Three ways to deprive Russia of the Soccer World Cup

The FIFA is once again at the epicenter of a major corruption scandal. The Russian factor is involved once again, too. Senior fellow of the Brookings Institution Lilia Shevtsova told The Day in an earlier interview that Russia “exports” its corruption to the West. It seems that these export flows have entered the sport industry.

Zurich authorities arrested as many as six (!) officials of the organization on suspicion of corruption on May 27, on the eve of the FIFA Congress to be held on May 29. The operation was carried out by the Swiss police at the request of the FBI, which demands the soccer officials to be extradited to the US.

“As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world. Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA,” FBI Director James Comey noted in his statement.

In addition, 14 FIFA officials, including its former vice president Jack Warner, stand accused of taking bribes and kickbacks amounting to 150 million dollars over a 24-year period. As reported by the BBC, the US Department of Justice’s spokesperson said that four serving and two retired employees of the organization had pleaded guilty on charges of corruption. By the way, those arrested include FIFA Vice President Jeffrey Webb.

However, the most important detail, which has been paid little attention so far, is the Swiss prosecutor’s office launching a criminal investigation into bribery during voting to select the countries organizing the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which, let us recall, will be held in Russia and Qatar.

Sports journalist from Germany Robert Kempe said in an interview with Radio Liberty that the bidding campaign for the right to hold the World Championships in 2018 and 2022 was not fought fairly. “When you research this topic, everything you find supports the notion that it is not the bids presented by Russia and Qatar that proved persuasive. Even the head of FIFA’s evaluation commission, when you speak to him, admits that Qatar and Russia submitted the weakest bids for 2018 and 2022,” said the journalist.

FIFA’s Director of Communications Walter de Gregorio looked shocked by the recent developments at his urgent press briefing on May 27. He repeatedly stressed that FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter “is not involved in this scandal.” He also called the scandal itself “a difficult moment,” which should help the organization to “clean itself.” Meanwhile, the spokesman also added that these scandals will not affect the world cups to be held in Russia and Qatar, which “will be held as planned.”

Meanwhile, the Western press is going full throttle in its criticism of FIFA and Blatter, commonly nicknamed “the Dictator.” “The inquiry is also a major threat to Sepp Blatter, who is generally recognized as the most powerful person in sports, though he was not charged. Blatter has for years acted as a de facto head of state. Politicians, star players, national soccer officials, and global corporations that want their brands attached to the sport have long genuflected before him,” writes the American newspaper The New York Times.

The Day tried to get a comment on the news from UEFA vice-president Hryhorii Surkis, but his press service said that he lacked complete information on the issue and would not comment on anything before the FIFA Congress.

What does the FIFA’s current predicament mean? And what is the likelihood that Russia would be deprived of the right to host the 2018 World Cup because of the corruption scandal? The Day discussed it with editor-in-chief of Futbol magazine Artem Frankov:

“At the moment, nobody is planning a new vote on the host countries of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. No allegations of corruption have been proven yet.

“While the Swiss Office of the Attorney General has launched a criminal investigation into the vote that determined the host countries of the 2018 and 2022 World Championships, the Americans are now dealing with cases of corruption in the sports business which took place in South America and the US over the past 20 years. On looking into the list of people suspected by the Americans, one cannot fail to notice that all of them are Latin Americans.

“FIFA functionaries were arrested in Zurich just as they arrived at the FIFA Congress. It was easier to do so than send such requests to every nation in question.

“The Swiss prosecutors’ press release says that they intend to question another 10 people in this case, looking for additional evidence even as they hold the materials which they managed to obtain earlier, because the investigation started back in November 2014.”

Russia’s Gazprom has long been a high-profile sponsor of the UEFA as well as several soccer teams. This year, it signed a contract with the FIFA as well. How should we go about the fact that Russia buys everything, including sport?

“The UEFA and FIFA have stood firm on this issue. They say: ‘What exactly is your problem with Gazprom? If you want to say that we have no right to take money from them under sponsorship contracts, we would like to see your grounds for it...’

“The question on everyone’s mind now is whether Russia will host the World Cup. Russia can lose it in three ways:

1. They can give up on that project of their own accord, admitting Russia’s inability to comply with certain obligations to the FIFA.

2. Russia may be cut off from sports contacts by a UN Security Council resolution, as happened to Yugoslavia in 1992. Since Russian is a permanent member of the Security Council with veto power, you can judge for yourself how likely such a scenario is.

3. The FIFA’s own investigators may reveal corrupt dealings during the vote on the host country for the 2018 World Cup.

“Currently, nobody has any evidence of Russia bribing anyone. The whole situation has developed around the Qatar World Cup. It was this choice that had the whole soccer community outraged, as they moved the competition to winter, etc. However, as the two host countries were voted together, people are now asking questions about Russia as well.”

This is not the first corruption scandal to shake the FIFA...

“It is hard to endure the first scandal, but when it is the 15th or 20th such event, people take it all in a much more relaxed manner then. Zepp Blatter is still in office and he has got quite a bit of support. The FIFA consists of 209 members, more than the UN which has just 193. Each of these countries has an equal vote at the election of the FIFA president.

“Any reasonable person would agree now that the reputation of the FIFA has suffered a lot because of these recent scandals. Previous FIFA president Joao Havelange also got his share of criticism. Still, as long as the FIFA succeeds in making money from soccer and regularly shares it with the national associations, the system can only be undermined from the outside, and this is what outside forces are now trying to do.”