A week the beautiful game showed its ugly side

FIFA corruption; the Ched Evans case; England supporters' chanting; Malky Mackay's text messages. All four are very different stories containing very different degrees of judgment, of offence, of misbehaviour and, in one proved case at least, of criminality.

It has been a bad week for the sport. There is always a danger in tipping issues into one moral pot and trying to grasp at one great verdict - not least for the various parties involved.

Is football still the beautiful game? Of course it is. But it can lead to unfair, sweeping judgments. Some of those involved certainly would not want to be associated with each other and it would be unfair to do so.

However, there is that link to the game.

Those four stories have troubled me. The sense of institutionalised decay and wrongdoing at Fifa is evidently the greater global story because of its reach and scale and the real sense that whatever is said or written, you wonder if it will ever make a difference even if the prevailing reaction is condemnation.

For Fifa to commission an investigation into the scandal of the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and then, when it failed to deliver the whitewash it sought, to reduce it to a summary that contradicts the original document, is incredible, cynical, sinister.

That story broke not long after Jessica Ennis-Hill, the finest all-round athlete the UK has produced, announced that she wanted her name removed from the stand named after her by Sheffield United should they offer a contract to convicted rapist Ched Evans.

United have now caved in to pressure and withdrawn their offer to let Evans train with them.

But last week, following a request from the Professional Footballers' Association, the club had been prepared to let him return to the training ground, claiming there could be no place for "mob justice".

Mob justice? By the time that comment had been uttered Wigan had sacked Uwe Rösler as manager with a clear indication that they intended to employ Mackay, even though the Football Association is yet to conclude its investigation into the racist, sexist, homophobic text messages he exchanged while manager of Cardiff.

By Wednesday Mackay was hired, claiming he was a "better man" and had enrolled on an educational programme. There was an angry response from Kick It Out, the organisation charged with eradicating racism in soccer. The consensus was clear and reasonable: no one should consider employing Mackay while he is being investigated. But Wigan owner Dave Whelan inflamed the situation when he said in response to a question about alleged anti-Semitic remarks by Mackay: "Jewish people chase money more than everybody else."

Mackay's appointment came within hours of England fans at Celtic Park chanting "F--- the IRA" to the accompaniment of the supporters' band, who have a relationship with the Football Association. The FA had to issue an apology.

Four very different stories, of course.

But, as a football writer, they all come across my patch and involve the sport I cover and there is a sense within all four of some degree of entitlement - that Fifa can act as it wants; that Evans has a right to return to play football (which would not be the case in many professions); that Mackay can return even though due process has not been complete; that fans can chant what they want.

It cannot be glossed over. Sport and politics should not mix, or so the old saying goes, but football is not separate from society. It is integral to it and an important part of its fabric.

My view on Fifa? It cannot change until Sepp Blatter is removed and that may only come about by something drastic happening, like Uefa breaking away and, allied with the US and others, forcing a re-formation of world football's governing body.

England fans need to remember it is a game. It is supposed to be fun. Sometimes, we all get too far from that conclusion. - © The Daily Telegraph, London