FIFA Corruption allegations – what should England do next?

So FIFA is corrupt, with six executive committee members asking for bribes in return for World Cup votes according to Lord Triesman, former FA (UK Football Association) Chairman.  This is just about as shocking as stating that the earth is round and Katie Price likes publicity. Nothing new there then.

Triesman was speaking at a parliamentary select committee yesterday, a full 5 months after the World Cup tournaments for 2018 and 2022 were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively. One cannot help but visualise a horse galloping away long before the stable door has been considered– let alone locked.

The clue was pretty much in the decision. As I blogged at the time – the venues that were beneficiaries of the shock selections had many things in common:

•     Patchy (or none at all) footballing history

•     No evidence of a universal love of the game in each nation winning the bid

•     No existing footballing infrastructure

•     Poor technical assessment (Russia) and unsuitable conditions (extreme heat in Qatar)

•     Rich and powerful men, backed by rich and powerful governments leading the bid.

Mmm – I think we can safely say that the final point – with maybe an emphasis on RICH is the key here.

But enough of being a bad loser – how must England react?

Trying to smash the (alleged) corruption within the International governing body for football is a near impossible task, especially while the indominatable, shifty and deeply unlikable Sepp Blatter stays in charge. He has orchestrated almost certain re-election next month.

If we continue to whinge on about our disappointment we will become a laughing stock in the football hierarchy and Triesman’s decision to wait until now to expose this alleged corruption is questionable.

We could walk away from the World Cup altogether and refuse to play a team in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. But that would achieve very little – apart from exiling our international footballers and robbing the country of at least a faint hope of glory.

No – the best revenge is happiness. And in World Cup terms – happiness is success. The FA need to find a decent, (as in honourable and talented) British manager to lead an International team that is supported in every way to win the trophy. A winter break in the Premiership season to minimise the chances of injury to tired limbs, a supportive national press and an effective PR campaign to engage the fans and increase pride in the team.

Ian Wright, the Arsenal and English player, refused to accept expenses when he played for England because he said that he was so proud to wear the England shirt that he needed no payment. That’s the sort of spirit we need to engender. One of the endearing national characteristics of the English people is that we respond well when our backs are to the wall.

So c’mon Engerland. Leave the politics to one side, concentrate on the beautiful game and plan a strategy to win – not in the corrupt corridors of Football politics – but where it counts -  on the pitch.