonishing considering that Bin Hammam was leading that Football Body at the time of the bid. But hat is just me.

Third, Sepp Blatter the chief of FIFA is in heavy weather. He is attacking anything that moves in his sight which isn’t showing him either love or money. Attack one is that British Media where he claim them trying to demolish FIFA and his presidency. Where his quoted with this: “Once again there is a sort of storm against FIFA relating to the Qatar World Cup. Sadly there’s a great deal of discrimination and racism and this hurts me. It really makes me sad”. To address the British press: “we have seen what the British press has published,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what the reasoning is behind this but we must maintain unity” (Lawton, 2014). Somebody need give Sepp a hug. Then he needs a straight talk of the facts on the ground. This not anything of what he believes it is. It’s true that he is under fire. The flame is burning hot and not giving him peace. Blatter thought that the issue of the sun of Qatar would die away. That the special vagina stadium and bid would bite him in his behind is sure something that Blatter never thought would happen, since he is chief and nobody refuse his actions or decisions. That the British is pissed over losing the bid is sure something we all knew by now. It isn’t even relevant at this point. That is just a fact that he can use against them, but certainly they use all the information and sources to address it. To make sure that next time they place a bid they should have a fair chance of getting the almighty Football World Cup.

Fourth, the deaths of foreign workers in Qatar have already made the reputation of the host nation as bad investment and not a joyful place into ruins. In May Bloomberg reported of the deaths of 164 Nepali, 450 Indian and estimated total death into the numbers of 4000 during the whole building period in Qatar (Boudway, 2014). If nothing gets done by this, it’s already to many lives lost for us who loves this event. Nobody should die while building the stadiums and infrastructure. It’s insane and wonder what powers is to be to let this happen. True there has been reporting of this, but the laws of foreign guest workers in Qatar should be fixed, mended made sure of their safety and also pay for their work. But that might happen in a dream world.

Sixth, resurrection of the confederation cup demonstration has returned. In Sao Paolo the metro workers suspended their work for two days.  On Monday this ended with clashes with Police. Something sure FIFA doesn’t need before the joyous occasion. FIFA wouldn’t like that the metro stops before the opening match (Watson, 2014). Sure this doesn’t look good, if the fans don’t arrive to make a big noise at the match, then it’s like losing one of the feel-good factors of the tournament. We all know that, but everybody understands the Metro Workers union since they just want enough money to fit with inflation in Brazil.

Seventh, Sepp Blatter’s main position as President isn’t as solid anymore. A few European Football chairmen are asking the big man to step down. Greg Dyke of FA, Michael Van Praag of Dutch FA is taking this position against Blatter (Penderville, 2014). There must be a bad day to Sepp, but he has made this stew. So now it is time to eat it.

It takes a village to raise a kid the proverb, the kid is FIFA and Sepp Blatter. We need to raise the kid together somehow with the means and knowledge we have. We all can see the issues in both Brazil and coming events of Qatar. There are enough things and actions to question and we should put it into order. The bad press and issues should be solved in public not in hidden rooms of Geneva. There will be transparency to make sure that FIFA does the right thing and acts as a proper

Links:

AfrikanSoccer (10.06.2014): CAF General Assembly slams media over Qatar 2022 bribing allegations. http://www.afrikansoccer.com/2014/06/caf-general-assembly-slams-media-over-qatar-2022-bribing-allegations/

BBC (09.06.2014): Qatar 2022: FIFA sponsors back corruption investigation.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27751265

Boudway, Ira (14.05.2014): The 2022 FIFA World Cup Could Be Deadly for Qatar’s Migrant Workers. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-14/the-2022-fifa-world-cup-could-be-deadly-for-qatars-migrant-workers

Lawton, Matt, Daily Mail, (09.06.2014): You are RACISTS – as World Cup corruption scandal engulfs FIFA, a brazen Sepp Blatter lashes out at his critics in British media. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2653335/Sepp-Blatter-calls-British-media-racists-World-Cup-corruption-scandal-engulfs-FIFA.html

Penderville, Liam Mirror.co.uk, (10.06.2014): Sepp Blatter row: Senior UEFA, English FA and Dutch FA officials call for FIFA President to stand down.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/sepp-blatter-row-senior-uefa-3671669#ixzz34Go8WZvX

Watson, Katy, BBC, (10.06.2014): Sao Paulo metro strike suspended for two days.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-27761723

FIFA and the ‘Qatar World Cup of 2022’ reissue of power play.

