As a keen follower of the most watched sport on the planet it breaks my heart to witness Sepp Blatter being re-elected for another 4-year term as Fifa President as was the case on the 1st June 2011. This ‘North Korean’ style coronation of Blatter was set amongst a backdrop of fierce allegations of corruption, in particular for me, Qatar's outrageous victory in securing the the World Cup in 2022.
Unquestionably, Qatar’s landing of the World Cup was secured by bribing corrupt Fifa officials to the tune of millions of dollars to vote for their bid.
The most obvious choice in most observers eyes for hosting the World Cup in 2022 was either United States or Australia with the former being firm favourites to win the bid. Therefore, it came an enormous surprise to many when Qatar became the first Middle Eastern nation to host the World Cup.
This unfathomable decision by Fifa has to be in my mind put into context why this result flies in the face of common sense. First, Qatar, which has never qualified for the competition is the smallest nation (with less than 2 million people) to host a World Cup. Second, Qatar has a very harsh climate during the summer – which inevitable poises problems for most teams participating. Third, the country has no football history or pedigree – it is not a powerhouse in Asia when it comes to the sport, and they have yet to win a serious competition in that region. Forth, supporters arriving for this prestigious event in 2022 will not be permitted to consume alcohol (Qatar is a Muslim country and drinking in public is strictly prohibited). Lastly, if you are Gay – remain in the closet - as homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.
Peoples concerns about the transparency of the 2022 World Cup bidding process was further strengthened when the Asian Football Confederation President Mohammed Bin Hammam was accused of offering bribes to replace Sepp Blatter as Fifa chief.
In my opinion Qatar should be disqualified from hosting the World Cup, since Bin Hammam was the alleged principle instigator behind buying the votes by using his country's money and influence. It was reported that at least two Fifa officials from the Ivory Coast and Cameroon respectively were each paid $1.5 million to support Qatar's bid for the tournament. With a groundswell of popular support across the globe, it is time for Fifa to make a bold decision and take back Qatar's 2022 dream away from them. Fifa has since opened an internal inquiry into Qatar’s bid, and a re vote on the 2022 World Cup remains a possibility.
For me the way forward for this wayward organisation is that from now on Fifa officials should be vetted as rigorously as any other public servant or politician and a 2-year term limit should be placed on all senior posts including the position of Head of Fifa. I am not the only who thinks Sepp Blatter has outlived his usefulness as President of Fifa.
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