0:00:00 > 0:00:02Now on BBC News, Richard Conway goes behind
0:00:02 > 0:00:04the scenes at football's governing body, Fifa,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06and examines how the crisis will impact on the beautiful game
0:00:06 > 0:00:10in Review 2015: Football in Crisis.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22It is the world's most popular sport but it has been an unprecedented
0:00:22 > 0:00:25and unwanted year for world football.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29This really is the World Cup of fraud.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Fifa, the game's world governing body, which controlled the rules
0:00:31 > 0:00:37in the World Cup, has been brought to its knees.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39I think this has been the year that has
0:00:39 > 0:00:41proved that Fifa cannot do whatever it likes.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Already under the spotlight for awarding the next two
0:00:43 > 0:00:46World Cups to Russia and Qatar, it has been hit by allegations
0:00:46 > 0:00:47of corruption on a massive scale.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49There is no corruption in football, there
0:00:49 > 0:00:51is corruption with individuals.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Infiltrated by the FBI, the subject of dawn raids,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56arrests and extraditions.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00With repercussions around the world, scandals and shocks that have shamed
0:01:00 > 0:01:05the game and left Fifa fighting for its very existence.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06He clung to the last vestiges of power.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10It was very Blatter-esque.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14This is a Review 2015: Football In Crisis.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Lets go, Fifa, let's go, Fifa.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20Thank you.
0:01:20 > 0:01:20Thank you so much.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Thank you.
0:01:36 > 0:01:402015 started for Fifa in the heat of Doha.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42After years of discussion and talks, football
0:01:42 > 0:01:44officials met to decide one of the most contentious issues
0:01:44 > 0:01:49facing the game.
0:01:49 > 0:01:50Should the controversial Qatar World Cup in 2022 be switched
0:01:50 > 0:01:54from summer to winter?
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Finally, a result emerged to play in November
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and December that year.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01On behalf of all the European leagues and the European clubs,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05who provide most of the players for the World Cup, the idea
0:02:05 > 0:02:08that we have turned up today, it is a pretty short meeting to be
0:02:08 > 0:02:10told it is going to happen in November /December.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13It is very disappointing.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Already the signs of strain were showing, with Fifa
0:02:15 > 0:02:20officials forced to repeatedly defend their actions.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24I definitely do not feel I have to apologise for the decision
0:02:24 > 0:02:27which has been made yesterday to confirm that the World
0:02:27 > 0:02:32Cup will not be played in summer but in winter.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34As the dust settled in the desert, Fifa thought it had
0:02:34 > 0:02:36dealt with the tricky part of the year.
0:02:36 > 0:02:42Little did they know what was coming next.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Fifa officials were meeting here, their favourite 5-star
0:02:55 > 0:02:58hotel in the centre of Zurich.
0:02:58 > 0:03:06They were looking forward, of course, to the presidential
0:03:06 > 0:03:06election, which was just two days away.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07Then came the early morning wake-up call
0:03:07 > 0:03:08no-one expected.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09First, breaking news.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10This is BBC 5live.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Our top news story are those reports that...
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Six officials of the world's governing body, Fifa,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20including the vice president, have been arrested
0:03:20 > 0:03:21at a hotel in Switzerland.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23In the last hour, news has emerged from
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Switzerland of police raids on a hotel in Zurich.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Police led Fifa officials away from this back door
0:03:28 > 0:03:29of the hotel.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31It set in motion a chain of events that was scarcely
0:03:31 > 0:03:40believable and ultimately changed world football for ever.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Information on what happened was initially sketchy.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44After I got past the hotel's ever-watchful concierge,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I pulled up a chair in the lobby and watched as the FBI
0:03:47 > 0:03:48made its first move.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Fifa officials have been arrested in a series of dawn raids,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53as they are putting it.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54I am at the hotel right now.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56In the last few seconds, Fifa's General Secretary
0:03:56 > 0:03:59has just walked in.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01I asked him what was happening, if he could confirm
0:04:01 > 0:04:03these arrests.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05He said, "I do not know what is happening."
0:04:05 > 0:04:06He has walked in.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Clearly, it has taken everyone at Fifa by
0:04:08 > 0:04:09surprise.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Seven senior officials were arrested and eventually
0:04:11 > 0:04:16extradited to the US to face bribery and corruption charges.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18They included Jeffrey Webb, a man many
0:04:18 > 0:04:22believed would be a future Fifa president.
