The investigation into FIFA has confirmed that an ugly monster controls the ‘beautiful’ game. The investigation has implicated some of the most senior members of FIFA on corruption charges and also alleges that the process of awarding Russia and Qatar the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was corrupted.

The FIFA World Cup which occurs once every year is arguably the biggest sporting extravaganza in the world. FIFA members vote well in advance and decide which country will be responsible for hosting the FIFA world cup and then give them sufficient time to prepare to host the FIFA world cup. The 2018 and 2022 World Cups have already been awarded to Russia and Qatar based on the votes each country managed to obtain during the FIFA selection process.

Yet investigators reveal that bribes were paid to senior FIFA officials in order to buy votes in their favour and secure the rights to host the FIFA world cup. The man in the midst of these corruption charges is the disgraced FIFA vice president Jack Warner, who was also the right hand man to former FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Warner was accused of being the main man responsible for selling FIFA votes to obtain the rights to host the FIFA world cup. He is accused of selling each vote for $1 million and was reported to have asked Egypt to pay a $7 million bribe to obtain the rights to host the 2010 World Cup. Egypt declined to pay Warner any bribe and did not receive a single vote during the bidding process. Warner is accused of collecting $10 million on behalf of South Africa who eventually went on to host the 2010 World Cup.

Former FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer has admitted in a court of law to receiving bribes along with other FIFA officials. Blazer said “Beginning in or about 1993 and continuing through the early 2000s, I and others agreed to accept bribes and kickbacks in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup along with the broadcast and other rights to the 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003 Gold Cups”.

Domenico Scala, the head of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee recently stated that a thorough investigation will be conducted into all of these allegations and if evidence surfaces that Russia and Qatar were awarded the rights to host the world cup due to bribes paid, their right to host the world cup could very well be annulled.