Sepp Blatter’s reign

FIFA grew to become an international commercial behemoth in Sepp Blatter’s time and he has built the FIFA World Cup into the most prestigious sporting event on the planet.  But it was at the expense of the reputation of world football and without regard for the forgotten stakeholders of the game – players and fans. 

What other public organisation or government would remain unaccountable for such a litany of failures?
Since November 2010: 
  • Two FIFA Executive (ExCo) members, Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of Tahiti, were suspended because they were caught on tape by the Sunday Times offering to sell their votes for the 2018 / 2022 World Cup bids. Both have since returned to roles in football. 
  • The former President of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed Bin Hammam was banned for life in relation to payments made to members of CONCACAF at the time of the 2011 FIFA Presidential election. He receives considerable attention also in Judge Eckert’s summary report;
  • The former President of CONCACAF, Jack Warner, resigned before the case against him could be considered and has subsequently been founded by a CONCACAF Commission of Integrity to have received substantial sums of money personally that were supposed to be for the game, not his personal benefit. Reference was also made to this in Judge Eckert’s summary report;
  • The former General Secretary of CONCACAF, Chuck Blazer, also named in the Commission of Integrity report, similarly resigned and is now assisting the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service in the United States as part of a plea bargain;
  • An investigation by reporter, Andrew Jennings and BBC’s ‘Panorama’ program has detailed allegations of bribes paid to some of the above ExCo members by marketing company ISL. This was also ‘investigated’ by Michael Garcia and ‘adjudicated’ on by Judge Eckert with no findings against any serving Executive Committee members despite evidence to the contrary;
  • The former President of FIFA, Joao Havelange, was forced to resign from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and subsequently resigned from his ongoing honorary role with FIFA, after being found to have received personal payments from ISL;
  • The former President of the Brazil Football Association and Havelange’s former son-in-law, Ricardo Teixeira, resigned all football positions prior to Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup. He was also alleged to have received personal payments;
  • The President of CAF, Issa Hayatou, was named in an IOC report as receiving personal payments and was temporarily suspended from FIFA but has now re-joined the ExCo;
  • The former President of CONMEBOL, Dr Nicolas Leoz, resigned from all positions in football after allegations of personal payments;
  • A Swiss Court has issued a judgement against existing and past FIFA ExCo members that FIFA is fighting in the Swiss Courts;
  • 14 football officials from different parts of the world have been arrested, or have warrants out for their arrest, by US and/or Swiss authorities. These include former ExCo member Jack Warner and his successor as head of CONCACAF, Jeffrey Webb.  
  • In September 2015, FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke was suspended pending an investigation into his role in an alleged US$10 million ‘diaspora payment’ from South African Football to CONCACAF via FIFA.
  • In October 2015, the Swiss authorities opened criminal proceedings against Sepp Blatter. He and FIFA vice-president and UEFA President, Michel Platini, were suspended pending an investigation into an alleged ‘dishonest payment’ authorised by Blatter to Platini. 
  • In December 2015, the FIFA Ethics Committee handed-down an eight-year ban to Mr Blatter and Mr Platini. 

At last count
  • 19 of the 22 men who took part in the vote for 2018/2022 on 2 December 2010 have either been banned, indicted, suspended or are under investigation. 
  • A further two were suspended prior to the vote and did not take part in it. They returned to football after their initial supsensions and have both been suspended again.
  • See our pictorial depiction here.

For a full guide to Sepp Blatter’s 40 years at FIFA – first as ‘Development Officer’, then Technical Director, General Secretary and President since 1998, refer to: 

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