FIFA’s red card
Could Joseph Blatter really be the man to rebuild FIFA’s tainted image?
FIFA’s congress has decided that Sepp Blatter, the incumbent president, will stand for re-election – unopposed.
But the reputation of football’s governing body is at an all time low. Corruption scandals plague the organisation.
Allegations of bribes-for-votes has led to the suspension of Jack Warner, FIFA’s vice president, and Mohammed bin Hammam, Blatter’s only rival for the presidency.
And suggestions that Qatar “bought” the World Cup – accusations they strenuously deny – have led to calls for a full investigation into the 2022 World Cup vote.
So, could Blatter really be the man to rebuild FIFA’s tainted image? Or does the multi-million dollar corporation need an entire overhaul?
Inside Story, with presenter Jane Dutton, discusses with Mehrdad Masoudi, a producer for the football show Futbol Mundial and former media press officer for the FIFA world cup in 1998; David Owen, the chief columnist for www.insideworldfootball.biz, a website dedicated to football business and politics; and Grant Wall, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated.
This episode of Inside Story aired from Wednesday, June 1, 2011.