If football wasn't so corrupt....

Another day, another FIFA bigwig seems to be accused of dipping his fingers into the cookie jar. With Coca Cola feeling uneasy with the recent headlines, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter played down the crisis which surrounds the world's leading football authority by insisting that the recent spate of corruption charges raised against members of his executive committee are merely 'difficulties'. He confirmed that the election for FIFA President is still to be held on Wednesday, which of course is no longer a contest but his own coronation, as his challenger Mohammed Bin Hammam pulled out of the race and has also been suspended by FIFA's Ethics Committee. Sepp Blatter, who has been in his position since 1998, is looking likely to serve yet another term amidst a storm of controversy which swirls doggedly around Zurich.

In the UK this story has gathered real pace ever since the decision to award Russia and Qatar the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, leaving the England 2018 bid firmly in the cold with a measly 2 votes. Since then we've had BBC Panorama programmes, hidden emails and the former bid chairman Lord Triesman claiming that one of the Executive Committee Members wanted a knighthood in exchange for an English vote. Oh and not forgetting that hotel schmoozing before the vote takes place, where a delegation team featuring our own future King and Prime Minister had to 'butter up' and 'seduce' key FIFA bigwigs for their vote. It all seemed to be rather seedy indeed.

There's even talk now that if FIFA can't clean up their act, England should leave the federation all together. "They didn't give us a World Cup, so to hell with them!" - maybe there's some sour grapes thrown in there, but fairness is the main factor here. But how would that work? Could England really leave FIFA and perhaps start off something more credible built on ideals of fairness and true democracy?

Truth is FIFA have such a stranglehold on the game and if England were to leave they surely couldn't go alone. I've read that that under FIFA there are around 208 national associations from the mighty United States of America (FIFA world ranked 22nd) to the islands of American Samoa (ranked joint bottom, 202nd). Surely they would have to convince other larger nations to follow suit - but they feel as strongly as a wounded England fresh from the 2018 vote? It's clear to me that unless they embark on yet another mission of mass diplomacy  England need FIFA probably more than FIFA needs England.

But one interesting point looking at it from a Celtic nation / Welsh perspective, could a move away from FIFA secure our footballing autonomies from the threat of a Team GB? The stern, almost stubborn position of the Scottish, Irish and Welsh Football Associations to discourage any involvement in the London 2012 British Olympic team is a clear portrayal distrust of FIFA in the fact that the forcing of a Team GB isn't an impossibility.

Personally I can't see a move away from FIFA for any of the home nations being the answer to this problem. FIFA has to be reformed and by the sounds of it, completely gutted from within. But I have to say, with all this FIFA business grabbing the headlines, I have been enlightened by a book which gives me hope for the beautiful game. "Outcasts! The Lands That FIFA Forgot" by Steve Menary is a fascinating look at the 'nations' which FIFA feels are not worthy of joining the other 208 I've alluded to. In fact, countries, principalities, islands, unrecognised states around the world such as Zanzibar, Isle of Man, Monaco, Kurdistan and Northern Cyprus often compete in tournaments outside of FIFA, such as the VIVA World Cup. The book looks at the author's trips to a selection of these places to learn more about their own quests to play football on an international stage, whether it is playing in a local friendly or trying to become part of FIFA.

When reading this I feel that these teams; often short on cash, make a real effort just to able to play and to represent their homeland. It fills me with hope that although these are the teams FIFA has left behind, they carry the true meaning of the game away from the exclusive Mens Club that sits in Switzerland.