"Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy" (Plato)

The first thing I thought about all this FIFA stuff was: I’m not touching that with a barge pole.

I don’t have any delusions of grandeur about this blog, I know it is not reaching out to an audience of millions (yet) – but at the same time, when legal proceedings and allegations roll around, there is always the peril for the blogger of getting held to account for what you write. Plenty of people have been pulled up for things they wrote innocently in the spirit of free speech, only to find they have stepped over the line and that blue-haired bespectacled lawyer from The Simpsons is paying them a visit.

But in all clear conscience where would I be if I failed to write what I truly thought?

The fact that Sepp Blatter got cleared of the allegations against him personally, winning an unopposed election by a landslide; and then came out with that bizarre, deluded press conference, just further exacerbates my impression of him. He resembles (in my opinion) a slippery, slimy little eel who is motivated purely by self-interest. He’s sat at the top of the untouchable FIFA tree for far, far too long, and yet again has strolled through another election unopposed.

As the leader of an organisation, it is your job to know about things that go on. OK, the head of a company can’t tell what every single employee does on a daily basis, but endemic corruption throughout an Executive Committee? Sorry Sepp, that’s your problem mate. Actually, remove the mate, I despise that man and what he represents.
His notion that 'FIFA is football' is so self-absorbed and deluded that it makes my blood boil. Football is a lot more than the money grabbing, underhand, tax-exempt, unaccountable gravy train that FIFA has now become.

This may sound futile, but one of the first reasons I started to dislike Blatter was his presence in World Cup Finals. When you are presenting the trophy, nobody, literally not one person anywhere, has any interest in you being there. It’s not your trophy to present. GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY. Last year when Spain captain Iker Casillas lifted the trophy, Blatter and Jacob Zuma were falling over themselves to get in the shot. That in itself speaks of the role he believes he plays in the whole thing.

OK, rant over, this is getting us nowhere – the inconvenient truths are these:

One, FIFA in it’s current state has no compelling reason to change. The people involved are on to a winner, so why rock the boat.

Two, the reach and influence they have over football is so strong that everyone pretty much will continue to go along with it. If you’re not in you’re out and out means no money, no profile, no chance. Just look at the comments after David Bernstein spoke out in front of his fellow FIFA members, delegates from the esteemed likes of Benin and Cyprus were falling over themselves to criticise England and be seen to stand by Jabba. They need to be in FIFA and they need to be in the good books of the dictator, sorry 'elected leader'.

Three, the main reason the FA and English media, and (yes, accepted), me personally, have decided to rail so much against this obviously corrupt joke of a governing body is that the decision for WC 2018 did not go our way. It’s funny what you’ll turn a blind eye to if you get your own way.

It’s a shame to admit it but it’s true, if England had won that (as we now know) farce of a bidding process, would the voices of discontent ring so loud? We've got our own problems closer to home to, but there might be a glimmer of hope. Blatter has spoken already of the need to improve FIFA, and a possible reform to the World Cup election system, but that is not the source of the hope. 15 other member nations decided not to vote for him...if he is the only choice, we vote for no-one. Find out who they are, build on the movement, and who knows.

Right, in closing, anything in the above that casts unfair aspersions on people is either a) my own personal opinion or b) pure speculation and allegation, or c) I was only joking and didn't mean it, please don't close my site Mr Fifa Man, Sir. Nothing there that I want to get in legal trouble for. Phew.