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home for the homeless questions in sport
playthegame
magazine 2011
Creating consensus:
Call for a global governance code
Confronting differences:
Jennings vs. FIFA
Raising questions:
Finding sports’ challenges
bringing change to the heart of sport
stories from the seventh world communication conference on sport and society
German Sport University Cologne • 3-6 October 2011
playthegame magazine 2011
Play the Game 2011 contents playthegame 2011 EDITORIAL
conference magazine
commit itself to serving as an entertainment industry at
Mega-events
© Play the Game 2011 the service of the global financial and political elites?
Perhaps the choice has already been made, so what
4 New international study scrutinises mega-event stadiums
This magazine is a journalistic summary can we do?
6 Brazil is set to repeat mistakes of previous mega-events
of events during Play the Game 2011, the Stéphane Hessel brings no prescription and no
6 London stadium could be the next white elephant
seventh world communication conference solutions, other than he wishes for us all to find a
7 Stadium security: To protect people or business interests?
Photo:Thomas Søndergaard
on sport and society, which took place at reason to become outraged, because this drives us to
the German Sport University Cologne, become strong and engaged.
Governance
from 3-6 October 2011. For the past 15 years, Play the Game has served
Views expressed in the articles are not as a kind of asylum for untold stories, or should I say
8 The four words that are the end of sport
necessarily those of Play the Game/Danish stories of the unheard, and the need for such asylum has
10 FIFA aid may pay for votes rather than matches
Institute for Sport Studies (Idan). unfortunately not decreased.
11 A democratic breakthrough for world football?
But the goal of Play the Game is not only to report
12 Tough ride for FIFA communications director
Articles can be quoted in parts when the wrongdoings, the conflicts and the undesirable, but
13 Play the Game Award for being right
crediting the author and Play the Game. also to develop the debate, bring about solutions and
14 The public has a right to ask questions about sports corruption
For all other kinds of reproduction written by Jens Sejer Andersen encourage constructive action.
16 The Cologne Consensus
permission must be requested at International Director, Play the Game This is why the 300 participants concluded Play the
17 The IOC gives non-answer to Cologne Consensus
info@playthegame.org Game 2011 with the ‘Cologne Consensus’, urging the
17 Reform of sport is a “biggie”
By chance the opening of Play the Game 2011 IOC to call for a global conference on good
Editor-in-chief fell on the 3rd of October, the anniversary governance in sport.
Sporting culture
Henrik H. Brandt of the German Reunification. The IOC has avoided sending a
To create
henrik.brandt@idan.dk That day is a reminder that clear yes or no back. It leaves us
18 Being a real woman: A matter of testing or self-declaration?
the absolutely unthinkable can with the conclusion that we must
19 Sporno: Five places where sport meets pornography
Editors happen overnight. Two decades continue to pursue alternative
20 Sports participation is now on the European agenda
ago we saw to our amazement solutions to rid sport of
is to resist,
Søren Bang 22 Sports values from words to action
soeren.bang@idan.dk how one of the most gigantic, corruption.
powerful, heavily armed One such alternative
Football
and seemingly untouchable was given to Play the Game
to resist is to
Kirsten Sparre
kirsten@playthegame.org political systems can collapse right upon our return from
24 Hooligans behind German racism and violence in Argentina
within a few months when its the Cologne conference. The
25 How football fuelled the Arab spring
moral foundation crumbles, EU Commission granted us
create
Writers 26 55 percent of Europe’s football clubs spend more than they earn
Jens Sejer Andersen when the glue that binds it 200,000 euros for a project
Kirsten Sparre together is fear and mutual aimed at defining guidelines
Uphill battles
Marcus Hoy distrust, and when ordinary people and raising awareness about
Steve Menary start voting with their feet. governance issues in international
28 Doping: Dispatches from the frontline
Søren Bang Also in sport the unthinkable happens. sports federations.
29 Corruption crusader: The price has been too high
Ditte Toft A little while ago, who would have dreamt We are privileged to count on some of
Declan Hill world leaders would start questioning the way FIFA Europe’s best experts as partners in this project which
Media and sport
Trygve Buch Laub handles the affairs of football? will present its results in the spring of 2013. Among
Katja Rasmussen others we can continue the excellent collaboration with
30 Newspapers focus narrowly on sports results
One of the most popular books in Europe in recent our 2011 conference host, the German Sport University
32 It takes public spirit to ensure visibility for disabled athletes
Photos years has been a tiny leaflet written by the 93-year-old Cologne.
All photos by press photographer Tine German-born French former diplomat Stéphane Hessel,
The conference
Harden if not otherwise credited. Photos a man who survived torture in Nazi concentration In this magazine, we try to reflect the intelligence and
from the conference can be downloaded camps, took part in the resistance during the 2nd World the commitment brought to Play the Game 2011 by
34 Sponsors
from: www.playthegame.org/2011 War and a few years later co-authored the Universal over 300 participants.
35 Facts about Play the Game/Idan
Declaration of Human Rights. You may now and then be overwhelmed by
Play the Game/Idan would like to thank ‘Indignez-vous!’ – translated into ‘Time for outrage’ the number of stories about match-fixing, illegal
The following magazine does not claim to paint a full picture of world – is the title that this senior political figure has sent betting, corruption, organised crime, white elephants,
the National Olympic Committee and sport – not even of Play the Game 2011.We have selected among articles
Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF), across three generations to the youth of today, and the discrimination, violence, neglected grass-roots and
already written about our 2011 conference in Cologne and added new
Team Danmark and Danish Gymnastics and youth has responded by the millions. other cases of betrayed values.
articles, all highlighting issues that need urgent consideration by the global
Sports Associations (DGI) for their financial sports community. Many valuable contributions have been sacrificed in
Hessel does not send a message, he is the message: They are not invented for the occasion.They are real,
support in publishing this magazine. the editorial process, but you can find most of the conference covered The values that he and the French resistance fought for, and they constitute a real threat to the human values
on video, slides and text at www.playthegame.org/2011 the values that the post-war society were built on, and that matter to most of us, and that we strive to realise
Print the values that drove the Declaration of Human Rights through sport, play and exercise.
