No line has been repeated more often during the Fifa scandal than the instruction that football should follow the example of the International Olympic Committee. In 1998, the received wisdom goes, artful Mormons offered all kinds of bribes in cash and kind to committee members. An Olympic official revealed their plan to buy the right to host the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and the movement purged itself of corruption.
‘We also know that putting everything on the desk can be a painful experience,’ said the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, as he advised Fifa yesterday. ‘But it is absolutely necessary to do this as we have seen from our own history.’
According Bach, a Fifa mired in scandal, should learn from an Olympic movement that has cleaned itself up. In truth, the Olympians are slouching back towards the mire. They will land with a plop when the European Games opens in Baku, Azerbaijan on Friday.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in