The Global Game | FIFA & Governance

FIFA & Governance

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Not real, but simulated | FIFA wants tougher policing on dives

By John Turnbull ⋅ April 7, 2006 ⋅ One comment

London and San Francisco | Dave Eggers states the facts straight in a book excerpt published last weekend in the Observer. In yet another permutation of the “Why Americans don’t like soccer” argument, Eggers mentions, first, the Cold Warâ€“era “commie” taint and, second, the prevalence of diving (aka “simulation”).

What fans do | Disdain for anthemic strains

By John Turnbull ⋅ November 28, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

London | Farayi Mungazi of BBC Sport worries about Sepp Blatter’s recent suggestion about banning pre-game national anthems from international football. On the idea that FIFA could commission a generic anthem, in accord with that presaging UEFA Champions League fixtures, Mungazi writes that “[n]ot only do I beg to sing a different tune, but I would [...]

Snooping around | FIFA as investigator and investigated

By John Turnbull ⋅ November 28, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

Zurich | FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren verified a Sunday report in Swiss paper SonntagsZeitung that police had seized documents from FIFA headquarters related to the bankruptcy in May 2001 of longtime FIFA marketing partner International Sport and Leisure. Journalist Andrew Jennings had noted the importance of this developing story in his Nov 9 presentation at the Play [...]

Banned songs? | On open-mike night, Blatter sings new tune

By John Turnbull ⋅ November 22, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

Zurich | Sepp Blatter, for once, may be on to something. In the latest of his open-mike brainstorming sessions, the FIFA chief, disturbed by booing during anthems in the Turkey–Switzerland and other World Cup qualifying playoffs, has suggested eliminating the pre-game rituals. “We should at least consider not playing them,” Blatter told Swiss magazine Schweizer Illustrierte [...]

Sepp’s pledge | He won’t act ‘as a Swiss’ post-Istanbul

By John Turnbull ⋅ November 17, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

Istanbul | Having scaled heights in the esteem of world football, Turkey perhaps made a serious misstep Wednesday given post-game violence directed against the native country of the FIFA president. Sepp Blatter promised an inquiry into the mêlée that hospitalized Swiss defender Stéphane Grichting following a wild 4–2 Turkish victory that nevertheless delivered a World Cup [...]

Paper trails | FIFA loot vanishes in Third World mire

By John Turnbull ⋅ November 9, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

Copenhagen | Jens Sejer Andersen, director of Play the Game, pens an eloquent letter to FIFA after the governing body’s reply to queries about FIFA’s relationship with Burma. Andersen is pleased that Sepp Blatter had intervened in the case of arrested journalist Zaw Thet Htwe (see Nov 7), but argues for more transparency from FIFA and more [...]

Powerful points | ‘Play the Game’ mulls match-fixing over muffins

By John Turnbull ⋅ November 7, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

Copenhagen | The fourth “Play the Game” conference started Sunday, Nov 6, with a focus on sports corruption. Declan Hill of Oxford University reports that match-fixing in football is common, with the most egregious example perhaps Malaysia in the 1990s. “Up to 90 percent of games were fixed and often both teams and every official were bought,” [...]

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