Rosendahls, DK-6715 Esbjerg N We would like to thank the German Sport University Cologne, its staff – these values are ignored and opposed by the financial Instead of ignoring the sad realities that form part
and volunteers and all the people in Cologne who helped us create a and political elites of today: of today’s sports world, let’s take them on in the spirit
www.rosendahls.dk successful conference.
Number printed: 4500 A fair distribution of wealth, a free press, empathy of Stéphane Hessel and regard them as wonderful
with the weakest and restrictions to the power of opportunities to engage and get stronger.
Design & layout money. Freedom yes, but not the unlimited freedom of Faced with the variety and magnitude of the
Maria Suurballe a fox in a henhouse. challenges that sport is facing, we can make Hessel’s
maria@playthegame.org It seems that just like in society, sports organisations concluding slogan ours: To create is to resist, to resist is
are increasingly ready to give up on their much acclaimed to create.
More facts about Play the Game 2011 values when money talks.
on page 35 and at: Organised sport faces an existential choice:Will it act Play the Game invites you to resist even the saddest of
to raise the quality of life for billions of ordinary people realities in sport today, to show a lot of creativity and to
www.playthegame.org by developing fun and educational practices – or will it open a door for the unthinkable to happen.
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MEGA-EVENTS playthegame magazine 2011
New international study scrutinises
mega-event stadiums
Mega-events may trigger the building of iconic stadiums and promises
of a sparkling future. But in reality the result is often oversized,
expensive structures that turn into financial burdens. An ongoing
study evaluates prestigious stadiums from all over the world.
by Søren Bang
Mega-events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World the basic numbers are awe-inspiring: The total
Cup are closely connected to the building of iconic construction cost of the 65 stadiums was 13.1
stadiums that might look impressive on photos and billion US dollars with an average of 201.5
create a spectacular stage for the event itself. million dollars per stadium.
But such stadiums are rarely fulfilling their promises However, in many cases the massive
of a long-lasting sport legacy and a bright future for the investments are not matched by the utilisation
communities that invest heavily in them. In fact, many of of the stadiums. That becomes clear when
them end up becoming a burden when the party is over the stadiums' capacities are compared to
and the mega-event has moved on to the next willing the number of spectators in 2010, creating a
host. utilisation index as shown in figure 1.
An ongoing study by the Danish Institute for Sports Atlanta’s former Olympic stadium, which The closing ceremony at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil was spectacular, but many stadiums built or
Studies presented at Play the Game 2011 takes a critical was downgraded to a baseball stadium after the Games, renovated for mega-events are not used enough once the fireworks are over. Photo: Bruno Mello Teixeira/Flickr
perspective on stadium building, indicating that some managed to attract enough spectators to fill the 48,000-
stadiums suffer so severely from a lack of events and seat stadium more than 52 times in 2010.
spectators that they are ending up like white elephants At the other end, three Portuguese stadiums from events must be realistic. Emotions often seem to rule auction’ among cities and nations when the hosting of a
– half-empty monuments of broken dreams and public Euro 2004 could not even fill their arenas three times the construction plans. mega-event like the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup
funding extravaganzas. with their accumulated visitors in 2010. • Sometimes the stadium should be downscaled or mo- is awarded.
While some stadiums are indeed spectator magnets, dified after the mega-event. “It is very simple. Instead of getting people to bid
other stadiums can only count a few thousand Common pitfalls • Mottos like ‘Visions for the future’ do not constitute for something that is socially wasteful, wasting billions
customers. Such numbers are thought provoking, Director Henrik business plans – they are more likely serving as a and billions on white elephants that are not necessary,
The study has identified stadiums that since 1996 H. Brandt from the Danish Institute for Sports Studies disguise for no planning at all. get them to bid on something that is socially valuable,”
have been erected or undergone major renovations up said at Play the Game 2011, drawing some preliminary Szymanski argued mentioning growth in sports
to the hosting of major international sporting events conclusions from the study: But despite the obvious problems nothing suggests that participation as an alternative indicator that could be
like the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European • Without having a high profile anchor tenant/operator there will be less white elephant projects in the future. decisive when for example the IOC awards the Olympic
Championships, Africa Cup of Nations, Commonwealth in place beforehand, the success of the stadium is According to English stadium expert Ian Nuttall, there Games.
Games, Pan American Games and Asian Games. heavily at risk. are good reasons to question the sustainability of a
• E xisting venues are often better at meeting local needs number of stadium projects from Euro 2012 in Poland/
13 billion dollars plus investments
FACTS
and will be tough rivals to a new stadium built for a Ukraine and the FIFA World Cup in Brazil 2014.
At the time of Play the Game 2011, the study had one-off event.
collected data from 65 stadiums in 20 countries and • Estimates of the regional and local needs after the The political responsibility
The question is who to hold responsible for the extra-
vaganzas. THE WORLD STADIUM INDEX
Figure1: Utilisation in 2010 of selected stadiums from the survey In Cologne, the German State Secretary Cornelia
Rogall-Grothe stressed that it does not make sense The study on stadiums connected to mega-
Stadium Capacity Spectators Utillisation index when hosting countries invest in oversized facilities they events collects factual data about construction
will never be able to fully use or maintain. costs, capacity, number of annual events and
Turner Field, Atlanta (US) 48,000 2,510,119 52.3 “It is not absolutely necessary for each host visitors, and major tenants.
Sapporo Dome, Sapporo (Jap) 42,328 1,965,944 46.4 country of a certain sport event to match or outdo the
Estádio da Luz, Lisbon (Por) 65,647 1,205,866 18.4 previous host or to set ever-higher standards. This is Some of the findings from the report were
an area where not only the host regions, but also the presented at Play the Game 2011 in Cologne.
