One of the big news stories currently being discussed is the investigation into charges of corruption at the world soccer federation (FIFA). Several high-ranking members of that organization have been arrested and the head of FIFA has been forced to resign as a consequence of the controversy. Not just minor little thefts or petty little bribes but mind-boggling huge bribes and corrupt practices that go beyond the pale.
Ordinary people like myself have to wonder at the culture that engendered and possibly even encouraged this type of corrupt practices to flourish. How could this have happened? Where were the safeguards and monitors that should have prevented this? Even the basic tenets of standards and good practices seem to be missing here.
A blog that I recently read sheds some light on this. Two of the points raised in this blog seem to be pertinent here.
Firstly, there seems to have been a culture within FIFA that not only tolerated but almost encouraged the corrupt practices that took place within the organization. Bribery seems to have been expected not only by the perpetrators but also by the members of FIFA who seem to have accepted handing out bribes to officials as part of the costs of doing business with FIFA.
Secondly, a slow or even non-existent judicial process that sought to either stifle or shut down any sort of investigation and punishment of corruption with regards to these officials. Corruption at FIFA has been a sort of open secret for years yet no one around the world and certainly not within FIFA sought to do anything about it due to the fact that no sanctions would ever be taken at all.
A third point that wasn’t in the blog but I feel also contributed to this problem is FIFA’s success. Being the world’s largest sport federation and creating such a wildly popular sporting event such as the world cup I think gave FIFA officials the sense that they could do no wrong and that they were above the law. Over time their excesses have grown and grown to the point that they have become inexcusable and impossible to overlook.
One has to wonder about other large institutions like governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations and ponder which of these may be hiding corrupt practices behind a veneer or infallibility or success.
How can reformers or critics point out these excesses without fear of reprisal and with the hope that change will take place? How can those within an organization spot these corrupt practices as they take place and take steps to curtail them before they bloom?
Recent Comments