The one Blatter legacy that will live on
Inside World Football
It is interesting that, despite all that has been written about FIFA, one issue has not been much discussed. This is how will politicians treat any future FIFA that emerges from its bribery crisis? We know how western politicians now regard FIFA. They have nothing but contempt. David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, has made this abundantly clear in the House of Commons.
Hugh Robertson, who was sports minister when England made its disastrous bid for the 2018 World Cup, told me: "We should not host the World Cup, or any FIFA tournament, until such time as the organisation is successfully reformed." It should be emphasised that this seems largely a northern European and American political view. Vladimir Putin, for instance, has suggested that the ongoing investigation is all an American plot and his views are echoed by politicians in the non-western world, particularly the Sepp Blatter strongholds of Asia and Africa.
Published on June 30, 2015 08:04