On the Nature of Entrenched Power: FIFAs President Ensconced in Corruption

In May 2015, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch was shocking FIFA like an earthquake,
according to the European newspaper, Das Bild.1 She was leading an American-led takedown of
corruption in FIFA, the Federation Internationale de Football Association, which oversees the
sport of football, or soccer as it is known in the U.S., globally.2 With great power comes
resounding responsibility. When the head of an organization goes after the corruption-fighters
rather than admitting to error at the very least in having presided over allegedly corrupt officials
near the topand in fact repeatedly dismisses calls to resign and not stand for re-electionthe
question becomes one of the intractability of squalid power, as if it were defying gravityat
least that of the ethical variety.
A U.S. Justice Department investigation made public on May 27, 2015 accused 14 international
soccer officials or sports marketing executives of bribery, racketeering, fraud and moneylaundering over two decades in connection with marketing rights worth hundreds of millions of
dollars awarded for tournaments in North and South America.3 Seven officials, including two
FIFA vice presidents and members of its finance committee were arrested in Zurich. Jeffrey
Webb, president of the North and Central American and Caribbean regional body known as
CONCACAF, was among those arrested. Sepp Blatter, FIFAs president, was not implicated in
the indictment. In addition, Swiss officials were investigating the FIFA votes that assigned World
Cup tournament to Russia in 2018 and to Qatar in 2022. Both decisions were marred by
allegations of wrongdoing, according to Politico.4
In making the investigation and arrests public, Lynch castigated the allegedly corrupt FIFA
officials. They were expected to uphold the rules that keep soccer honest and to protect the
integrity of the game. Instead, they corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their
interests and to enrich themselves.5 The bribe-taking began in 1991 and never let up, she added.
They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament, she said. These
individuals through these organizations engaged in bribery to decide who would
televise games, where the games would be held and who would run the
organization overseeing organized soccer worldwide one of the most
popular sports around the globe.6 The putrid odor of corruption was
ensconced in the very fabric of FIFAs governance.
By 2011, the organization overseeing the sport worldwide repeatedly faced charges of
corruption while operating with a lack of transparency and little oversight.7 FIFAs ethics
committee seemed only to put up a few tokens to project the veneer of accountability.
Specifically, Mohamed bin Hammam and another FIFA official, Jack Warner of Trinidad and
Tobago, were suspended on May 29, 2011 by a FIFA ethics committee. Bin Hammam was
accused of offering cash payments of $40,000 apiece to about two dozen officials from
Caribbean nations, with the understanding that they would vote for Bin Hammam over [the thencurrent president, Sepp] Blatter.8 Blatter, too, was accused of corruption, but he miraculously
managed to evade the net of the associations ethics committee. In fact, because bin Hammam
withdrew his candidacy for the presidency, Blatter was able to run unopposed for a fourth term.

At a news conference on May 30, 2015 in Zurich, Blatter promised zero tolerance of illicit
behavior in the future. However, he remained defiant, remarking that FIFA was experiencing
difficulties but not a crisis.9 He dismissed calls by people including Hugh Robertson, a
sports minister in the E.U., that the election should be postponed because the results lacked
credibility. The day before, Blatter had asserted, I am the president of FIFA; you cannot
question me.10 This statement speaks volumes; it reminds me of former U.S. President Richard
Nixons statement, If the president does it, that means its not illegal.11
Again in May 2015, the day before FIFAs annual Congress in Switzerland, Blatter refused to
heed calls for his resignation in the wake of a scandal; in fact, he hoped he would be re-elected
the next day! "We have the opportunity to begin on what will be a long and difficult road to
rebuilding trust, he said. We have lost their trust, at least a part of it, and we must now earn it
back."12 That the man in charge when the trust was lost would imply that he should be included
remaining at the helm no lessdefies the nature of trust and smells of deceit, as if he had been
oblivious to the widespread bribery. Ignoring the fact that two FIFA vice presidents and members
of its finance committee had been arrested just a day earlier, he defiantly retorted, We cannot
watch everyone all the time. We have 1.6 billion people directly or indirectly touched by our
game.13 Besides looking disingenuous, his statement seeks to belittle the corruption critics by
implying that their criticism is ridiculous.
No critic was saying that FIFAs president should have been keeping an eye on 1.6 billion people;
rather the accusations were directed in large part at his inner circle. FIFA places a large amount
of discretion in a comparatively small number of individuals. Unlike the International Olympic
Committee, whose 100-plus delegates vote on important matters like the awarding of the Winter
and Summer Games, FIFAs power is concentrated in a 24-member executive committee.14 This
power-structure alone is conducive to bribery because relatively few people need be bought off.
To dissimulate and insult reasonable anti-corruption efforts undermines Blatters claim he is the
man to head efforts at FIFA to rebuild the flattened trust. The U.S., and the Obama administration
more particular, accepted some risk in leading the effort to clean up the corruption in FIFA.
This Department of Justice is determined to end these practices, to root out corruption and to
bring wrongdoers to justice, Lynch said in announcing the arrests on May 27, 2015.15 Such
determination is particularly laudable when it is directed to the rich and powerful, since they
have the wherewithal to fight backeven going on offense!
In the case of FIFA, its executive committee had the power at the time to decertify any
countrys soccer federation if it perceives interference from a national government. Critics [said]
this leaves politicians reluctant to intervene, fearful of facing public wrath if a countrys soccer
team is suddenly declared ineligible to compete.16 That Europe joined America in calling for
Blatter to resign rather than put himself up for re-election is therefore extremely important, for
FIFA could hardly expunge both the E.U. and U.S.
Therefore, Blatter went with contortingeven subtly ridiculingan anti-corruption effort that
involved considerable risk. He even hinted that the true objective behind the investigation was to
keep the World Cup from being played in Russia and Qatar. If two other countries had emerged
from the envelope I dont think we would have these problems today, he told the members of
FIFAs Congress.17 Blatters choices in how he would react publicly to the arrests were telling as

to the mans unethical character. I submit he was thus likely susceptible to, or at least likely an
enabler of the widespread bribery that had been going on under his watch. That he appealed to
unity and team spirit so we can move forward together as he addressed FIFAs Congress on the
day of the votejust two days after the arrestsis to promise, in effect, even more decay rather
than a real clean-up.18 That he could get away with such a strategy intimates something very
disturbing about the nature of entrenched power in society. By implication, our institutional
devices for removing powerful people from their lofty perches in organizationsand even
governmentsmust be woefully inadequate.

1 Josh Gerstein, For Loretta Lynch, A Stunning Debut on the World Stage, Politico, May 28, 2015.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 Jer Longman, Accusations Are Replaced by Anger at FIFA, The New York Times, May 30, 2011.
8 Ibid.
9 Longman, Accusations.
10 Ibid.
11 The Frost-Nixon Interviews.
12 Associated Press, Sepp Blatter.
13 Mike Collett and Brian Homewood, Sepp Blatter Is Up for Re-election on Friday and Probably
Going to Win, The Huffington Post, May 29, 2015.
14 Longman, Accusations.
15 Gernstein, Loretta Lynch.
16 Longman, Accusations.
17 Mike Collett and Brian Homewood, Sepp Blatter.
18 Ibid.