FIFA is turning a profit at an unprecedented rate, yet soccer's
governing body appears to be making little headway toward wiping
out the violence and corruption that threaten the integrity of the
sport.
Faced with this paradox, FIFA president Sepp Blatter says soccer
must embark on an ambitious plan to rescue itself.
"We have come to the crossroads of football," he declared Friday
after two days of meetings of FIFA's executive committee. "Our
football is ill and we must find medicine to give to our
sport."
That warning came during a news conference in which FIFA
revealed that its finances had dramatically improved over the last
four years, buoyed by the financial success of the 2006 World Cup
in Germany.
Since the World Cup -- watched by a cumulative audience
estimated at 26.3 billion -- soccer has seen a series of violent
episodes, including riots in France, a brawl between Arsenal and
Chelsea at the English League Cup final and the death of an Italian
policeman at a match in February. Valencia defender David Navarro
was suspended for seven months for his part in a brawl at a
European Champions League match.
"Where is football going if players are at each other's
throats?" Blatter said. "If the players are not educated, if the
coaches don't place a minimum of discipline on them, there is cause
for worry."
Blatter also vowed to return integrity to the sport following
the refereeing or corruption scandals that plagued Germany, Italy
and other nations last year.
"We need to help the referees, they are the guardians of
ethics," he said.
The vast sums of money involved in international soccer have
likely led to some of the sport's ethical problems, the FIFA
president opined.
"In French, we say 'Money makes people go mad.' There is some
truth to that," Blatter said.
But he said there was no excuse for wealthy clubs locking up
talent by handing out contracts to more than 30 players when only
11 men take the field.
Soccer's future will be key topic during the FIFA Congress in
Zurich in May. FIFA may also consider plans to limit the number of
foreign players that clubs can field -- a move Blatter predicted
would ignite an outcry from coaches.
Blatter expressed pride in FIFA's improved financial situation
-- it's equity has gone from negative $10.9 million in January 2003
to a $617 million surplus in December.
"Five years ago, they wanted to send me to jail and now I am
getting a round of applause," Blatter said. "So you see how things
can change."
FIFA had $749 million in revenue last year, with expenses of
$500 million. The 2006 World Cup in Germany produced a $207 million
profit, of which FIFA received $60 million. FIFA paid $49.6 million
in salary and benefits for 2006.
The organization is so wealthy that its new gleaming glass and
stone headquarters in the hills overlooking Zurich, which cost $200
million to build, has already been fully paid for even before its
formal dedication in May.
One major FIFA worry seems to have evaporated. In December, the
organization expressed concerns about the pace of stadium
construction in South Africa ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Blatter
said Friday that FIFA was fully confident in South Africa's ability
as a host and downplayed that country's crime rate.
"Have a look at the big capitals or cities around the world --
there you will have crime rates above those in South Africa," he
declared.
South Africa has promised to spend $1.2 billion to tackle
security and transportation issues, Blatter added.
(China Daily via AP March 27, 2007)