David Beckham Comments on FIFA Corruption Scandal

Former Manchester United star David Beckham has weighed in on the ongoing FIFA corruption scandal, calling it “disgusting” and telling reporters he believes the organisation is doing nothing to clean up its act.

Speaking to the Radio Times (h/t NBC Sports' Joe Prince-Wright), the iconic midfielder was asked whether he thought FIFA are turning the corner in the wake of the latest arrests and their decision to suspend a number of individuals themselves.

Beckham's answer was clear: “No—they are just hitting the bend. It’s such a mess that it’s going to take a while to sort out. For me to see the game, the way it’s been treated and looked after, is devastating. It’s disgusting.”

Asked about FIFA's decision to hand the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively, the former England international sounded a little more supportive―but only just, saying: “Whether it’s corrupt or not, those countries have been chosen. People need to get behind that.”

Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images

The corruption scandal has dogged FIFA since the FBI and Swiss authorities made their first arrests back in May 2015 and has since led to suspensions for FIFA president Sepp Blatter, UEFA president Michel Platini and a host of other leading figures of world football, per the BBC.

As shared by the Associated Press' Rob Harris, FIFA haven't exactly done everything possible to silence the critics:

One of the key questions the investigators must solve is whether the assignments of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were made as results of bribery and whether the two tournaments will be moved to a new location.

Moving both would be a logistical nightmare, with infrastructure already being built across Russia and Qatar. The 2018 World Cup in particular seems almost certain to go through as planned, as it would be nearly impossible to find a new host able and willing to refurbish a number of stadiums in less than three years. 

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