For Once Sepp is Right

Sepp Blatter dares FIFA's American sponsors to leave

Sepp Blatter, the banned president of FIFA, called out the organization's American sponsors on Tuesday, saying they will not end their sponsorships even if reform demands are not met.

"Companies, commercial partners are queuing up to get in," Blatter told The Wall Street Journal. "If the Americans want to leave, others will come. But they don't want to get out ... They won't leave." ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of CNN Money.

Kicking Back Comments: As sad a comment as it is, Sepp seems to be 100% correct. 

I personally take great stock in how people (or companies) act, not in what their press release says. I and scores of other folks have written about the saber rattling the mighty sponsors of FIFA have done saying how unacceptable FIFA's behavior has become. Yet, for all that rattling, there has been no action from many.

In this same way, there are several companies that should be applauded for taking action. Castrol, Johnson & Johnson, Continental, Sony, and Emirates had the courage to stand up and drop their sponsorship of FIFA. While some have stated in a few of those cases the sponsorship was up for renewal, the salient point is, they did not renew due in part to the deplorable mess that is FIFA.

Even in the face of the ethical challenges outright corruption (this is a brilliant video) and employment contract issues human right violations, several companies continue to fund these activities. Several others are also cued up ready to hand over the monies they have earned from customers as well.

At this point I can't classify their desire as less than knowingly supporting corruption and human rights violations. While each of these companies has ethical issues of their own (see ADIDAS,  Coca-Cola, Gazprom, Hyudani, McDonalds, note that Visa to give then their due was recently voted one of the most ethical) their efforts to give monies to FIFA who propagates this corruption makes them no better.

Yet they line up and yes ... Sepp is right, they will not leave. So for all the noise they make about ethical behavior, they do nothing.

Dear FIFA Sponsors: Are You Listening Now???!!!

Five years of human rights failure shames FIFA and Qatar

Labor exploitation remains rampant in Qatar as the authorities fail to deliver significant reforms, Amnesty International said today before the fifth anniversary of Qatar winning the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Despite massive public exposure of the appalling conditions faced by most migrant construction workers, the Qatari authorities have done almost nothing effective to end chronic labor exploitation.

“Too little has been done to address rampant migrant labor abuse. Qatar’s persistent labor reform delays are a recipe for human rights disaster,” said Mustafa Qadri, Gulf Migrant Rights Researcher at Amnesty International. ...

See the whole press release here, courtesy of Amnesty International.

Kicking Back Comments: Straight on the heels of the nonsense from the sponsors being "outraged" and wanting "assurances" we start to see not much has changed in Qatar. Companies like ADIDAS are (or feign) outrage if child labor stitches their balls ... yet are fine as migrant workers die to build the stadiums they will profit from in 2022. I fail to see the difference.

Get Serious, Or Go Home

As many of you regular readers know I have a high school age soccer player in the house named (for purposes here) "Jr." He is what I would call a serious soccer player in so far as he has committed to training for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week and there is a match or two in there as well. On at least one of his off days, he also referees youth matches.

Over the last month or so I have enjoyed watching his matches both that he plays in and that he referees. Many times we chat on the way to the pitch before he does referee and we talk about how he feels or what his goal is for the particular day.

Last weekend our conversation turned very frank in that he was really frustrated. As I probed the feelings a bit more, the main source of his frustration was how serious he takes playing and refereeing, only to have many of the referees who come out to his match, not take it seriously at all.

He was right.

In one match I saw a referee miss a goal line decision because he was standing in the midfield circle and essentially wore a path from one side of the circle to the other. In another match I witnessed the referee asking parents on a touchline for help ... truly asking for help with a decision. What recently took the cake for me was a referee when asked about a decision, stated his reasoning as "... because I said so."

This was when I turned to "Madame X", my ever patient wife, and asked out loud if she would mind if I got dismissed as a spectator from a match. I did not get an answer.

Trust me I get that there is a lack of good referees for all high schools at all levels and theoretically the best referees are doing the best matches (cough), but for the love of the game you have to at least try. Just try.

