Saint Sepp must not be allowed fifth term, says Maradona

26 May 2015 - 02:04 By Diego Maradona, ©The Daily Telegraph

Fifa is a playground for the corrupt and if Sepp Blatter is its face then we are in a very bad place For decades I have lived and breathed football every single day. It is my passion. That is why I am writing today.In the last few decades, football has changed - and not for the better.Most football fans can predict what I am about to say next: under Blatter, Fifa has become a disgrace and an embarrassment to those of us who care about football deeply.Although I find almost no one openly supporting Blatter, many think he will win a fifth term.I call Blatter "the man of ice" because he lacks the inspiration and passion that are at the very heart of football.The media is filled with stories on the string of scandals that have surrounded Blatter for well over a decade. There are so many, it has become boring to repeat them.When I ask why so many people think Blatter will make it yet again, the answer is always the same: he has won support with years of unethical patronage, favours and handouts.No one has argued that he is the best man for the job and deserves to win. They "praise" him for keeping one step ahead of the investigators - be they auditors or the FBI - and ignore how Fifa finances have turned into a shambles, with losses of over $100-million at ISL, the Swiss marketing company closely associated to Fifa.There is a sick admiration for Blatter much like that accorded to an old Mafia boss who has somehow managed to stay out of jail.Blatter's political history is one of promoting division and hiding failures. Recently he pledged to follow through in addressing racism in football and promoting women in the sport. My question is: "Sepp, what were you doing in your last four terms?"We all know the answer to that: surrounding himself with crooks who lined their pockets at the expense of the sport.If he were an honest man, surely he would not have spent half his time blocking outside investigations into Fifa finances?Why is this dodgy 79-year-old running for a fifth term at Fifa anyway? His cronies have stolen everything but the furniture in his office and he has claimed to know nothing. Perhaps we should call him Saint Sepp the Innocent.If leadership matters, then no national football association could, in good conscience, support Blatter for a fifth term. He is incompetent.When you are knee-deep in massive financial losses and bribes and notice nothing, you are a fool or a thief.All these corruption investigations are bleeding the life out of Fifa, and international football is drowning in a sea of contempt.Few sports in history have suffered the bad press football has faced in recent years and much of that press is owed to Blatter.Key sponsors like Continental, Castrol and Johnson & Johnson are running away from Fifa. The Council of Europe has condemned Blatter's handling of the collapse of ISL and over $100-million in losses. The FBI is looking at the handling of the US bid for 2022. There have been hundreds of media articles on massive financial losses, mismanagement and bribery.We need young and creative leadership at Fifa - the kind of leadership that is inclusive and open to new ideas. We need a football culture, not a mafia culture.Why are we all just passively accepting this corruption? Enough is enough. We want our game back. ..

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