Who Will Pay?

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is about to go head to head with the International Olympic Committee over the timing of the 2022 World Cup, and the fact that it’s mooted dates clash with the 2022 Winter Olympics and certain television station with rights to both events are not happy.

There are many who believe that the only way Qatar can possibly be stripped of the hosting rights would be if American attorney Michael Garcia’s recently completed report into corruption allegations surrounding the bidding process for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting rights found any wrong doing. The problem is FIFA does not wish to publish the report, even though Mr Garcia has urged them to do so. Mr Blatter claims the reasons for the confidentiality is that promises were made to witnesses that the report would stay in house.

This could easily be bypassed if witnesses were contacted and asked if they were happy for their evidence to be in the public domain and if not a substitute name used.

FIFA’s hierarchy appear to have created this mess. If as is suspected by many they did accept incentives to vote for Qatar, they should never have then agreed to move the tournament dates. All other parties bidding state that the bidding process stipulated a northern summer competition. So by moving the goalposts to allay fears of high temperatures at that tim win Qatar, FIFA have in fact ‘moved the goalposts.’

Now the European Club Association (ECA) have stated that European clubs will not foot the bill should the FIFA task force currently looking into the moving of the tournament to a Norther hemisphere winter competition decide this is the way to go.

Such a move would cause huge disruption to the European domestic leagues and Chairman of ECA Karl-Heinze Ruminegge is concerned that his 204 members will be expected to pay the price.

“If we have a change from summer to November or to January, then they will be affecting our business, our calendar, and the bill at the end can’t be paid by the clubs. We are not ready to pay such a bill.” Ruminegge said a couple of weeks ago at the Leaders Sports Business Summit at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago. “It has to be clear to FIFA and everybody who is now strongly involved in wishing to change the date that they will need the goodwill of the clubs, otherwise we are not ready to talk and discuss about it.”

If however FIFA’s task force does opt to move the tournament, and Blatter manages to work out a deal with the IOC who will pay the compensation to the European clubs and the television stations who are contracted to air their games?

It would appear that those at the top were blinded by their own short term gain rather than the long term good of the game. If Mr Garcia’s report does confirm suspicions that inducements were received by the Executive Committee, and that these inducements affected the voting, one has to ask do those inducements in anyway match the ultimate cost to FIFA, should they be left to negotiate and pay compensation for the change in schedule?

In 2013 FIFA reported a USD$72 million surplus in what was a record year for FIFA with an income of $1.386 billion; Not bad for a not for profit organisation, as Mr Blatter advised the world earlier this year. That money will soon be eaten up should the European clubs seek recompense and that could change the face of World football forever.

Will we see politics come to the fore though before a dollar is paid? UEFA have wanted a European heading up the game ever since Joao Havelange blindsided Sir Stanley Rous in 1974. This may be their chance to regain control of world football. A deal being struck behind the close doors of FIFA in Zurich that sees Mr Blatter forced aside or his beloved FIFA facing bankruptcy if he stays.

World Football may end up never finding out what was in Michael Garcia’s report, they may also end up with a World Cup no one wanted in Qatar, but if it means a change at the top of the game and the chance to sweep clean those at the top, it may be a small price to pay.