UEFA Boycott of World Cup Would Shake, Even Revolutionise, FIFA
There are rumblings of a World Cup boycott, the tremors of which could shake FIFA to its core.
On Monday, in the wake of the FIFA Ethics Committee's controversial review of an investigation into World Cup bidding procedures, former FA chairman David Bernstein urged the English football establishment to unite with UEFA in pulling out of the 2018 tournament.
"If I was at the FA now," he told the BBC, "I would do everything I could to encourage other nations within UEFA—and there are some who would definitely be on side, others maybe not—to take this line."
Bernstein's remarks—similar to those he made in 2011 according to the Guardian's Owen Gibson—echoed those of German Football League president Dr. Reinhard Rauball, who on Saturday slammed FIFA's summary of former New York district attorney Michael Garcia's report on host-nation bidding processes and called for the findings to be published in full.
"Not only must the decision of the Ethics Committee be published, but Mr. Garcia's bill of indictment, too," he told German outlet Kicker, as per The Guardian.
Four hours after Ethics Committee chairman Hans-Joachim Eckert released a 42-page review of the investigation Garcia disowned the FIFA version of his report, labelling it "materially incomplete and erroneous," according to the Telegraph, and vowed to launch an appeal.
"The result was a breakdown in communication," analysed Rauball, "and it has shaken the foundations of FIFA in a way I've never experienced before."
He added: "You have to entertain the question of whether you are still in good hands with FIFA. One option that would have to bear serious consideration is certainly that UEFA leaves FIFA."
Bernstein and Rauball are not alone in their calls for world football's governing body to reveal the extent of what Garcia unearthed.
British MP Damien Collins recently told the BBC that "allegations of bribery and serious wrongdoing remain unanswered," and Clive Efford, the Labour Party's shadow sports minister, commented via the Telegraph that FIFA had no choice but to publish the full Garcia report if it expected anyone "to believe their claims that there has been no cover-up."
If the airing of grievances is a precursor to revolution, then the winds of insurrection are certainly bringing trouble to FIFA's doorstep.
England and Germany are among world football's most powerful nations, and a breakaway bloc including the likes of France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain would certainly damage the credibility of the 2018 World Cup, which will be played in Russia.
"You can't hold a serious World Cup without them," explained Bernstein. "They have the power to influence if they have the will."
No doubt the spectre of a high-profile boycott would give FIFA pause for reflection. And, hypothetically, if UEFA pulled out of the organisation en masse, it's conceivable that the governing body could suffer a gravitational collapse.
What remains to be seen is the extent to which UEFA would force its way once its gun is pointed at FIFA's head. Would it merely demand the complete Garcia report? Would it call for long-time president Sepp Blatter's exit? Would it demand a re-vote on Qatar's 2022 World Cup?
"DFL President Reinhard Rauball on the Michael Garcia report saga: "This result rocks FIFA's foundations in a way which I never seen before".
— Marco Conradie (@MarcoConradie10) November 15, 2014"
These are the messy questions of rebellion, and a unified, coherent voice would be necessary to achieve whatever the Europeans see as their end game.
Already, Bernstein has weighed into matters such as Qatar's "political, social and employment" issues," which include the use of migrant workers in the construction of World Cup stadiums.
But the kafala system, which links employees to employers by a sort of pseudo-slavery, is not a FIFA problem; it's a regional one. And in referring to the 2022 event as "one of the most ludicrous decisions in the history of sport," the 71-year-old is hardly helping his case.
Yes, the possibility of a World Cup boycott, and even a FIFA pullout, is growing more feasible by the day, and additional voices from throughout UEFA will almost certainly join Bernstein and Rauball in protestation.
It's only voices for now, however, and a unity in position will be required to take the movement forward.
Even so, it's impossible to disregard the cold, hard truth that FIFA, in their flouting of transparency, has brought this uprising on themselves.
