On May 27, 2015 Swiss authorities arrived at a hotel in Zurich and arrested multiple FIFA officials on corruption charges. The authorities were armed with warrants issued by the United States Department of Justice.
Now, I am sure people are wondering why this all is so important, right? FIFA is the governing body of soccer and is responsible for running the world of football. If the top executives of the organization are cheating the system, bribing, and not abiding by moral conducts then the sport is essentially ruined.
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini got the spotlight. Blatter being president of FIFA and Platini being the European Football Association (Uefa) president they got into the most trouble. They were found guilty of "disloyal payment" of $2 million to Platini in 2011. Blatter defends them both by claiming the money was a delayed payment for work Platini had done for FIFA. The FIFA ethics committee stills says that the both of them had demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.
There is an election to fill Blatter's position as president on February 26, just two days away. Platini had hoped to run for this position but is no longer allowed to due to his suspension. He will also have to step down from his position at Uefa. The ban placed on both men would also likely mean they would fail the FIFA ethics standards if they tried to return to the organization.
Matt Rollins, soccer fan, says "when the heads of the organizations that run soccer don't follow the rules it just ruins it for the sport and makes people question everything."
Now, I am sure people are wondering why this all is so important, right? FIFA is the governing body of soccer and is responsible for running the world of football. If the top executives of the organization are cheating the system, bribing, and not abiding by moral conducts then the sport is essentially ruined.
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini got the spotlight. Blatter being president of FIFA and Platini being the European Football Association (Uefa) president they got into the most trouble. They were found guilty of "disloyal payment" of $2 million to Platini in 2011. Blatter defends them both by claiming the money was a delayed payment for work Platini had done for FIFA. The FIFA ethics committee stills says that the both of them had demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.
There is an election to fill Blatter's position as president on February 26, just two days away. Platini had hoped to run for this position but is no longer allowed to due to his suspension. He will also have to step down from his position at Uefa. The ban placed on both men would also likely mean they would fail the FIFA ethics standards if they tried to return to the organization.
Matt Rollins, soccer fan, says "when the heads of the organizations that run soccer don't follow the rules it just ruins it for the sport and makes people question everything."