Plenipotentiary Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA between 1998 and 2015, was often known as the Pope of football. Everywhere he went he was received by presidents of government and heads of state, who laid out the red carpet for him, among glamorous galas and succulent food. In the hand of the Swiss leader, a network of juicy possibilities pivoted around the goose that lays the golden eggs, namely the awarding of the soccer World Cup. But economic aid to less developed countries also helped the ambitious Blatter to weave a network of influences and support that helped him remain in power. But everything began to go wrong with the concession, full of shadows and suspicions, of the World Cups to Russia and Qatar. Even the tournament changed dates and ended up being played for the first time in history in winter in the middle of the desert. The flood of millions and alleged bribes were the order of the day.
The FIFA Gate broke out, affecting a good part of the organization's senior staff, and both Blatter and Michel Platini, president of UEFA between 2007 and 2015, were expelled from football for a period of eight years. It's not that the ball wasn't stained, it's that it wasn't clean at all. It was totally muddy and dedicated to whitewashing countries without democratic status like Qatar. You only need to check the Qatari landing at PSG and the continued support of senior French leaders, including the Elysee Palace, in favor of the World Cup going to the Qatari emirate, as it finally happened. Of course, with Blatter's successor at the helm of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, the organization of the 2034 World Cup has ended up being awarded to Saudi Arabia, which has burst into the geostrategy of the ball in recent times based on checkbook and without the values of democracy and human rights precisely reigning in the country.
If on the international scene the imbroglio was serious, in Spain three quarters of the same thing happened, with another eternal figure at the center of the controversy such as Ángel María Villar, president of the RFEF between 1988 and 2017.
The leader of the most important successes of the Spanish men's team ended up imprisoned and disqualified for the Soule case after almost three decades leading Spanish football. On July 18, 2017, he was arrested by the Civil Guard, along with his son Gorka Villar and the economic vice president of the RFEF, Juan Padrón, under the supervision of the judge of the National Court Santiago Pedraz. Two days later he entered prison unconditionally and provisionally. On August 1 of that year he paid 300,000 euros in bail to get out of jail. But he could not prevent his expulsion as federation president.
In the Soule case, senior leaders of the RFEF, as well as presidents of several territorial federations and businessmen, are being investigated for alleged crimes of unfair administration, misappropriation and/or fraud, embezzlement of public funds, document falsification, corruption between individuals and tax offense.
All these alleged niceties were what Luis Rubiales wanted to get out of circulation when he took over from Villar. At least that is what he publicly sold when he landed in the RFEF before the 2018 World Cup in Russia. There is a long way between saying and doing.
