Corruption in International Soccer

Rampant corruption is a common theme in each of the soccer clubs Franklin Foer discusses in his novel How Soccer Explains the World. Specifically, in the discussion of Brazilian soccer, Foer notes that “executives have no legal accountability” and clubs here have managed to maintain a deceivingly altruistic “non-profit” status (Foer p. 116-117). Corruption, commonly associated with failed states and at times even the United States government, clearly exists beyond the club level of soccer as FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, in its position as the soccer hegemon to avoid accountability and profit at the expense of others. By setting rules, facilitating cooperation and compliance, increasing credibility of commitments, and increasing socialization, FIFA is similar to an international organization like the United Nations or the North American Treaty Organization but instead of dealing with political interests FIFA deals with soccer interests (Lecture). Identifying as an International federation, many are right to question the morality of its practices, decisions, and actions of FIFA as it largely corrupt.

                FIFA is a hegemon in the international soccer community as there are no other actors that challenge its influence or power. While individual continents have their own soccer leagues, FIFA controls the world of intercontinental play granting them absolute power to determine rules and regulations among other mandates. Though the federation asserts that they have put into place processes “to ensure good governance, transparency and zero tolerance towards wrongdoing” its lack of accountability to anyone but its self makes this less assuring (FIFA). Even the most corrupt international states face accountability to international organizations like the United Nations and/or sanctions from trade partners, but FIFA is not acting in the political realm and therefore these repercussions are not applicable. Despite no military power that one may expect a hegemon state to have, FIFA’s power in the soccer realm is absolute, discursive, and involves much coercion.

                “FIFA engages with its member associations, international development agencies, non-governmental [organizations] and other actors” to achieve its goals and fulfill its soccer related purposes. However, these interactions create a plethora of opportunities for states to bribe and influence FIFA for their own personal benefit. Deciding which bidding state will host a World Cup is just one of the many important decisions FIFA gets to make as the soccer hegemon and Qatar’s selection as the host for the 2022 World Cup raised many eyebrows in the international community and sparked many new accusations of bribery and corruption. Qatar, a desert nation with temperatures that could threaten the safety of both the spectators and athletes at the summer event, seems an unlikely choice despite beating out other bidders, Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, and the United States of America. FIFA conducted an internal investigation as to determine whether votes had been bought, bribes were accepted, or any wrongdoing in regards to Qatar’s selection as host occurred. The federation determined no such wrong doings occurred but as previously mentioned, there is a severe lack of accountability and therefore this investigation and its findings are rather incredulous. Unfortunately, in this particular case of corruption, a team or state was not simply unfairly favored but the safety of an entire population of those who attend this event. 

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/awarding-2022-world-cup-to-qatar-was-a-blatant-mistake-fifa-member-says/2013/07/24/2f00955e-f495-11e2-aa2e-4088616498b4_story.html

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30264098

Foer, Franklin. How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. Print.

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/footballgovernance/index.html