Several top officials from FIFA, the global governing body of the sport of soccer, were sensationally arrested overnight in Zurich, Switzerland. They are being extradited to the US to face charges of corruption.
One prominent official who has not been arrested, of course, is FIFA president Sepp Blatter. But as the New York Times, which broke the news, pointed out, the investigation could damage his standing.
The inquiry is also a major threat to Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s longtime president who is generally recognized as the most powerful person in sports, though he was not charged. Blatter has for years acted as a de facto head of state. Politicians, star players, national soccer officials and global corporations that want their brands attached to the sport have long genuflected before him.
There is no suggestion here that Blatter has done anything wrong. Elections for FIFA’s presidency take place this Friday, May 29, and had been seen as essentially a coronation. Whether today’s scandal does anything to change that remains to be seen.
In any case, as his frequent audiences with world leaders attest, Blatter is indeed one powerful and well-connected individual:
