Of Presidents and World Cups

Last week just a couple of days after his fifth election, Sepp Blatter announced his intention to step down by the end of the year giving FIFA maybe six months to find a replacement. His replacement will have to deal not only with restructuring FIFA and implementing processes that are considered fair and yet are inclusive enough to allow for all countries to feel that they are important and count but also either confirm Russia and Qatar as the locations for the next two World Cups or find suitable replacements.

No easy task at all. Replacing Russia just barely three years before the event will prove next to impossible for most countries to handle. As the host of the 2014 World Cup, the CONMEBOL region cannot host the 2018 event. The other bidders for the 2018 cup where all European nations: Belgium and the Netherlands, England, and Portugal and Spain. Do those countries want it now? Can they organize themselves fast enough if they do? Giving the event to the US would not be well accepted among those who benefited from Blatter’s reign and believe that this whole investigation is politically motivated. Maybe the World Cup should go back to South Africa. They already have the stadiums and experience but wait there are allegations that that right included a payment of a ten million dollar bribe. As for replacing Qatar? Wrong as that decision may have been this decision will also prove to be difficult to undo. Nonetheless Qatar had better improve working conditions and figure out how best to deal with its climate constraints or risk really losing its chance to host the event.

As regards electing a new president, so far the seven most commonly named potential candidates for FIFA president have been:

Michel Platini (France, 60): A three-time FIFA player of the year and early supporter of Blatter who ended up supporting Prince Ali in last week’s election, Platini has been president of UEFA for the last nine years.

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein (Jordan, 39): A FIFA vice president and Blatter’s only rival in last week’s election, Prince Ali garnered 73 votes enough to force a second round but not enough to do anything but concede rather than find that in the second round he might end up with less than in the first round.

Jerome Champagne (France, 56) A former French diplomat and Blatter protégé, Champagne served FIFA in various capacities before being forced out in 2010. Champagne championed reform including a re-vote for 2022. He stood against Blatter for 2015, though he withdrew his candidacy in February.

Luis Figo (Portugal, 42): Another former player, Figo planned to run against Blatter but ended up withdrawing his candidacy because as he put it it was “a plebiscite for the delivery of absolute power to one man.”

Issa Hayatou (Cameroon, 68): A former track star, Hayatou was instrumental as president of the African Soccer Federation in making the 2010 World Cup in South Africa happen. However Hayatou was reprimanded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for his part in an alleged bribery scandal in 2011, as well as a $100-million kickback scheme between 1989 and 1999.

Michael van Praag (the Netherlands, 67): A longtime sports administrator and chairman of the Royal Dutch soccer association also tried to run against Blatter but ended up withdrawing due to lack of support.

Diego Maradona (Argentina, 59): Considered one of the best players ever, Maradona has coached a couple of teams. However issues with drugs and the Italian tax authorities could make him less than an ideal candidate for an organization looking for serious reform.

In addition of course FIFA could consider the presidents of the other federations. But if the problem is the way FIFA has functioned then promoting someone all to used to how the organization has worked in the past isn’t probably a recipe for success. To really clean house FIFA needs to look outside its own cosy club of former players, directors, federation, association and country representatives. That could be the way to effect change. However, It needs to be someone familiar with the limelight, known and supported by a broad swath of countries and strong enough to force change. If it weren’t for the fact that his family foundation and the way it functions is just as opaque as Sepp Blatter’s, Bill Clinton could be a perfect candidate.

And the point is: unfortunately these days money runs everything including and especially professional sports! Anyone who thinks otherwise is just plain naive. So in all seriousness, who do you think should be considered for President of FIFA? And what countries do you think should host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup’s respectively?