Stade de Suisse, Bern (Sui) 32,000 509,994 15.9
international sport organisations, are called on to act,” The first draft of the final report is scheduled
Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane (SA) 45,500 654,500 14.4 she said. to be published in spring 2012 on:
Athens Olympic Stadium (Gre) 69,618 754,903 10.8 Rogall-Grothe recommended that sport organisa- www.playthegame.org
Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra (Por) 29,622 157,444 5.3 tions revise their hosting requirements, for example
concerning spectator capacity, to give more countries Jens Alm from the Danish Institute for Sport
Ecopa Stadium, Fukuroi City (Jap) 51,349 184,296 3.6 the possibility of hosting mega-events in a sustainable Studies is responsible for the project with help
Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria (Por) 23,835 53,078 2.2 way. from researchers and informants from differ-
Estádio do Bessa XXI, Porto (Por) 27,590 44,796 1.6 The economist Stefan Szymanski, Professor of Sports ent countries. jens.alm@idan.dk
Management at the University of Michigan, pointed to a
Estádio Municipal de Aveiro, Aveiro (Por) 30,127 33,602 1.1
need to drastically change the rules behind the ‘bidding
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MEGA-EVENTS playthegame magazine 2011
Brazil is set to repeat the mistakes of previous
Stadium security:
mega-events
Arena Fonte Nova is being built in the Northern Brazilian state of Bahia
with a capacity of 56,000 spectators and a price tag of 344 million US
To protect
dollars.Photo: Secom Bahia/Flickr
The next football World Cup and the 2016 Olympic
Games threaten to produce a catalogue of white
elephants for Brazil, while restricting benefits to the people or
business community.
business
interests?
by Steve Menary
In a session titled ‘Brazil 2014 & “We are building
2016 – Samba for the few?’, the
audience listened to cautionary
football stadia
by Marcus Hoy
tales of unnecessary public in places that do
investment in a country already not have a Are the security measures implemented at
saddled with white elephants from sports events always in proportion to the
the 2007 Pan American Games
football culture threat? Or are security issues being used
and an increasing danger that and people are to protect narrow business interests and
future mega-events will offer no not asking why.” profitability?
benefits to low-income families.
Tatiane Hilgemberg, a re-
Tatiane Hilgemberg, These questions were raised by Kimberly S.
searcher at the Federal University Researcher Schimmel, PhD and Associate Professor of Soci-
of Juiz de Fora, questioned why – ology of Sport at Kent State University in the US, at
despite having years in advance to the Play the Game conference.
plan the stadia and infrastructure investments for the She pointed to the close co-operation between
2016 Olympics – the organisers were still going back to the National Football League (NFL) and the
the government for more funding to build what could Tatiane Hilgemberg Isabela Ledo Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on US
become white elephants. security issues as a case
She asked why this trend was still being mostly furniture from the changing rooms at some of the will be relocated [for 2016]. It is not possible to assure in point. Some practices,
ignored by the Brazilian media, despite the previous sporting facilities built for that event had been stripped that the 2016 Olympics will succeed in its legacy of she said, could serve to
experience from the 2007 Pan American Games, where out. social inclusion. Economic forces will benefit from the legitimise the virtue of
“If athletes want to use it now, they have to put their Olympics in Rio. The role of the IOC in promoting a the ‘war on terror’ and
London stadium could be clothes on the floor,” said Hilgemberg, who added that
concerns over white elephant investments extended to
legacy is yet to be seen.” could also be protecting
the profits and commer-
the next white elephant the 2014 World Cup.
“We are building football stadia in places that do not
Legacies spiral out of control
Too often legacies spiral out of control with a revamp
cial interests of the NFL.
Schimmel explained
have a football culture and people are not asking why. of Brazil’s famous Maracanã stadium now expected to that under the auspices
by Marcus Hoy We need to put these concerns [for 2014 and 2016] out cost 416 million euros against an original estimate of of the Patriot Act,
“We’re breeding white elephants. There are to the media but they are worried about the results of 304 million euros and only 29 of 49 projects scheduled Kimberly S. Schimmel US corporations are
herds of them,” Ian Nuttall, a leading stadium the athletes and winning medals, not the white elephants to improve access to airports and hotels in Rio having allowed to present their
consultant told Play the Game. and the waste of our money.” started. own ‘anti-terrorist technology’ to the DHS. If such
Stadium management is a very old business, A pledge made by Ricardo Teixeira, head of Brazil’s technology is approved, the corporation in effect
Nuttall pointed out, but we are still getting it Housing deficit not helped by Olympics football association, the CBF, that the cost of the 2014 becomes a DHS defence contractor.
wrong. We continue to build stadiums without Isabela Ledo, a Masters student from the Technical World Cup would be financed by the state sector has The NHL now has DHS-approved anti-terrorist
a strong anchor tenant, and local authority re- University of Delft, produced information showing that not been honoured. Brazil’s local and national authorities technology in all 32 of its stadiums, she pointed out.
quirements continue to conflict with the busi- the legacy of the 2016 Olympics will bypass low-income are now expected to invest an estimated 12.5 billion Among other things, this approval means that the
ness interests of the stadium owners. families as an opportunity to meet Brazil’s gaping housing euros in staging the next World Cup. NFL is immune from being sued should a terrorist
One of the biggest white elephants of all could deficit is passed up in favour of aiding big business. act occur in any of its stadiums – even if it can be
be the Olympic Stadium in London, he warned, According to data produced by Ledo, Rio de Janeiro The media ignore the problems demonstrated that stadium security was lax.
where the proposed anchor tenant – West Ham has a need for 136,345 dwellings but the 2016 Olympics A media trend of ignoring these problems is both Across the world, security concerns are
United – has an obligation to retain an unwanted will produce just 24,000 rooms. If those 24,000 rooms historic and systemic said Fernando Molica, an transforming the way in which mega-events are
athletics track if they move in. were split into two-bedroom flats, that would provide experienced Brazilian journalist and member of Abraji, organised. As an example, Schimmel cited research
Stefan Szymanski, Professor of Sports Man- just 12,000 apartments – or 8.8 percent of Rio’s housing the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalists. into the Pan American Games in 2007 in Brazil,
agement at the University of Michigan, ques- deficit. “Brazil’s sport press does not have a tradition of which claimed that a “separate First-World city”
tioned the figures related to the development of Of Brazil’s national housing deficit, 89.4 percent of dedicating itself vigorously to the irregularities that had been constructed alongside the city of Rio, and
the 2012 Olympic site in Stratford, East London. rooms are needed by low-income families but Ledo occur in sports entities,” said Molica. only those with enough money were able to pass
While property prices would likely increase identified just one project for social housing coming “There is not in sport a systematic coverage through its gates.
by between two and five percent, the entire out of the Olympics. However, this 2,200-unit scheme of the discovery of possible irregularities. A lot of Schimmel called for increased co-operation
economic value of the development would be was not for families being dispossessed by the 2016 Brazilians still believe that the Olympics and World between sportspeople, journalists and politicians to
around 1,4 billion British pounds, compared with Games but for people who had lost their homes in Cup will generate a lot of business. Journalists have an encourage greater transparency. Security should be
costs of around 9,3 billion British pounds. environmental disasters. obligation to cover what other sort of business there aimed at protecting people, not stadiums, she said.
Ledo said: “There is no estimate of how many people is too.”
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GOVERNANCE playthegame magazine 2011
The four words that are the end of sport
match-fixing
Dr. Declan Hill, academic, investigative journalist and author, is an expert on match-fixing. In this excerpt from his
presentation to Play the Game 2011, he speaks from the heart as well as with expertise about the dangers
to sport as fixing and gambling on fixed matches has become much easier for everyone.
SPEECH the other half-a-dozen much weaker teams that were
to play Fenerbahçe?
end sports stars. You can place bets on the Women’s
Second Division League matches in the Netherlands.
Imagine your feelings before the And most of those matches are played in front of a few
by Declan Hill match. You are excited. The people dozen people at most.
in your town are cheering you on. We now have investigations of fixed matches of
I have wrestled with this presentation until I have The match will be shown all over sixteen-year-olds playing in youth matches. I witnessed
squeezed everything that I need to say into three, Turkey on television. Then someone at one Asian gambling company, an under-17 game in
possibly four, words. And I do not say these words on your team – either the players or Norway where gamblers were trying to place 250,000
lightly. the officials – tells you that it is fixed US dollars on the match. Not fixing, just gambling.
and that you are not to play hard.
Let me give you some background for my work. This was your chance. This was your Why we should care
In 2005, I stood as a much younger man in front opportunity to show the rest of the Why do I say these things? I say them for the smell of
of you and spoke about the ‘tsunami of Asian-style world that you can play against the the cut grass on a sunny Saturday morning, when I play
match-fixing’ that would hit Europe in the next best and now it is being denied to soccer with my friends and the jokes and camaraderie
few years. Many people were sceptical and thought, you. of those matches.
“this man cannot be speaking the truth”. But today So what do you do? You phone I say it for the man in the flat cap and coloured scarf
in 2011, we have 24 national police investigations your uncle Mehmet in Lyon, France. who sat at the side of the University of Toronto versus
around the world examining hundreds of different He is a gambler. He puts some money York University football match. He smoked. He was
matches in Hungary, Austria, South Korea, Turkey, down that Fenerbahçe will beat your hooked up to some sort of medical contraption and
Italy, Greece, Malaysia, … all following the pattern team above the spread. He puts monitor. He was dying. He clearly had just a few more
that I predicted. down a lot of money, as much as he weeks to live in this world and he chose to spend some
In 2008, I launched a book based on my doctoral can – 20,000 or 30,000 euros. And of it watching his beloved York University players beat
research at the University of Oxford, that spoke you know what? Not a single person their arch-rivals on penalties. And when he stood up,
about the activities of a gang that was going around in the gambling market will notice. cigarette in hand, to cheer their victory at the end of
the world fixing top international matches. In 2011, Why should they? Bets for a much the game, you knew his march into the dark unknown,
we finally saw some of this gang arrested in Finland stronger team to defeat a much that we will all face at some point, would be that much
and Zimbabwe and their activities exposed around weaker team? They are what the lighter.
the world in half-a-dozen other countries. market expects. I say it for the girl of 13 who stood in front of me in
Match-fixing is a clear and present danger to the unbridled joy and passion for sport That is what most fixes are about, an African slum, introduced to me by a friend and hero
A bone-chilling warning anywhere in the world, warns Declan Hill.
just delivering certainty. No one will notice. You and – Bob Munro – and said, “You don’t get it do you? All of
So now, I stand in front of you, to tell you a new warning uncle Mehmet do it once.You get some free money. And our world is corrupt. The police are corrupt. The mafia
compressed into four simple words. Those words seem could quickly tell if there was anything fishy going on then the two of you start to realise how easy it is and runs this place. Our schools are corrupt. Our exams are
the most banal, understated thing that you will hear at with the bets. what a great way it is to make money. So you start doing corrupt.The only place that is not corrupt is when I play
this week’s conference. However, they are four words, Now, with the choice of gambling sites in Europe it again and again. on that soccer pitch.When there are 11 of us, versus 11
that when you think about them are the most bone- – onshore, offshore, in Asia, North America, the of them and a fair referee, and we can play hard and lose
chilling, terrifying words that will be spoken in this hall. Caribbean, Gibraltar, Cyprus, using the Internet or All you need is access or we can play hard and win, but it is uncorrupt.”
They are four words that should unite and bind us phone – the bettors and fixers have a massive choice This is what is going on in leagues across Europe by There is not a person in this room who does not
all. They are four words that should make us put aside to hide their fixing activities. We have already heard players and club officials. Why do you think there are have similar stories or images that drive them in their
all our petty rivalries and competition to join together this morning from André-Noël Chaker of the Finnish so many fixed matches in early rounds of Champions love for sport. This is why I do it. This is why I continue
to fight for proper protection of sport. They are four National Lottery Association that there are fifteen League? Because organised criminals have come to the to fight. Because make no mistake – there is a clear
words that should make us establish a properly-funded thousand illegal gambling sites in Europe alone. Balkans to fix matches? Partly that is true. But partly it and present danger to world sports. The sports world
and well-organised international agency like WADA to One example, taken from the air – Fenerbahçe, the is because the local club officials themselves know that hangs on a knife’s edge. Do nothing, and it will slide into
fight corruption in sports. Turkish football champions who are accused of fixing 19 fixing is a good way to make money. a morass of half suspicions and credibility problems
They are four words that unless we do so, will kill off of their matches last season. Currently, their president This is where the word – ‘almost’ – enters the picture. where one or two sports as we know them will die.
much of sport as we know it. Not now – not in the next and half-a-dozen club officials are in prison in Istanbul. All you need now to fix a sports event is reasonably Almost all of us can fix almost any watchable sports
five years, but soon. Now I have seen some of the purportedly confidential good access to players and referees.You can be a father, event. It just takes a little access to the referees and
The three words are …‘anyone can fix’. documents of the investigation, but it is not the charges a coach, a friend, a journalist, a sports official, a guy at players. The gambling market is open to it. Few people
The fourth word is – 'almost'.We are now living in an against Fenerbahçe that is concerning. The concern is the bar they go to. The athletes do not have to be high- will notice it.
era when ‘almost anyone can fix’. what about all those other teams that were alleged to
fix games?
You can gamble from anywhere QUOTE ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
Let me explain. The player and his uncle Mehmet
Fifteen years ago, if you wanted to bet a large sum of Let us presume, for one moment, that those “Thanks again for the wonderful conference. It has opened my eyes to so many
money on a sports event in North America or Europe, allegations are true, and if they are not there are other
it was very difficult.You had to know the phone number investigations into top teams that could serve as similar
other questions about sport. I feel reinvigorated by the ideas that I heard.”
of Joe Bagofdonuts or organised criminals – and he models. What happens if you were a player for any of Ian Nuttall, Founder, Xperiology/TheStadiumBusiness, Italy/UK
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GOVERNANCE playthegame magazine 2011
FIFA aid may pay for
aid prove incapable of staging senior internationals? Tomé championships were cancelled and another
merged. Sao Tomé eventually lost its FIFA vote and
Sao Tomé: Close to reclaiming vote were dropped from the rankings. Dende was only finally
votes rather than
Before entering the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, the voted out in 2010.
national team of Sao Tomé e Principe had trained three By losing to Congo in the World Cup qualifiers, the
times a week since 2003 in anticipation of the Federação FSP now need to enter just one more FIFA competition
Santomense de Futebol (FSP) organising a fixture. – beach football, futsal, an under-16 game, anything will
matches
An isolated former Portuguese colony off the coast do – to reclaim its vote.
of West Africa, Sao Tomé has received 250,000 US With Blatter offering another place on the FIFA gravy
dollars a year in FAP funds over the last decade but train, even the lackadaisical FSP should manage that.
quite how FSP President Manuel Dende spent that Yet if all FIFA members were forced to make accounts
money in his dozen of years in charge is a mystery. publicly available then corruption at those on the fringes
During Dende’s reign of inertia, four national Sao of accountability could be more easily identified.
A democratic breakthrough for
As the first high ranking personality world football?
in the politics of world football,
Jérôme Champagne laid out a global
vision that fans and the public have
a real chance of discussing.
by Steve Menary and Jens Sejer Andersen
Despite financial aid from FIFA, international matches are few and far between for the national football team In what appeared as a bid for the world football presi-
from American Samoa.The team celebrated a rare win over Tonga in November 2011. Photo: Brian Vitolio/AP dency which will be vacant in 2013, the former Interna-
tional Director of FIFA, Jérôme Champagne, gave Play
the Game participants what no football leader has ever
by Steve Menary offered to anyone before. By laying out a wide-ranging At Play the Game 2011, Jérôme Champagne, former International
and global vision for football politics, he offered them an Director of FIFA, spoke in public for the first time since leaving FIFA.
The going rate to buy a FIFA vote is 40,000 US US-controlled territory has – despite receiving millions opportunity to discuss in public all those vital questions
dollars.That is the sum Mohamed Bin Hammam of dollars in aid since joining FIFA in 1998 – never played that FIFA usually deals with in narrow cliques behind balance between globalisation and national identity.
allegedly offered Caribbean Football Union at home. closed doors. Champagne ended by proposing a number of
members to support his failed attempt to In 2005 former Tottenham Hotspur player Ian Crook Champagne is one of the few senior executives at solutions that he was confident Blatter could deliver.
replace FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The Qatari took charge of American Samoa and found a FIFA FIFA who has not been tainted by corruption. At the These included a revival of the democratic debate in
earned a life ban but the response to his putsch member without infrastructure or even an office. After podium in Cologne, he broke his self-imposed 18-month FIFA with wider influence for national associations,
and the shambolic 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid three weeks, he quit. The Football Federation American silence after he was mysteriously forced out of FIFA at clubs and players.
process could make corruption worse. Samoa (FFAS) later imploded. FIFA took direct control the beginning of 2010. Governance needs strengthening and this could
of the FFAS in 2005. Even now, no-one will discuss He identified seven key issues in the game that be solved by giving the president more power, argued
When FIFA’s 24-person Executive Committee decided what happened. Until playing at the 2011 Pacific Games, needed tackling, including relationships between grass- Champagne, who described Blatter as an elected
on the venues of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals, American Samoa had not played a game for four years. roots, clubs and national associations, and a need for president in charge of an unelected executive. Football’s
those ExCo members’ vulnerability to corruption was a balanced calendar. The clubs were not just to blame, parliament should be “re-centralised” and administration
evident as Nigeria’s Amos Adamu and Tahiti’s Reynald Montserrat: 13 matches in a decade said Champagne, as national associations also organise between footballing and commercial concerns split.
Temarii were banned during the recent bid process. Through the GOAL project and the FAP, FIFA has “exotic friendly matches.” Champagne’s perceptive speech was clearly one
Now Blatter wants all FIFA's 208 members to vote on improved facilities in many poor associations, but this Greater parity was needed between Europe and the from a man who is looking for a return to the fold. A
bids, but thereby he is handing the vote to places where does not always produce senior fixtures for aspiring rest of the world, particularly Africa. Champagne cited few months after the conference, his visions were sent
FIFA’s audit trail has often evaporated. internationals. that eight of the 24 seats on the Executive Committee in a letter to all 208 national football federations and the
FIFA’s rules insist members play in at least two FIFA In the first decade of this century, Montserrat for are held by European representatives. international media.
accredited tournaments over a four-year period or lose instance accumulated millions of dollars in FIFA aid He stuck up for players, insisting that for all the mega- Whether Champagne succeeds in becoming FIFA
their vote. Despite receiving million of dollars in aid yet managed just 13 senior internationals. That is the rich stars there remain “places where players have to take President or not, his contribution to Play the Game may
through the GOAL project and the Financial Assistance same amount of games the Falklands played in the bi- a gun to get paid”. turn out to be a democratic breakthrough in the world
Programme (FAP), some FIFA members retain that annual Island Games, all in the northern hemisphere and There was also nothing wrong with the “new trend of football.
potentially lucrative vote by only sporadically entering without a cent from FIFA. of club owners wanting a return”. But he cautioned over
senior tournaments or junior events. Funding senior male internationals took up around too many clubs dominating domestic competitions due Parts of this article have been published in the UK Magazine
14 percent of FAP funds distributed between 1999 and to Champions League money. When Saturday Comes www.wsc.co.uk
American Samoa: No home games 2006, making senior games fifth in terms of priority. FIFA
American Samoa is a case in point. Until the recent 2014 says all its members received FAP grants over the last More power to the FIFA president A video of Champagne’s speech and his visions on FIFA’s
World Cup qualifiers, it had not won a game and the decade, so how can places getting millions of dollars in Champagne argued for the autonomy of sport and a future can be found at www.playthegame.org
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GOVERNANCE playthegame magazine 2011
Tough ride for FIFA Play the Game Award
communications that “FIFA is very complex” and very different on the
for being right
director
inside to the public perception.
Proof will come
The session was left in little doubt to Jennings’
perception of the world body.The English journalist said
by Steve Menary that he was confident a challenge to a Swiss court to
release sealed documents relating to the case involving
For the first time ever, Play the Game became FIFA, kickbacks for media rights and the failed marketing
the scene of a direct confrontation between a group ISL would eventually be released.
high-ranking FIFA official and critical reporters. “Why are FIFA spending money on expensive lawyers
Picked out from the crowd by Andrew Jennings, to suppress documents?” asked Jennings, who waved a
FIFA's new communications director, Walter De paper at De Gregorio listing 167 bribe payments from
Gregorio, refuted the veteran journalist's claims the ISL case and warned the FIFA communications
that he was banned from the world body for his director: “There is more coming.”
tough questions about FIFA corruption. Jennings was joined on stage by German investigative
journalist Jens Weinreich, who like his
English colleague, also recounted details
of how he has been exiled from FIFA’s
headquarters for asking difficult questions
about corruption.
The pair both told the audience that
further revelations about FIFA would be Jens Weinreich (left) and Andrew Jennings have patiently proved the most
by Kirsten Sparre unbelievable stories about FIFA corruption to be true.
coming out soon.
Weinreich earlier claimed that the
cost of buying a vote during the recent Two veteran investigative journalists, Jens Wein- tation, and that is a great achievement which has been
shambolic World Cup bid process was reich from Germany and Andrew Jennings from fundamental for the world public’s understanding of
20 million US dollars, which was “often the United Kingdom, received the 2011 Play FIFA as it is today,” Brandt said.
transferred to secret tax havens”. the Game Award in recognition of their tireless Brandt also paid tribute to Weinreich and Jennings'
“I am hearing a lot about one-day work documenting and bringing the enormous commitment to supporting Play the Game and young
accounts, one-day companies,” added levels of mismanagement and corruption in the journalists wanting to break into the field of investigative
Weinreich. “This is more complicated than world's leading sports organisations into public sports journalism.
money in brown envelopes pushed under view. “They are a symbol of the idea of Play the Game,
doors. Can we prove it? Not just now.” which is that by researching, documenting, exposing,
An unusal meeting: Andrew Jennings (left) and FIFA’s director of com- Weinreich and Jennings were selected as the recipients discussing, publishing, co-operating, and asking questions
munications, Walter De Gregorio, in face-to-face discussions outside of the 2011 award by a committee consisting of board in a global network we can help each other and
the conference hall. members and directors from the Danish Institute for contribute to better sports policies and better sports
Sports Studies and Play the Game and the previous lives for people all over the world,” Brandt said.
De Gregorio insisted that Jennings was banned award winner, Declan Hill.The winners were announced
from FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich for making press in Cologne, Germany, at Play the Game 2011.
conferences “his own platform” and taking up too much
time in sessions that are strictly limited to 15 minutes. by Kirsten Sparre
Announcing the award, Henrik Brandt, Director
of the Danish Institute for Sports Studies, said that it
FACTS
Jennings vehemently denied this suggestion, insisting took only a few seconds for the committee to decide
that his behavior had always been “polite” and told De FIFA’s new communications director, Walter De that Weinreich and Jennings were this year's obvious
Gregorio that he had been banned after writing a story Gregorio, is prepared to speak at the next Play candidates for the Play the Game Award. The Play the Game Award pays tribute to an
on a personal bonus paid by FIFA to President Sepp the Game conference. “It is not so much the recent work by the two individual or a group of persons who in their
Blatter. “Certainly. I will be happy to discuss with award winners that moves us to give them the award professional careers or as volunteers in sport
The pair initially clashed after Jennings claimed that Jennings and Weinreich. I have no problem with this year. Rather, it is due to the excellent work of the have made an outstanding effort to strengthen
FIFA meets all the definitions of the mafia with an all- that,” De Gregorio replied when he was asked FIFA Executive Committee during recent months to the basic ethical values of sport and to realise
powerful don surrounded “by greedy crooks”, provision by an employee of the Danish Institute for highlight the fact that the world’s two most outstanding one or more of the following aims:
of “protection” and a code of “omerta” that silenced Sports Studies if he would respond positively investigative journalists in the field of sports have been
any whistleblowers through exile. to a personal invitation to speak at the next pointing the fingers in the right direction for more than • to encourage democracy, transparency and
De Gregorio, who only signed up for the conference conference. a decade, that leads us to giving them the award.” freedom of expression in sport
two days earlier, was picked out in the audience by Play the Game has been inviting FIFA to take “They have always been accused of exaggerating the • to create awareness of the role of sport in so-
Jennings and challenged. part in its discussions since the inception of the problems in FIFA, but the last year has shown that they ciety at a local, national or international level
De Gregorio took the microphone and told Jennings conference in 1997. So far with no success. were understating,” Brandt continued. • to draw a many-sided picture of sport
and a packed audience: “The mafia killed and raped For Play the Game’s international director, • to support the right of the individual to choose
thousands of people. It’s disrespectful to FIFA and to Jens Sejer Andersen, it is important to present They found the documents and influence his or her daily sporting activities
people who lost their lives.” the views of all stakeholders in sport, so he was Over the years, Jennings and Weinreich have been
The former editor of Swiss newspaper Blick, De very happy to learn of De Gregorio’s promise: despised, criticised and excluded from doing their job Learn more about Jens Weinreich at
Gregorio only started working at FIFA in the week of “My only regret is that there are two years by sports leaders, politicians, and even by their own www.jensweinreich.de and Andrew Jennings at
the Play the Game conference. After the session, he told until the next conference,” he said. colleagues. Still, they have been determined in pursuing www.transparencyinsport.org.
a throng of reporters that, now on the inside, he did their investigations.
criticise FIFA and asked “difficult questions”. He added “They not only sought, but also found the documen-
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GOVERNANCE playthegame magazine 2011
The public has a right to ask questions about sports corruption
corruption
corruption
Complete autonomy is no longer an option for sports
organisations, several presenters argued at Play the Game
activities are really not Wrestling Entertainment, which delivers corruption, both on and off the
crimes.” programming ranking somewhere between
“In sport a pitch,” said Chappelet, a previous IOC
In other words, mana- a circus and a farce, all we have to do is labour contract employee himself.
gement of the major inter- keep going in the direction in which we is really not a Today only member organisations
national sports organisations have allowed sport to drift over the past can demand that a sport organisation's
takes place in a closed world decades,” he said.
labour contract, internal rules and decisions are tried in
insisting on minimal out- bankruptcy is really a civil court, and it happens very rarely.
A safe haven
side interference. But the not bankruptcy, and That makes for an unsustainable system,
status quo is crumbling as With their current isolation from the according to Chappelet, who argued
accusations of corruption surrounding society, it seems reasonable
criminal activities that the public needs to have greater
and mismanagement are to assume that many of the international are really not and more direct influence.
levelled at the organisations sports organisations are based on some crimes.” A corruption watchdog
and divert focus from the exotic island and not in the middle of
game. Western Europe.
Professor Hans “There is a need for other resources
In Switzerland, low taxes and a Bruyninckx and another kind of pressure on sports
Ask questions favourable legal environment welcome organisations, and it is time to create
The general public has sports organisations. The country is an independent watchdog organisation
realised that the integrity home to no less than 47 headquarters that can assess whether sports
of sport is threatened, of the major international organisations follow the standards of good leadership
because the largest sports sports bodies, attracted by the and can sue organisations that do not. This body should
organisations manage their autonomy and great freedom also be able to investigate corruption charges and act
autonomy inappropriately. from interference by public as a whistleblower for fans, media, sponsors and the
“We start to ask authorities. political system. You could call such an organisation
legitimate questions about But even in the otherwise ‘World Sport Watch’,” suggested Chappelet.
IOC member Richard W. Pound (left) and professor Hans Bruyninckx the public aspects of this neutral and cautious alpine Richard W. Pound, the first president of WADA, also
share their concerns about how corruption can thrive in the closed isolated exceptional activity, which we call mostly country critical voices now addressed the idea of an organisation against corruption
world of sport.
professional sport. So public authorities ask questions advocate greater public scru- similar to WADA – without going so far as Chappelet.
about who sets the norms and the rules, compliance tiny and control of what goes “WADA proved that it is possible for governments
and sanctioning. Who has the right to sanction what on inside these headquarters. and sport organisations to work together within a single
by Trygve Buch Laub goes wrong in the world of sports? But also about Anne Schwöbel from the agency. I think it is much too early to decide whether
the distribution of costs and benefits of the sports Swiss branch of corruption this model would be effective in dealing with the many
Corruption and lack of transparency threaten the status organisations in a broader sense. In general, these are watchdog Transparency Inter- forms of corruption which now exist in sport and which
of international sports organisations as autonomous and questions about the demand for better governance,” national told the Play the may exist in the future.”
disconnected from the rest of society. said Bruyninckx. Game conference that sports
Play the Game 2011 issued a decla- "It is time to create The need for reforms Anne Schwöbel organisations in Switzerland Cologne Consensus
ration calling for a global conference an independent in international sport were are legally regarded as NGOs, Despite the different perspectives on the problem
on good governance in international at the centre of debates at which in practice means that internal affairs of corruption in sport presented in Cologne, the
sport to open the world of sport to watchdog Play the Game 2011. The are not subject to the criminal penal code that approximately 300 participants from over 40 countries
more public scrutiny. organisation that discussion is not just about prohibits companies from paying or receiving gave broad support for a final declaration, ‘The Cologne
On the very first day of the Play can assess whether a few people’s wheeling and bribes. Consensus’, which was prepared in consultation with
the Game conference in Cologne, dealing, but ultimately about several of the invited governance experts during Play
the Belgian Professor of International sports organisations the value of sport to society, Authorities should worry the Game 2011.
Relations Hans Bruyninckx, addressed follow the standards warned IOC member But why should sports organisations be treated The Consensus paper is a vision of how a first step
the international sports organisations’ of good leadership Richard W. Pound. differently from other private organisations, in rebuilding confidence in the biggest international
peculiar perception of their own place In the wake of the – for asked Professor Jean-Loup Chappelet, Director sports organisations could look. Primarily, it presents
in – or rather, outside of – society: and can sue the IOC – almost fatal Salt at the Swiss Graduate School of Public a powerful appeal to the IOC to take the lead for a
“The world of sports has organisations Lake City corruption scandal Administration. general reform in sport. It is going to cost the sports
traditionally operated under that do not." in the late 1990s, he took On the conference's closing 'Change in organisations a bit of autonomy, but according to Pound
exceptionally large autonomy. Sports part in the clean-up and Sports Day', he argued for the creation of an it is well worth it.
events, games and competitions take Professor Jean-Loup reform of the IOC in order international monitoring institution against “If the sports authorities are not prepared to spend
place in a sort of separate sphere, Chappelet to save the Olympic image. Jean-Loup Chappelet corruption, much like the role WADA plays in whatever is required to ensure the integrity of sport,
detached from normal rules and “If we want sport to go the way the field of doping today. they will inevitably bear the consequences of this
regulations in society.That means that of the World Wrestling Federation, “Many fans do not care about the corruption that neglect,” he said in his speech at Play the Game 2011.
a labour contract is really not a labour contract, that which could no longer even pretend that what it takes place outside the playing fields, but the authorities
bankruptcy is really not bankruptcy, and that criminal delivered was sport, and changed its name to World should worry. We are facing a problem of widespread Read the full Cologne Consensus on page 16.
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GOVERNANCE playthegame magazine 2011
UPDATE
IOC gives non-answer to Cologne
Consensus
from www.playthegame.org
The IOC has neither rejected nor accepted the call This is probably not enough to satisfy the Cologne
from the participants at Play the Game 2011 to participants, says International Director of Play the
convene an international conference with a view to Game, Jens Sejer Andersen.
preparing a Global Code for Governance in Sport. “Most participants are well aware that the IOC has
taken some positive steps. Nevertheless the delegates
In a letter to Play the Game and the German Sport agreed that existing principles, mechanisms and
University Cologne dated 9 November 2011, the institutions to enhance good governance and counter
IOC’s Director General Christophe de Kepper avoids corruption have proved inadequate.”
mentioning these key proposals in the Cologne “While it remains a riddle what the IOC really thinks
Consensus. about this, we cannot wait for it to be solved. We will
Instead, the top executive of the IOC in general look for other partners and occasions to strengthen the
terms welcomes the initiative, stressing that the subject efforts against corruption in sport.”
300 delegates from 44 countries gathered at the German Sport University in Cologne and agreed on the Cologne Consensus that aims
to help sports organisations find ways to deal with mismanagement and corruption within their own ranks. of good governance in sport “has been of greatest One new opportunity arose for Play the Game right
concern to the IOC and has been treated as a priority after the conference when the EU Commission’s Sports
over the last years" with the adoption of a new set Unit granted 200,000 euros for a project to strengthen
Cologne Consensus
of ‘Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance in good governance in sport. This project will be carried
the
Sport’ which has been approved by all international out in cooperation with universities in six European
federations and national Olympic committees. Countries and the European Journalism Centre.
TOWARDS A GLOBAL CODE FOR GOVERNANCE IN SPORT
Reform of sport is a “biggie”
The participants in the Play the Game 2011 conference, held at the German Sport University Cologne,
state that the problems related to mismanagement and corruption in sports are serious and widespread.
The conference participants, including stakeholders and experts from over 40 countries, are convinced
that the fundamental integrity and credibility of the sports movement is at stake, and that this is weakening
the role of sport as a positive force in society. SportAccord tackles issues of
Existing principles, mechanisms and institutions to enhance good governance and counter corruption governance from within starting
have proved inadequate.
The Play the Game initiative and its conference participants remain committed to influencing sports with match-fixing
governing and oversight bodies, in every way possible, regarding the urgent need for change.
Play the Game 2011 recognises the central role of organised sport, and encourages the international
by Jens Sejer Andersen
sports movement and, in particular, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to take a leading role in
bringing about the necessary change. “It’s a mess out there, and there is a lot of work
Therefore we propose the establishment of a Global Code for Governance in Sport based on a series to do. It’s a biggie.”
of international standards covering inter alia: Ingrid Beutler did not mince words when
she described the task she has taken on in a
• Governance documents and practices, and democratic procedures one-year-old position as Integrity Manager of
• Representation principles, including age, gender, ethnicity, tenure, and stakeholder issues SportAccord, the umbrella organisation for
• Principles of autonomy and cooperation with governments around 100 international sports federations.
• Transparency and accountability, both operational and financial Her mission is to get sports leaders fully
• Monitoring, compliance and enforcement, including the feasibility of an independent agency to this end committed to good governance, integrity and
• Development of grass-root sport social responsibility. Ingrid Beutler (right) discussing SportAccord’s anti-corruption measures
with expert Declan Hill (left) and Harold Mayne-Nicholls from FIFA.
• Education, sharing of information and best practices An environment where the average president is a
• Equity, inclusiveness, non-discrimination, and minority protection man of 71 years of age and used to full autonomy is
challenging, she admitted. Accord has launched a programme against match- fixing
As a first step we encourage the IOC to organise a world conference before the end of 2012 in cooperation But she stressed that she had carte blanche and full that equips member federations with model rules
with governments, intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe, OECD, support from Sport Accord’s president, Hein Verbruggen, for integrity, e-learning programmes and other tools
the European Union and Interpol, sports stakeholders such as SportAccord, ANOC and non-Olympic to work in any field she might desire: developed with the gambling industry and independent
sports organisations, as well as with representatives of elected athletes, sponsors, the gambling industry, “It has become clear that corruption is the big issue experts.
the media community, academics, NGOs and other relevant experts. for sport,” Beutler said. “So many sports are still unaware that bets are placed
The conference should be used to draft the code and the international standards for good governance “We are willing to admit that those we are working on them, and match-fixing is a good way to get the
in sport. The code and the standards would be formally adopted by the IOC, the NOCs, the international for and working with are not the cleanest of individuals, leaders to sit around the table and debate corruption,”
federations and their respective subsidiaries. Recognition and participation in international sports activities, but we work with what we have.We have to be cautious Beutler said.
as well as the bidding for and hosting of international sports events, should be made conditional upon and cannot be too critical without providing the tools,
adherence to the code and the standards. resources and ideas for how reform can be conducted.” More about SportAccord’s anti match-fixing programme at:
As a first step in a broader reform process Sport- www.integrity.sportaccord.com
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