With the 2018/2022 World Cup hosts to be announced on Thursday, BBC's Panorama deciding to air a special FIFA programme detailing certain bribing issues. With England hoping to mount a successful World Cup bid there was huge controversy about the showing of such programme. With fears of it jeopardising the bid because it was going to show the world of how corruption is occurring in the FIFA headquarters. The programme showed various big shots within the footballing world getting backhanders in return for their World Cup host votes in previous World Cups, there is also substantial evidence that three of the committee members in this year's election process have been involved in bribing scandals.
During the World Cup earlier in the year there were claims that Russia were cheating in their quest for the 2018 World Cup. Because of the timing and also for the chances of such allegations jeopardising England's 2018 World Cup hosting hopes, it was all hushed up very quickly and resulted in jobs being lost.
As far as I am concerned, I think that England stand to have a great chance of having a successful bid regardless of this programme. I don't think it's right for FIFA or anybody to hide or even let corruption occur in any sport. So to be told that the BBC shouldn't have aired this programme is utter nonsense. How is it fair to allow this sort of corruption to occur with full knowledge and keep it all under wraps? I think, as a football fan, we are entitled to be told what is actually going on behind the scenes of the beautiful game, and unfortunately we see a very ugly side to it. It's upsetting to think that money can shift a person's vote to allow a lesser country, possibly, to earn the right to host football's biggest tournament. For England officials to be appalled at Panorama for showing a programme that show reasons why England's bid could have been, and still could be, lost to Russia or Spain/Portugal or Holland/Belgium because a few hundred grand has passed between bank accounts is even more infuriating. If England lose the bid it should be because FIFA's reports show that we are weak in certain areas, however reports say quite the opposite and I think if England don't win the bid it may have something to do with monetary transactions, that England and FIFA want to hide and allow to continue while denying it's existence! It's just depressing to see sport being governed by big business and not talent or the real reason why fans turn up to watch their sport, something needs to be done all across the sporting world and it needs to be done fast.
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