May this year, seven
FIFA-officials were arrested. Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, wasn't one of
them. However, a few days after the arrests he was chosen again to be
President, but he resigned a few days later. The arrests came after three years
of investigation by the FBI concerning allegations of wire fraud, racketeering
and money laundering, and suspicion of accepting bribes and kickbacks. However,
Blatter soon effectively reneged on that pledge, deciding instead that he would
remain on as President until February, 2016, when a special election will be
held to replace him. That hasn’t been good enough for critics of FIFA, who note
that several recent controversial actions, including the selection of Qatar as
a World Cup Host, have not been address. The selection of Qatar was
particularly divisive, and has been widely perceived as the result of a
successful bribery campaign. Critics note the poor climate, and among other
concerns, there have also been numerous allegations of worker abuse and
outright slavery connected to construction for the games. Blatter remains
defiant in the face of calls for his resignation, saying through a spokesperson
that to resign now “would not be in the best interest of Fifa, nor would it
advance the process of reform.”
However, it has come
to a point were the major sponsors of FIFA demand the immediate resignation of
Blatter. Especially Coca-Cola, Visa, Budweister and McDonald's issued their
denunciations. Coca-Cola came first saying; ''Every day that passes Fifa’s
image and reputation continues to tarnish.'' Another company considered Blatter
to be an obstacle and Visa said that if Blatter would resign, it would be in
''the best interest of FIFA and the sport'' which was supported by McDonald's.
What do you think,
would it be better for Blatter to resign immediately? Why? And who would be his
follow up?
McDonalds official statement on their website: http://news.mcdonalds.com/Corporate/Media-Statements/McDonald-s-Statement-on-FIFA
Coca-Cola's official statement on their website: http://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/company-statements/statement-calling-for-fifa-president-to-step-down
Danique van
Hemsbergen
In my opinion Blatter should resign immediately, he should have done that a long time ago. Would be quite a surprise if he wasn't actively involved in the misdeeds committed by the FIFA. I agree with the Coca-Cola statement, the image of the FIFA worsens with every day and Blatter is largely responsible for that. However, I don't think it is enough just to find a successor for Blatter, the FIFA needs some serious restructuring of the whole organization.
ReplyDeleteSarah Kubiak
I totally agree with Sarah, especially with the whole restructuring of the FIFA. To restore the image of the FIFA drastic decisions are necessary. I don't think someone inside the organization should be his successor, because everyone in the top of the FIFA is suspected of fraud, bribery etc. Therefore the only option is to get rid of the entire management and look for his successor outside of the organization.
DeleteSebastiaan de Vos
Don't you think the statements by Coca Cola and other sponsors are pure self interest? Protecting their own reputations from a spill over effect from the decreasing FIFA reputation?
ReplyDeleteYes I do, they are afraid the bad image of the FIFA will reflect upon them. If Coca Cola and McDonalds would be really against misdeeds then this call for Blatter's resignation should have came years ago. This is just a PR strategy to protect their image.
ReplyDeleteSebastiaan de Vos
Wouldn't that be too obvious, or are they caught between two evils: sticking with FIFA = bad for reputation, but distancing themselves will only make people think they're just taking care of themselves?
ReplyDelete