Bob wrote:I really don't see how what he said merits this level of ridicule. All he said (recognizing the nature of the muslim country) is everybody ought to go enjoy the football and, while there, it probably would be wise for people who happen to be gay to refrain from conduct that the local populace (and police there) will likely find offensive. What should he have said?
You raise two issues, Bob.
Re Blatter
I will answer at some length, partly because I am a football fan and partly because I consider FIFA a can of worms. The fact is Blatter has been a subject for ridicule for some considerable time. How else can you regard a man who, in the early 1970s, was elected president of the
World Society of Friends of Suspenders, an organisation devoted to stopping women replacing suspender belts with pantyhose? When asked in 2004 how he could make women’s football more exciting, he replied: “tighter shorts and low cut shirts”. Another sexist outburst that had the media ridiculing him mercilessly!
Prior to the International Olympic Committee choosing Beijing for the 2008 Olympics, it stipulated it wanted assurances from all bidders that certain freedoms would be guaranteed during the period of the Games. These assurances were provided in writing. Did Blatter and his cohorts think to bring up with the Qatari authorities the subject of alcohol? After all, Qatar is a nation which prohibits the consumption of alcohol in public (a ‘must’ at every World Cup, given that hundreds of thousands of fans from the 32 competing countries descend on the host country and many can not gain access to the matches)? No, he did not. Did he bring up freedoms for gay and lesbian supporters? No, he did not. Instead, Blatter waffles about there being “still plenty of time to sort out any issues before 2022”? Oh, really? I wonder what the country’s imams and religious chiefs think about that!
For we should not forget that in Qatar, Shari’a Law is the law of the land. This does not just apply to citizens. Example1: in the 1990s, the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration informed Filipino workers that gay workers were prohibited in Qatar. This was in response to several mass arrests and deportations of Filipino workers for homosexuality. Example 2: in 1995 an American citizen visiting Qatar was sentenced to six months in prison and 90 lashes, for homosexual activity.
I won’t go into all the scandals surrounding Blatter, other than to refer you to his entry on wikipedia. More than 80% centres on scandals! The BBC’s Panorama programme recently aired what was essentially an expose of FIFA corruption scandals involving around US$100 million of secret payments made to FIFA officials and Executive Committee members. Unfortunately, FIFA is an organization that is subject to very few rules and regulations, yet it generates monster profits. A small committee of just 24 representatives from football associations around the world effectively controls billions in revenues every four years. The potential for corruption is therefore enormous. Just this year, a Swiss magistrate concluded a criminal investigation by ruling that FIFA executives had taken kickbacks. Names were kept secret and everything was swept under the carpet with a fine of about US$5.5 million. When Blatter refutes all allegations of corruption within his organization, is it any surprise this judgement is never mentioned?
Blatter exercises enormous control over his colleagues. Australia was the favourite for 2022, just as England was for 2018 (for some of the time). Yet Australia and England were kicked out in the first round of voting with 1 vote and 2 votes respectively. I have no doubt whatever that Blatter pushed his colleagues into approving Qatar because that’s what
he wanted (dare I suggest that money had been palmed?). How else could a nation of less than 2 million souls and almost zero history in soccer win the biggest prize in world soccer? I am certain he did the same for 2018. He wanted England out of the way, despite its bid being the best according to FIFA's own technical committee and the country being, along with Scotland, the cradle of soccer, because he loathes the English media.
Franz Beckenbauer, one of the game’s most distinguished and respected players/managers in history and a member of that 24 member FIFA Executive Committee, has already publicly voiced his concern at the award of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar, and the way Blatter and his pals publicly provided information they promised members would remain confidential. Beckenbauer feels betrayed by FIFA.
"The executive committee was told that neither we nor the public would get to know the precise voting figures," he told Germany's Bild newspaper. "After each round of voting, we were only told which candidate had been knocked out. And then a few hours later, I hear on the radio who had received how many votes" . . . He had already announced last month that he will be resigning from his post at FIFA in March and the vote has now given him even more reason to walk away.
Re: what should Blatter have said.
Had he exercised what I believe should have been due diligence, he would not be in this mess because Qatar would not have been awarded the tournament. Naturally, like the IOC, he should have said. "we raised this issue with the Qatar authorities and have received assurances that . . ." etc. But he was handed a question no-one on his Executive Committee ever considered, and ended up with a ridiculous answer similar to those I quoted at the start of this response. Rather than the idiocy of “refraining from homosexual activities”, he should have said something like, “The World Cup is the world’s largest sporting event and is open to all. We have always welcomed gay and lesbian supporters and are in discussion with our Qatar colleagues about this matter. There are still more than 11 years before the event and we will have more announcements in that time.” Simple, perhaps not true, but it would have been enough – for the time being – without subjecting him and his organisation yet again to ridicule.