0:04:22 > 0:04:32# Money, money, money #
0:04:32 > 0:04:37The FBI's move sent shock waves through the sport.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Later that same day they launched raids on offices in Miami,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43seizing vital evidence.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47This really is the World Cup of fraud.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Today we are issuing Fifa a red card.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52Two generations of soccer officials used
0:04:52 > 0:04:54their positions of trust within their respective
0:04:54 > 0:04:56organisations to solicit bribes from sports marketers
0:04:56 > 0:05:04in exchange for the commercial rights to their soccer tournaments.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07They did this over and over, year after year, tournament
0:05:07 > 0:05:11after tournament.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Back in Zurich, Swiss police raided Fifa's offices too.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16The governing body reacted swiftly, called a news conference and put
0:05:16 > 0:05:20on a brave face.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22This, for Fifa, is good.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24It is not good in terms of image, it is not good
0:05:25 > 0:05:28in terms of reputation.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31But in terms of cleaning up, in terms of everything what we did
0:05:31 > 0:05:41in the last four years, this is good.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45It felt like the Fifa machine, if you like, the people who work
0:05:45 > 0:05:47here, all of the sudden didn't know which way to turn.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50There was an element of comedy to it as well.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53One person was doing a comedy turn, insisting everything was all right
0:05:53 > 0:05:58and Fifa had sort of kick of these events and was in completely
0:05:58 > 0:06:04in control of the situation.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Everything outside this building told you it just was not the case.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Fifa was in crisis yet again.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14Just two days before the presidential election,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17was there a chance for Prince Ali to seize the Crown and prevent Sepp
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Blatter securing another four years in charge?
0:06:19 > 0:06:23The elections should be suspended.
0:06:23 > 0:06:23Common sense should prevail but common sense does not
0:06:23 > 0:06:28seem to exist in the towers of Fifa.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Fifa has to be rid of Sepp Blatter.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Whether he is involved in any of these shenanigans or not,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36it is irrelevant.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40He is the person who has led Fifa for six to years and now we look
0:06:40 > 0:06:51at the results.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55It is completely nauseating to be involved in football and have
0:06:55 > 0:06:58to suffer this ongoing embarrassment to the game by the governing body.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00With Fifa under intense scrutiny, Sepp Blatter went
0:07:00 > 0:07:01to ground.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05He cancelled a series of planned appearances.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10President Blatter apologises not to be able to come today
0:07:10 > 0:07:13because of the turbulences you have probably followed in the media.
0:07:13 > 0:07:23It was left for Michel Platini to face the cameras.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25The storm around Fifa now of global interest.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27The top man in European football told Sepp Blatter directly
0:07:27 > 0:07:28his time was up.
0:07:28 > 0:07:35It was not a message that was well received.
0:07:35 > 0:07:41He was very sensitive.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46He said, it is too late, we cannot continue like this with Fifa.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Others were complaining that a US conspiracy was to blame.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51to other countries.
0:07:51 > 0:08:01I have no doubt at all that is blatant attempt to prevent
0:08:01 > 0:08:07the re-election of Mr Blatter as president of Fifa.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Eventually Sepp Blatter did reappear, in time to open Fifa's
0:08:11 > 0:08:15annual jamboree in front of it 209 member nations.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17With dancing over and the Congress open, Sepp Blatter
0:08:17 > 0:08:21came out fighting.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23These actions bring shame and humiliation for football
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and demand action and change from us all.
0:08:26 > 0:08:36We cannot allow the reputation of football and Fifa
0:08:39 > 0:08:41It has to stop here and now.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Mr Blatter, are you worried?
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Sepp Blatter slipped out of the back door.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Those tricky questions, they would not go away.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Sepp Blatter was under pressure like never before.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52There were calls for the election to be postponed.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55There were calls for him to resign, not just from those
0:08:55 > 0:08:59within football but from world leaders as well.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02With less than 24-hour is until the ballot was due
0:09:02 > 0:09:08to take place here, at the conference centre in ceric,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10-- in Zurich, the question was about whether he had
0:09:10 > 0:09:12courage and determination to fight on.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15If so, could he win?
0:09:20 > 0:09:22With Sepp Blatter defiant, delegates arrived
0:09:22 > 0:09:27knowing it was a choice between him and Prince Ali for the Fifa
0:09:27 > 0:09:30presidency.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32We have had questions raised about whether our family
0:09:32 > 0:09:33is morally bankrupt.
