Soccer and its international governing body had a “long shadow” cast over it this week as top international officials were indicted on corruption charges.
Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, said the alleged actions of a small group of individuals have brought “shame and humiliation” on soccer and the organization cannot allow those actions to “destroy the integrity of those who work so hard” for the world’s most popular game.
The scandal is cost Blatter votes in his bid to be reelected at the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland: Canada and the U.S. indicated their support for his rival, Prince Ali of Jordan bin al-Hussein. In the end, Blatter was victorious and remains at the helm of the governing body.
The head of the Canada Soccer Association, Victor Montagliani, told The Canadian Press on Thursday the FIFA “needs a definite change, a refresh.
“And I think we need to govern the game in a better way.”
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Soccer is a sport that is beloved by billions of people, from the grandest of stadiums to the most basic of grass and dirt fields.
Girls and boys from Cameroon to Canada dream of being the next Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Christine Sinclair.
In fact, it’s the most popular sport for children in this country — more so than hockey.
Dave Harris, the executive director of the Oakville Soccer Club (OSC) — which claims to be the largest amateur soccer club in North America, with about 14,000 players of all ages — said he’s disappointed with what’s going on with “the beautiful game” at an international level.
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The controversy may be a hot topic for soccer parents on the sidelines of the children’s matches, but Harris said only the game itself matters when kids hit the field.
“I think the sport still remains a passion and a love for the kids and I don’t think there’s a lot of focus on the issues,” he said.
Although none of the allegations against the 14 individuals the U.S. Department of Justice indicted on corruption charges Wednesday have been proven, University of Toronto senior lecturer David Cooper said “corruption in FIFA has been around for quite a while.”
Saying that, he doesn’t believe there are many sports that don’t have corruption or scandal of some sort somewhere along the way.
“It’s a sad fact about sport,” he said. “There are very few world governing bodies of sport that are squeaky clean.”
The cloud hanging over the sport now isn’t likely to have any direct impact on the local soccer clubs across Canada, but Cooper said if there’s financial fallout to the scandal there’s a possibility it could make its way down the chain to the grassroots level.
“If sponsors pull out of soccer, which is what they’re threatening to do, that could have a knock on effect to national governing bodies and provincial governing bodies who rely on sponsorship to run many of their programs.”
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That’s not something Harris is too worried about. He thinks there could actually be more sponsor support for amateur soccer.
“There is such a purity level and there is such a focus on youth… and I think that’s where the sponsors want to go,” said Harris. “It’s smiling little faces running around here with corporate logos.”
Where you might see an impact on the sport’s youngest fans and players is at an international level.
Blatter has said previously soccer “should be a force for positive change in the world.” And that’s exactly why organizations like UNICEF and other United Nations agencies have partnered with FIFA to push for gender equality in sport, child protection and the elimination of child labour in the soccer ball industry.
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“It is a worldwide phenomenon that has made the sport more than just a game. It plays a major part in shaping culture in countries around the world, ” UNICEF has said of its collaboration with FIFA.
The UN is now reviewing it partnerships with FIFA.
“We are very much taking a look at the existing partnerships and how the situation evolves,” Agence France-Presse reported UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric saying on Thursday..
Speaking to the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday, where he’s expected to be reelected as president of the association, Blatter demanded “action and change” to repair the sport’s damaged reputation.
In some people’s minds, that reputation was already tarnished.
“FIFA has long set anything but a good example for anyone, never mind its youngest players,” Amy Bass, writer Amy Bass commented in a post for CNN. “From Blatter’s take on the increasing popularity of the women’s game (female players should wear “tighter shorts”) to the controversy over women being made to play on artificial turf for the Women’s World Cup this summer, to the widespread protests over the economic impact the tournament had on Brazil last summer, the immediate record is not great.”
She noted more than 3.5 billion people around the world are fans of soccer and it’s estimated 250 million people play the sport in more than 200 countries.
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