FIFA Heading for Own Goal as Sepp Tells Brits to Back Off?

In the aftermath of FIFA’s selection of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has gone on the offensive in an unusually aggressive manner, bashing any and all who express their displeasure or disappointment with the selection process. We see Blatter’s reaction -- or, more appropriately, his overreaction -- as a tripwire that sounds the behavioral alarm, and strongly suggests that a closer look at Blatter’s remarks is warranted.

Perhaps most importantly from a behavioral assessment perspective is the string of verbal attacks Blatter has directed towards his critics, primarily the Brits. Examples of these attacks include:

• Blatter accused the British bid team of “arrogance” and being “bad losers.” (The Telegraph)
• “I really sense in some reactions a bit of the arrogance of the western world of Christian background. Some simply can’t bear it if others get a chance for a change.” (The Telegraph)
• “What can be wrong if we start football in regions where this sport demonstrates a potential which goes far beyond sport?” (The Telegraph)
• "To be honest, I was surprised by all the English complaining after the defeat. England, of all people, the motherland of fairplay ideas." (The Guardian)

On the surface, it’s difficult to understand what Blatter hopes to achieve by attacking both the religious background of the U.K. and its sense of fair play, especially when one considers the country’s love of the sport and almost maniacal fan support for the game. We believe the answer lies in the behavioral analysis of another statement made by Blatter: “There is no systematic corruption in FIFA.”

In this context, the word “systematic” appears to be a behavioral qualifier that suggests Blatter believes that corruption does exist in FIFA, it’s just not systematic corruption -- perhaps even implying it's simply opportunistic. In FIFA’s world, what’s a bigger opportunity than selecting the host of the World Cup? While some might view that conclusion as overly cynical, Blatter’s statement, "We need to improve our image. We also need to clarify some things within FIFA" does much to substantiate our analysis.

So let’s connect some dots here. If Blatter’s comments suggest some type or level of wrongdoing or “corruption” within FIFA’s World Cup selection process, what happened? How extensive is the problem?

The volume, focus, and intensity of his attacks strongly suggest Blatter is doing everything in his power to preclude further inquiry into this matter. If he attacks those who are critical of FIFA and successfully impeaches their credibility, perhaps no one will pay attention to their claims or deem them worthy of further scrutiny. This is a mindset often seen in those who seek to hide some level of wrongdoing. It’s also noteworthy that the majority of FIFA’s critics are faulting the process, while nearly all of Blatter’s attacks are much more personal in nature, directed at the West, its religion, and its sense of fair play. Despite Blatter’s apparent efforts to get his detractors to back off, we suspect that’s unlikely to happen.