0:09:33 > 0:09:40If you give me the honour of your vote, I will take
0:09:40 > 0:09:40full responsibility and hold myself accountable to all
0:09:41 > 0:09:41of you and to the world.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43With the votes counted after the first round,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Blatter had a majority, but not by a big enough
0:09:45 > 0:09:54margin to be declared victor.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Sepp Blatter's future as Fifa president hangs in the balance
0:09:56 > 0:10:02as voting goes to a second round.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Just as quickly as those calling for change
0:10:04 > 0:10:06sensed an opening, it closed.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Prince Ali accepted defeat.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Blatter victorious once more.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14But he was wounded and grateful to survive.
0:10:14 > 0:10:23I thank you that you access to me for
0:10:23 > 0:10:25-- accepted me that for the next four years.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27I will be in command of this vote called Fifa
0:10:27 > 0:10:29and we will bring it back.
0:10:29 > 0:10:36We will bring it back offshore.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39His critics were forced to accept they faced another four years
0:10:39 > 0:10:40of his rule.
0:10:40 > 0:10:47The events of this week are so profound.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50If you listen to what the Attorney General in America said,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52this is the beginning and not the end.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54I think there was an awful lot more for this
0:10:54 > 0:10:55to play out.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57You had media amassed outside.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00You had the police outside, kind of waiting to pick off these
0:11:00 > 0:11:01guys outside the conference call.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Inside the Congress Hall, it felt as if Blatter was master
0:11:03 > 0:11:04of all he surveys.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06He got victory, gave a bizarre speech.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09In his mind, at that point, that was that.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Blatter celebrated and those who voted for him partied.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Despite the arrests and allegations, he had
0:11:14 > 0:11:21secured a record fifth term in office.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36All was not well in the Sepp Blatter camp.
0:11:36 > 0:11:42Two days after his re-election, I met his daughter, who serves
0:11:43 > 0:11:43as his close adviser.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44I got the sense that pressure was beginning to bear on her father.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Does he really think this is a conspiracy
0:11:46 > 0:11:49between Britain and America?
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I would not say for the Americans and the British.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53For people working behind-the-scenes,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56yes, absolutely.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57Dark forces?
0:11:57 > 0:12:00I do not know if you want to call them
0:12:00 > 0:12:03dark forces, they really tried hard.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05He is not a person who is taking money.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08All the money he earned, he earned it by working.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11He is a hard-working president.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14His character is not like that.
0:12:14 > 0:12:20He is not taking any money.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Is he concerned about being arrested?
0:12:22 > 0:12:23No.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26We talked about that this morning and, no, he is not
0:12:26 > 0:12:30concerned about that.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32That pressure built further.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35On 2nd of June Fifa was forced to deny
0:12:35 > 0:12:38complicity in an alleged $10 million ban by the South African World Cup
0:12:38 > 0:12:41team, paid via a Fifa account.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43For Sepp Blatter, the years of handing
0:12:43 > 0:12:47over the World Cup must have seemed a distant memory.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49He held a series of meetings with lawyers and close
0:12:49 > 0:12:51friends over his future.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Their message to him was clear.
0:12:54 > 0:13:00What followed shocked Fifa and the watching world.
0:13:00 > 0:13:00Sepp Blatter is to stand down as president of world
0:13:00 > 0:13:03football's governing body, Fifa.
0:13:03 > 0:13:13Our sports correspondent was the early
0:13:19 > 0:13:23-- only British journalist at today's news conference in Zurich.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25He is on the line now.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27What was the reaction when he made that announcement a short
0:13:27 > 0:13:28time ago?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31He was told to come up to Fifa headquarters at very short
0:13:31 > 0:13:32notice.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35It was clear that something significant was about to be
0:13:35 > 0:13:36announced and so that became true.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Sepp Blatter walked into the room.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40He made a speech that lasted a little
0:13:40 > 0:13:43over five minutes he talked about how he wants to do his best
0:13:43 > 0:13:45for Fifa and his best for the game he loved.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48He said he decided to resign for those reasons.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50TRANSLATION: I do not feel I have a mandate from the entire
0:13:50 > 0:13:51world of football.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54There is still an element of mystery about exactly what changed
0:13:54 > 0:13:57between his presidential victory and his decision to lay down
0:13:57 > 0:13:58his mandate in that convoluted language.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01It may be some time before he reveals exactly what it was that
0:14:01 > 0:14:05changed his mind.
