Citizen Nades - Soccer reform at home?

IN the good old days, research meant poring over files and newspaper cuttings at the in-house library. Going through scores of news articles pasted onto newsprint was one of the many trying experiences journalists then faced.
These days, at a press of a button, a few thousand articles stare you in the face and sometimes, you are lost for choice. But in one of the many searches on the nonsense going on in the football world, I came across this from the BBC website:
But Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Loke Yuen Yow said the Commonwealth Games had raised Malaysia’s reputation in the eyes of the world and the Olympics would have the same effect. He told the lower house of parliament a special committee had been set up to pursue the Olympic bid, the official news agency Bernama reported.
Mr Loke said: “We gained from enhancing the country’s image in the eyes of the world and from the number of tourists who came here. The Commonwealth Games have enhanced the feeling of patriotism which is important to racial unity in our country. If we can successfully organise the Commonwealth Games, I believe we can also organise the Olympic Games,” he added.
He cited preliminary estimates that the games generated about US$10m in ticket sales. Organisers forecast a profit of around US$1.25m.
The regular readers of this column may want to laugh out loud. Others may be tempted to say: “I told you so …” or “Nothing will happen.”
A bit of background – In 2002, the first in a series of articles requested for the accounts of the 1998 Commonwealth Games be made public. But those responsible ignored the calls but credit must be given to former sports minister Datuk Azalina Othman.
She spoke to me and instructed her officers to produce the documents but they could only show me the annual filings to the then Registrar of Companies because the organisers were Sukom 98 Bhd, which was incorporated under the Companies Act.
In view of the scandal that is now engulfing the bids made for the football World Cup, it is pertinent to reiterate that every bid for any event – not necessarily football or sports – comes under heavy scrutiny. Even the slightest of deviations from the norm is likely to examined with a fine-tooth comb and every scribe worth his salt is likely to dig and dig every bid.
Perusing the results on the net, Malaysia has made bids to host conferences, debates, events and the lot over the years. While it is customary to make presentations alongside other would-be hosts, anything out of the ordinary including “lawatan sambil belajar” disguised as educational tours may fall into the wide category of “undue influence”.
Even a “donation” given to an old folks’ home or an orphanage does not seem the right thing to do these days if the recipient is in a position to influence the outcome of the successful bid.
As we have already learnt, the South African government (with the approval of its Cabinet) parted with US$10 million to develop football in the slums of Trinidad and Tobago. Unfortunately, it did not go to this cause but ended up in the hands of football chiefs who used the loot to settle credit card debts and personal bills.
Even a movie bankrolled by FIFA for an estimated US$29 million – United Passions, a fictionalised chronicle on the life and times of the governing body – has bombed.
The Hollywood Reporter described the movie as “a squirm-inducing heap of propaganda at its most self-congratulatory”.
Even media companies have not been spared. DirecTV and 21st Century Fox had business relationships with the sports-marketing firms at the centre of the corruption scandal. US authorities late last month charged executives at the marketing firms, including Traffic Group and Torneos y Competencias, with paying or facilitating bribes to officials linked to FIFA, soccer’s governing body, to secure lucrative TV and sponsorship rights to games.
The effects of the FIFA scandal and Sepp Blatter’s resignation reverberate around the world as news breaks almost on a daily basis on more instances of sleaze and sordid deals.
Will it reach our shores? Malaysians can be assured that we have been “significant” at the top-level, but like all 209 affiliates of FIFA, our football authorities receive handouts from the governing body, especially the “dividends” in the once-in-four years World Cup tournament.
Besides, Blatter had been known to hand out “goodies” to Asian and African countries on election years.
We must remember that Malaysia (like Trinidad and Tobago and other countries) too has its allocation of tickets for the World Cup.
Jack Warner sold them in the black market, but how many Malaysians had the opportunity to buy them locally? It’s an open-ended question which the Football Association of Malaysia will have to answer.
R. Nadeswaran has a vested interest in the FIFA scandal as he had written about its inadequacies since 2010. Comments: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com