Sepp Blatter, the head honcho of FIFA recently told the press, that it was a mistake to award and give the World Cup of Football to Qatar in 2022(Gibson, 2014). The saga continues to spark unwanted events.

A few days before there were reports of deaths of workers, usually foreign construction workers who work on the new stadiums in the heat of Qatar. The report from Bloomberg, said that 8 workers had lost their lives during the last 30 days. This is alarming and worrying (Boundway, 2014). If this was sad enough news E: 60 reports that 184 Nepali workers have lost their lives in the past year. In 2013 India reported that of their emigrants had the striking numbers of 450 during that year, alone (Boundway, 2014). This extremely high numbers and should be a concern for FIFA and the government of Qatar.

2 days ago new fresh reports and allegations. This is on the important matter on: “how the deal was struck”  and then they got the World Cup in 2022. Not that’s this is the first time corruption into assigning and voting for the venues place has come to light. Therefore when BBC’s David Bond told: “of £3m payments to various football officials” all over the African continent for the bid (Bond, 2014). It wasn’t like snowing in the summer, more like rain in the fall. We expected it to be told and now it’s found!

With these allegation it’s was about time that the FIFA executive Issa Hayatou called them “ridiculous” and “fanciful”. The African federation answered that Hayatou never gotten gifts or trips for the vote. Another African football leader also accused and later disbanded from charge the Nigerian Amos Amadou after corruption scandals (Imray, 2014). The Qatar Organizing Committee says to this: “always upheld the highest standards of ethics and integrity in its successful bid”(…)“The right to host the tournament was won because it was the best bid and because it is time for the Middle East to host its first FIFA World Cup”(Kagel, 2014).

So with these new allegations and bad press. We can wonder how much more of this must happen before its weight is too heavy to carry for the governing body of Football. The FIFA has already enough issues with the current World Cup in Brazil. Which the own population has strike against on several occasions, even in the country where all the favelas has kids who has a fun time playing the magical game. Not so much power play of joy anymore! The momentum of the occasion might change the feeling, but for now – it’s not like it should be.. We all know what I mean!

Wonder if we will have fun seeing the game played in the heat of dessert land of Qatar. Qatar games are surely bloody red and also by everybodies reckoning it’s a bit tainted by the paying of votes. There has been issues before inside FIFA which has led to Jack Warner’s downfall from the throne of Caribbean football and leave the role of being the Trinidad and Tobago’s FIFA executive. So I wonder, what happens next in the governing body of FIFA? But I doubt much. Well since the a lot of monies is at stake! It all looks better if it stays the same! There I said it: For FIFA if it all stay the same, the money keep pumping in and the executive get their cut. Then we’re just supposed to show a blind eye and then smile while watching the matches on TV. Will you do that or would you speak your mind to?

Links:

Bond, David, BBC, (31.05.2014): Qatar World Cup: ‘£3m payments to officials’ corruption claim: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27652181

Boundway, Ira, BloombergBusinessweeek (14.05.2014): http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-14/the-2022-fifa-world-cup-could-be-deadly-for-qatars-migrant-workers

Gibson, Owen, theGuardian.co.uk (16.05.2014): http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/16/sepp-blatter-qatar-2022-world-cup-mistake

Imray, Gerald, AP-Lillooet News (02.06.2014): http://www.lillooetnews.net/sports/world/fifa-vice-president-denies-receiving-favours-for-voting-for-qatar-to-hold-2022-world-cup-1.1100860

Kagel, Jenna, Policymic.com (01.06.2014 – A New Corruption Scandal Could Put Qatar’s 2022 World Cup in Jeopardy: http://www.policymic.com/articles/90283/fifa-corruption-scandal-could-put-qatar-s-2022-world-cup-in-jeopardy