0:14:05 > 0:14:05To my mind, he switched very quickly from utter
0:14:05 > 0:14:06defiance and having Putin on his side and thinking
0:14:06 > 0:14:10it was all a US plot, to some of those closest to him
0:14:10 > 0:14:12ramming home just how serious it all was.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14A month later, Fifa decided a date for a fresh election.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Sepp Blatter confirmed he would not be a candidate but it came
0:14:17 > 0:14:25accompanied with the defining image of the year,
0:14:25 > 0:14:30as a British comedian showered Sepp Blatter with cash.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41As Fifa prepared for life without Sepp
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Blatter, the fallout from the US and Swiss investigations continued.
0:14:45 > 0:14:53In New York, the evidence provided by larger than life Chuck Blazer...
0:14:53 > 0:14:57The Fifa executive turned supergrass...
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Revealed new and shocking claims of alleged corruption.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Over in the Caribbean, Jack Warner denied any
0:15:02 > 0:15:07knowledge of a $10 million bribe from South Africa.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Despite a BBC investigation suggesting he had
0:15:09 > 0:15:20siphoned off all of the cash.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Jack?
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Can you tell us where the $10 million went,
0:15:31 > 0:15:32Jack?
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Mr Warner clips where did the $10 million go?
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Can you tell us one project, Mr Warner?
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Can you tell it about one project he spent
0:15:39 > 0:15:40the money on?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42In South Africa, similar angry denials over analleged bunk
0:15:42 > 0:15:44to secure votes for the 2010 World Cup.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46The man at the centre of it all was meanwhile
0:15:46 > 0:15:49trying to continue with life as usual.
0:15:49 > 0:15:59To relax.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02For the people how they have received me, you have seen it.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07In his Alpine home he is still welcomed as the local boy made good.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09At the summit Charity Festival, he put his troubles behind him,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11at least for a few hours.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13He finally broke his silence with the British
0:16:13 > 0:16:14media and spoke exclusively to me.
0:16:14 > 0:16:24The public opinion right now, the fans opinion, rightly
0:16:24 > 0:16:26or wrongly, is that this organisation has systemic
0:16:26 > 0:16:27corruption at its heart.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32That is not true.
0:16:32 > 0:16:32It is not true.
0:16:32 > 0:16:32This has been created.
0:16:32 > 0:16:32The institution is not corrupt.
0:16:32 > 0:16:32There is no corruption in football.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34There is corruption with individuals.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35That is not general, organised corruption.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37There is no corruption within Fifa?
0:16:37 > 0:16:40No, it is with people.
0:16:40 > 0:16:49The institution, Fifa, is not corrupt.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52You knew about this and turned a blind
0:16:52 > 0:16:54eye to it?
0:16:54 > 0:17:00Or, you did not know about it and that shows a level,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02perhaps, of incompetency, that you let this flourish.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04The problem with Fifa, and this is the ultimate
0:17:04 > 0:17:07reform we have to do now, the problem is the executive
0:17:07 > 0:17:08committee.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10The executive committee is not elected by the same entity
0:17:10 > 0:17:15as the president.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17The World Cup Africa was the cleanest World Cup ever been
0:17:17 > 0:17:18done.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23There was no fraud in 2010?
0:17:24 > 0:17:34I said it was all correct.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37$10 million passed from a Fifa account.
0:17:37 > 0:17:58I do not enter into this discussion.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00No, I am not a worried man.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03You are trying to break always the same thing back.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04Look forward and help us to investigate
0:18:04 > 0:18:05what really has happened.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11Millions of people want to clear up these big
0:18:11 > 0:18:11allegations and claims.
0:18:11 > 0:18:11I cannot go into investigations they are
0:18:11 > 0:18:12running.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15It turned outthose investigations ran deeper than he could
0:18:15 > 0:18:17ever have imagined.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20As the weeks went by, it was clear the waters were far
0:18:20 > 0:18:22from calm for Fifa.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Its general secretary was suspended over allegations concerning the sale
0:18:25 > 0:18:29of World Cup tickets.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32There was then another incredible twist when Swiss
0:18:32 > 0:18:37prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against Sepp Blatter.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40The office of the Attorney General in Switzerland says Sepp Blatter
0:18:40 > 0:18:43is suspected of criminal mismanagement
0:18:43 > 0:18:53over TV rights deal signed with Jack Warner in 2005.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56In addition he is also accused of ?1.3 million disloyal
0:18:56 > 0:18:58payment in 2011 to Michel Platini.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Today, the office of the Attorney General in Switzerland
0:19:01 > 0:19:03searched Fifa's headquarters, including the office of Mr Blatter,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05and Mr Blatter himself, he was questioned and
0:19:05 > 0:19:15interrogated as a defendant.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Mr Platini, why did you wait nine years before asking
0:19:20 > 0:19:21for payment from Mr Blatter?