These kids are spending hundreds of hours in a season practicing and playing, and for a referee to not even try is pathetic. I'm not even saying to get it right all the time, or even most of the time, just make the effort. I'm not even sure if these folks even know how bad they truly are.

So what to do? Share with the league how terrible these referees are? Try to work one on one with them to get them to "step up?" Implement a system like in US Colleges where the coaches in essence choose who they want to referee their matches?

I dunno, but to allow such baboonery on a regular basis is criminal for the kids who are working hard to earn their playing time.

Next time you go out to do a match that you think will not be challenging ... challenge yourself to be "spotless." Perfect mechanics, perfect decorum, perfect decisions. In a sense practice "virtuosity" where some would call it the skill of performing the common, uncommonly well.

Above all, try your best, and if you can't do that, do us all a favor and just stay home.

True Class

Coach Steve Bonastia: Seckman High

Imperial, Missouri: As soon as the ball was hit, Seckman (Imperial, Mo.) High School softball coach Steve Bonastia knew his team had just given up a tie-breaking two-run home run.

And he knew that with the game being in the fifth inning, there wasn’t much time left and his team was likely in line for a loss. What he didn’t know, though, was that the umpires – all of them – had seen the ball differently and ruled that the ball bounced over the fence. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Good In Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: This story touched me on several levels. First was the fact that a coach was willing to truly correct an error that was made by a referee ... and I don't mean the type that we usually face from a coach, without regard to the actual decision, advocates for their team ... as they should.

This was the story of a team of referees who made a mistake, and a coach, to his and his teams detriment, offered a correction.

Now I say offered here, as the refereeing crew was certainly under no obligation to accept the information. Which lead me to the second touch point ... they did.

How willing are we are referees to overturn a decision to "get it right?" Are we even willing to do that? Some are not and don't even consider it at all. Some may be too easy and at the slightest bit of resistance, reverse a decision.

What about the magnitude of the play ... a lot of time is spent on incidents that result in scoring, which is the whole reason we are using GLT now. But what about the other decision that lead up to it? The penalty that was not given, the ineligible substitution that was made, a foul at midfield that prevented an attack from developing?

Where is the line that we should accept, and act on, such advise?

My friends, it is a slippery slope, and can come down to one word ... fingerspitzengefühl.

Sepp playing the joker again

FIFA’s Blatter to Visit Palestine in July

RAMALLAH, June 11, 2013 (WAFA) – Sepp Blatter, president of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), is expected to visit Palestine in July to help alleviate the problems facing Palestinian athletes from the Israeli occupation, Jibril Rjoub, head of the Palestinian Football Association, said Tuesday. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of wafa.ps.

Kicking Back Comments: FIFA is an incredible powerful organization that can do much to unite folks. If accurately reported however, (understanding this is a Palestine news outlet) Sepp's warnings of "Israel's membership to FIFA may be suspended", rings somewhat hollow based on what is going on in the region.

I am all for unification missions under the name of FIFA. There have been a few in the past and they serve as a great example of how people can have different goal, and exist together.

This is a bridge way too far however. FIFA should let the folks of the region determine their own future. Somehow, even a well intentioned trip by FIFA to one and not the other, seems inappropriate given the state of affairs.

Then again, I have sadly come to expect nothing less from our current leader of FIFA.

Wall Street is like FIFA?

FIFA prosecutor Garcia is 'busier than expected'

ZURICH — FIFA prosecutor Michael Garcia has been kept busier than he expected trying to clean up world soccer — and his workload will probably increase after a whistleblower hotline opens this month.

Garcia told The Associated Press in an interview that FIFA investigations take "more of my time than I originally anticipated" since his appointment last July.

"I'm a busy man. It's five months in and I think where we are is a very good place," said Garcia, who completed his first case last month. FIFA President Sepp Blatter's former election rival, Mohamed bin Hammam, was banned for life over financial mismanagement at the Asian Football Confederation.

"Outside of FIFA, I'm happy with the fact that people more and more seem to be getting the sense that this is a place where at least you can raise something, you'll get a hearing, you'll be taken seriously," he said from a Zurich hotel after attending the FIFA player of the year ceremony. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of the WSJ.

