Of FIFA, Africa, Nigeria And Football Corruption

For the novice, to boil a raw meat for your eating pleasure, it has to be seasoned with spices because without seasoning you cannot enjoy meat. As a seasoned ex-football administrator, with almost half a decade experience and now a sports journalist, I should know where the bones of corruption in football were buried. I don't need to be told that it exist. In fact, financial corruption in football management has obviously assumed cancerous magnitude.


With 260 million people playing active football all over the globe, it seems to be a rain of arrest and scandal when it comes to the political aspect of the game. Looking at my home country Nigeria, we are not also immune from the menace. A case in mind was the Nigerian who represented Africa at FIFA, Dr. Amos Adamu, caught on tape and banned from all footballing activities for demanding bribe.

Currently, FIFA has once again been ridiculously engulfed in corruption scandal. But as a body is no strangers to the culture of self protection, the scandal looks dead on arrival.

Just last year, FIFA shutdown an in-house investigation, rubbishing reports that stated that world cup bids were corrupt, however reports states that Michael J. Garcia who conducted the probe resigned on the grounds that FIFA refused to release his full, 430-page report, filed in September.


This can be likened to the Barrister Okey Ajunwa-led electoral panel report which FIFA in its wisdom upheld the minority report. CAF, the African Governing footballing body is not also immured to corruption without any conviction as usual.

An African, Egypt’s Hany Abou-Rida will face questioning over what seem to be the biggest bust in the history of Global football, even, a Ghana Politician Koku Anyidoho has called for the investigation of an alleged Corruption in the Ghana Football Association, Corruption issues are everywhere. Even Kenya was exposed of corruption 12 years ago by transparency international, claims which they had documents to support. Nothing happened.

Already, the biggest stakeholders in FIFA, the sponsors are already grumbling because their brand image is at stake for recognizing with FIFA and the never-ending corruption allegations. However, it is something that can be attributed to CAF by Sponsors pulling out and for the NFF, sponsors never said anything but would rather not renew contracts, and it was that bad.

In Nigeria however, a former NFF President, Sani Lulu has been facing criminal prosecution for years over a non-issue in my opinion, the said buses that made him face the law has been in use since 2008 for the National Teams, and while the real culprits and actual faces of corruption in Nigerian Football are not tried. Who will bring them to justice where do we go from here?

I also think Africans should worry less about Sepp Blatter and get Issa Hayatou out of CAF he has been there for too long, we need new people with fresh ideas. I recall that CAF had to alter the constitution to make Hayatou stay in office, what is he covering, does it mean there is no other competent person in Africa?

I think the cleansing should start from home. Regulate and monitor football academies in Africa, wage war against age cheat, match fixing, money laundering, players' slavery through contracts, embezzlement of funds amongst all other things. A former FIFA Secretary General, Jack Warner said no one interrogated him since he was accused of corruption, so he is innocent. You see?

Football stakeholders, please do not let your personal fights and interest affect the institution which poise as a source of joy and income revenue to many people.

Let me end on this note by asking, Who is going to solve the corruption issue in global football, despite many whistle-blowers standings, and whichever way the matter ends with FIFA, I hope it will be a lesson to others. Is it possible for FIFA to ensure transparency and accountability in their dealings by the inclusion of a harsher discipline to the guilty corrupt officials?

by Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello