German Football League (DFL) CEO Christian Seifert "launched a scathing attack on FIFA on Saturday, saying coordinated action was needed from Europe to reform" the organization, according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. Seifert said, "One does not know if one should wonder or feel ashamed for them. It cannot be acceptable when FIFA's credibility is in a freefall. As a serious organization we feel that we are not represented by this FIFA." Seifert "stopped short of calling for a boycott" but said that some 75% of players at a World Cup were under contract in Europe. Any action against FIFA "should be a coordinated action with the support of many countries." Seifert: "When Europe says 'we will not play' then that changes everything. A boycott would be a an effective weapon but one has to think things through" (REUTERS, 11/22). In London, Ben Rumsby wrote FIFA VP Jim Boyce said that FIFA "must make the full findings of its World Cup corruption inquiry available to its executives if it is to make an informed decision over whether Russia and Qatar should be stripped of the tournament." Boyce insisted that "nothing should be omitted from the dossier" given to him and his fellow Exec Committee members after FIFA backed down over its attempts to prevent them from seeing more than a summary of Michael Garcia’s investigation. FIFA "was forced into an embarrassing reverse on Thursday night when it agreed to consider letting its ExCo see Garcia’s full report" (TELEGRAPH, 11/22). Also in London, Simon Kuper wrote a "favorite western ploy against troublesome regimes is sanctions." DFL President Reinhard Rauball said one option that must be seriously considered “is that UEFA separates from FIFA.” A European boycott of FIFA and its World Cup "sounds superficially plausible." Nonetheless, "a western boycott would probably fail." The big problem is that "few non-western countries seem bothered" by FIFA’s scandals. After all, "many of these countries are run" rather like FIFA. And "who needs" the U.S. and England teams? A boycott "would mostly hurt their fans." Short of sanctions, the west’s best strategy "is probably a slow ratcheting up of pressure." This "is starting to happen." FIFA "is based in Zurich, partly because Switzerland traditionally leaves international sports bodies alone." However, Swiss corruption lawyer Jean-Pierre Méan said recent scandals have been “quite embarrassing” to the country (FINANCIAL TIMES, 11/21).
ETHICS REFORMS: In London, Roger Blitz wrote IOC President Thomas Bach "has added to the pressure" facing FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Bach said that "the public demanded greater certainty from institutions such as theirs." Bach: “It is normal that people living in times of crisis and uncertainty ... are asking more questions ... and they want clearer answers. And they want transparency." Asked if FIFA's problems put pressure on the IOC, Bach "pointed to his movement’s ethics reforms triggered by a high-profile bribery scandal over the award of the 2002 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City." He said that the IOC "was the first sports organization to establish an ethics committee," and had been free of corruption allegations for more than a decade. Bach: “Since then, the world of compliance, of good governance, of ethics, has changed" (FT, 11/21). The AP reported FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said Friday a boycott of the 2018 World Cup in Russia would be "nonsense." Valcke said talk of a boycott was an attempt to "provoke" discord rather than "to be realistic on what the world is today." He added, "I hope that the world will understand and recognize that the World Cup is a sporting event and there is nothing to do with politics and should not be used as a political tool by any groups" (AP, 11/21).
