I don't know if anyone has mentioned it but there is an excellent book on FIFA's illegal activities entitled "Omerta", after the code of silence enforced by the Mafia. The FBI have for some time been investigating FIFA as part of the organised crime "scene". Blatter has avoided visiting the USA for more than four years, presumably because he fears being hauled in for questioning. The FBI then made a break through a couple of years ago when it acquired what is apparently known in the business as "a singing bird", an insider who turns informant. He gave them details of individuals and, perhaps more importantly, account numbers and details of transactions. Yesterday, in addition to the arrests, computers and documents were seized at FIFA headquarters. The Americans are so concerned about FIFA, I think, because North and Central America does seem to be prominent in the levels of corruption evident, but also because the dollar is the currency used in such deals and the American authorities are very sensitive on the matter of dollar crime. It's clear that the Americans have kicked the Swiss into action and it could be a sign of incresing American irritability with the Swiss because the Americans have recently bullied them into giving details of accounts in Swiss banks held by Americans to avoid US tax. I think for football we should be grateful that the Americans have taken action against FIFA, a body which has degenerated into a self-serving bunch of gangsters prepared to ruin football for their personal gain. The only answer I can see is that FIFA is wound up as too corrupt ever to be reformed, everyone involved in it or any other of the governing affiliates such as UEFA is considered unsuitable for office and we start again with a new body concerning itself with tournaments and not trying to make ridiculous demands about stadia, facilities and any of the matters that led it to provoke anti-world cup riots in one of the most football mad countries on earth.
