It all started in December 2010. Days after the BBC broadcasted a Panorama expose of FIFA, Russia and Qatar were awarded the hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Since then, sports media from all over the world criticised world football’s governing body of systemic bribes and money laundering that added up to millions. Then the president, Sepp Blatter promised an investigation. But he always denied any wrongdoings until the scandal erupted in May 2015.
14 Fifa executives and officials were arrested by Swiss police at a hotel in Zurich at the request of the US government.
It was part of the ongoing investigation that included racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering by some of the top-ranking officials of FIFA over the years.
Those arrested included Rafael Esquivel, Nicolas Leoz, Jeffrey Webb, Jack Warner, Eduardo Li, Eugenio Figueredo and Jose Maria Marin. The pressure eventually led to the resignation of Blatter in June only days after he was re-elected.
In September 2015, criminal proceedings commenced against Blatter by Swiss and US authorities for mismanagement and abuse of power and money.
The widespread corruption accusations led to Blatter and Michael Platini being banned for eight years from all football-related activity by FIFA’s ethics committee. Many hoped that the election of Gianni Infantino on February 26, 2016, at the FIFA Extraordinary Congress would bring to an end an era engulfed in corruption.
And to a certain extent, Infantino’s impact could be seen, even though he continued to be a subject of scandals. To date, 18 defendants have pled guilty.
Just when it seemed like everything was getting back to normalcy, Infantino was placed under investigation following accusations of a breach of the ethics code.
But he was cleared of any wrongdoings in August. His promises included the expansion of the Word Cup with a potential 48 teams. He also proposed measures that will bring in more transparency to the club transfer system.
On Wednesday, he revealed that world football federations are in favour of the expansion of the tournament. So far, It has been a smooth journey for the former UEFA general secretary.