Kicking Back Comments: This is a really interesting article. Honestly the more I read about Garcia, the more I like him. He seems to have his head in the right place when it comes to dealing with such actions from an area he is unfamiliar ... that being international football.

I still have (2) lingering thoughts.

First, is why an American (in large part) was asked to clean up FIFA? His credentials are impeccable, but why him?

Second, is what is going to happen when some of these trails lead to Sepp, as indeed they should? Will Garcia cross swords with him, or will Sepp be finishing his (self announced) end of his term when that happens?

Tick, tock ... tick, tock.

Emirates to fly the FIFA coop?

Emirates airline gauging FIFA anti-corruption moves, public mood before extending sponsorship

LONDON — Emirates airlines wants evidence FIFA is eradicating corruption and the scandal-hit organization’s public image is improving before renewing its sponsorship.

The Dubai-based carrier’s $195 million, eight-year sponsorship of world soccer’s governing body expires in 2014. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of The Washington Post.

Kicking Back Comments: I am actually surprised that other title sponsors are not being more public about this. You can see the full list of sponsors here, and given who is on that list, I would think others would follow suit regarding FIFA's ethics practices.

Welcome Lydia!!

FIFA names woman to executive committee for first time

BUDAPEST (Reuters) -- FIFA co-opted a woman to its executive committee for the first time on Tuesday and continued its reform process by pressing ahead with changes to its ethics committee.

Lydia Nsekera, the president of the Burundi Football Association, will be installed as the co-opted executive committee member at the 62nd FIFA Congress this week with the formal election of a woman on the committee to follow at next year's Congress, soccer's governing body said in a statement.

Nsekera, 45, is a member of the women's football and the women's World Cup committees and is also on the organising committee for the Olympic Football Tournaments having been part of the IOC since 2009. ...

See the whole story here, from SI.

Kicking Back Comments: It would be sad to think that this move came out of exclusively an effort to reform, and not also out of a sense to include someone who is deserving to be an EXCOM member. She is president of the Fédération de Football du Burundi since 2004, and has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2009. Far more credentialed than some others who currently hold a seat.

Either way, I'll take it, as it is a step in the right direction.

I'll give it to FIFA ... they published it.

Well kudos where they are due, and I openly give it to FIFA for publishing the report the Ex-Com received from an independent authority the Basal Institute on Governance.

The report can be see here (.pdf) from the site.

It is a quick read with nothing in it that is shocking or scandalous. It contains some middle of the road (and very important) controls on organizations like FIFA.

Of particular interest to be was the creation of term limits, which I think is needed in any such position.

To put it in perspective, there have only been (8) FIFA presidents ... ever ... since FIFA was created in 1904 (source). This makes the average tenure of a FIFA president 13.5 years.

Longest serving president was Jules Rimet (sound familiar?) with 33 years of service!

Now, is 2 or 4 years too short for something like this? I would be included to say yes, and believe on the order of 6 years is on target for such a position. That said Sepp is going to be pushing 16 years by the time he will consider stepping down.

I'd bet a wooden nickel that Sepp will be happy to implement some of these changes on his way out the door.

I digress however, I really do give FIFA credit for posting the report. It is a good first step.

FIFA suspend Angolan referee Heldér Martins

January 1 - FIFA has suspended the Angolan referee Heldér Martins, the country's Football Federation (FAF) have confirmed.

FAF told the Angolan Press Agency that Martins had been informed of the suspension but that no reason had been given.

The agency reported that they have requested further information from FIFA for the reasoning behind the ban.

See the whole story here, courtesy of Inside World Football.

Kicking Back Comments: The US has in the past "benched" FIFA referees (and others), officially, and not officially by not assigning them to matches.

Frankly they have every right to do so for good cause, and should, to prevent even a whiff of impropriety by a referee on, or off the field. For those of us involved with US Soccer, have you read the Code of Ethics for Referees?

If not, you certainly should. It can be found here in the Administrative Handbook. A worthy read for all referees at all levels.