FIFA Scandal: Why the U.S. is Policing a Global Game

By Published on May 28, 2015

It is not clear what specific event – if any – prompted the US investigation. Some have pointed to the United States’ failed bid in late 2010 to host the the 2022 World Cup, and suspicions that bribes were paid to encourage votes for Qatar.

“I know some people who were in the US bidding committee… They all had really strong suspicions that somebody was getting bought off,” said Andrew Zimbalist, author of Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup. He told the BBC that he suspected the justice department probably got involved following the failed bid.

The choice of Qatar raised suspicions in part because of the extremely high temperatures it experiences during the summer months – a fact that prompted a Fifa taskforce to recommend the games be played in November and December rather than the usual June-July timeframe.

In the hours after the dawn arrests, Swiss authorities said they were opening a separate investigation relating to the bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.

Read the article “FIFA Scandal: Why the U.S. is Policing a Global Game” on bbc.com.

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