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Did you do a deal with Mr Blatter?
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Michel Platini, is your Fifa campaign now over?
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Do you have anything to say at all?
0:19:35 > 0:19:46Do you want Uefa to back you tomorrow?
0:19:47 > 0:19:55One of Sepp Blatter's analogies is comparing
0:19:55 > 0:20:01Fifa to a boat and himself as captain steering a ship
0:20:01 > 0:20:01to calmer waters.
0:20:01 > 0:20:01That may well still happen in due course.
0:20:01 > 0:20:11Mr Blatter, he has been tossed overboard.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Several of Fifa's big sponsors called on Sepp Blatter
0:20:14 > 0:20:15to resign immediately.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16Fifa's ethics committee acted quickly,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18provisionally suspending both Blatter and Michel Platini for 90
0:20:18 > 0:20:19days.
0:20:19 > 0:20:29Six months ago, you could not have conceived the ethics committee,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33set up by Sepp Blatter, housed within Fifa, had recommended
0:20:33 > 0:20:37the banning for life of Sepp Blatter.
0:20:37 > 0:20:45With its two most senior men now officially accused of wrongdoing
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and suspended, suddenly this crisis had gone right to the very top.
0:20:48 > 0:20:58As autumn turned to winter, Fifa began to take stock.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02They started to think they could put the year behind them and maybe
0:21:02 > 0:21:09before and restore some reputation.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10Then the toxic past caught up with them once more.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13The US promised it would strike again.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16They were true to their word.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Just as in May, Swiss law enforcement teams working
0:21:19 > 0:21:22with the FBI swooped on a hotel and arrested yet more senior
0:21:22 > 0:21:27officials in dawn raids.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30This time, it was two men at the top of the Berlin North,
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Central and South America.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Those Fifa officials who remained made
0:21:34 > 0:21:37their way up the hill to Fifa headquarters to try to continue
0:21:37 > 0:21:43their executive committee meeting as normal.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45As the world's media again descended on the Zurich,
0:21:45 > 0:21:53Fifa's hopes of presenting an organisation
0:21:53 > 0:21:56reformed by itself, had been affected by the morning's dramatic
0:21:56 > 0:21:57events.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00You all know that Fifa is going through a major crisis.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02As we also all know, the crisis is a unique opportunity
0:22:02 > 0:22:05for a change, for renewal, and for commencing a new
0:22:05 > 0:22:15period of its very rich history.
0:22:20 > 0:22:29Over in Washington, DC, US authorities confirmed they
0:22:29 > 0:22:31business and more pain would follow.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Let me say, the betrayal of trust that has set forth
0:22:34 > 0:22:35here is truly outrageous.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37The scale of corruption alleged here in is
0:22:37 > 0:22:38unconscionable.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40The message fromthis announcement should be clear,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42to every culpable individual who remained in the shadows,
0:22:42 > 0:22:50hoping to evade this ongoing investigation,
0:22:50 > 0:22:50you will not wait us out and you will not escape our focus.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Fifa's direction of travel right now is something of a mystery.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55A new leader will be elected in February and attention is focused
0:22:55 > 0:22:58on Bahrain, where one candidate has refuted
0:22:58 > 0:23:03allegations concerning alleged human rights abuses to emerge as the front
0:23:03 > 0:23:05runner.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09To bring trust is back to football and to Fifa,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12it is about taking the right decisions.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14If you bring the right people, you will
0:23:14 > 0:23:18make the right decisions.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22This has been the most tumultuous period in Fifa's 111 year history.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Their difficulties, however, are far from
0:23:25 > 0:23:31over.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33What happens next will help to determine the future
0:23:33 > 0:23:35of world football for many years to come.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39I think this will prove that Fifa cannot do whatever it likes.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41The fear for me is, somehow, over time,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44it will regenerate and we will end up back in ten, 20 years.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48That is the reason you do need kind of a firm,
0:23:48 > 0:23:53outside intervention to make sure this is not a break point andthings
0:23:53 > 0:24:00do not carry on as they have previously.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03What is clear is that the people at the top are not mired
0:24:03 > 0:24:05with the history of the past.
0:24:05 > 0:24:15Perception is as important as reality.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18In a few years' time, if it starts to work,
0:24:18 > 0:24:19I will be the first one to applaud.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21I think it is a crying shame.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25When I say the fur is an irrelevance to the pool, what I really mean
0:24:25 > 0:24:26by that is football is doing quite well irrespective of Fifa.