Very informative documentary about corruption in FIFA at least since the election of Havelange for its president in 1974, until 2022, the year of Qatar World Cup. There are precious stories and so important characters that I did not knew and have been extremely influential in FIFA business: Jack Warner, Chuck Blazer, Mohammed bin Hammam, Horst Dassler (the son of Adidas Nazi founder)... Not only the data and footage, but also the testimonies by some of them are very nice (I also highlight testimonies by Joseph Blatter and by Hassan Al-Thawadi, secretary general of Qatar 2022).
There are, however, very serious flaws in the documentary, that counterbalance its aforementioned qualities. The very beginning of its first of four segements is terrible, with cheesy edition and too obvious narration and testimonies.
The film improves afterwards, but the alternation of good and bad testimonies would be a trait until the end. What irritated me the most was that correct criticism about some of FIFA's choices and procedures are mixed with a lot of prejudice by some interviewees. A straight example: off course Qatar has been chosen by being rich, there is a strong suspection of bribes behind that selection, workers in the World Cup infrastructure had awful conditions and no labour rights (indeed, FIFA has been worsening laws in all host countries in the last decades, what is not discussed in the documentary) and Qatar has no tradition in football (differently, for example, from Saudi Arabia or Iran).
Saying that is not the same of defending that Qatar could not be the host because the United States were candidates, because the weather is too warm, or because it is too expensive for European spectators to go. That is ridiculous! It is fair that an Arabian and Middle East country be the host for the first time. Qatar, the owner of Paris Saint Germain, is certainly not the best option, but the region deserved to host, and Asian spectators could eventually attend the match in great numbers. So, the documentary mixes good information and correct criticism with prejudice and Eurocentrism.
The correct criticism against Argentine military dictatorship in 1978 and interesting comparison do Nazi Olympic Games in 1936 were directed to criticize Putin's Russia hosting the world cup in 2018. Well, it not only deviates from noticing that Qatar is even more authoritarian, but also that the alliance with dictatorships is a longstanting tradition of FIFA, that predates Havelange and Blatter: 1934 World Cup was held in Fascist Italy under Mussolini and squadra azzurra has been world champions playing at home just like Argentina would be in 1978. From 1921 to 1954, FIFA president was no one less than acclaimed Jules Rimet.
Another serious problem in the documentary, in my critical opinion, is that it fails to connect the dots: indeed, FIFA way is a corrupt one, and from 1974 on, with Adidas, International Sport and Leisure (ISL), Coca-Cola and so forth, money increased a lot and football became a big business it had not been before, when FIFA was still amateur. However, you cannot understand that avoiding the key word: "capitalism".
Havelange and Blatter stablished together with Horst Dassler leading FIFA as a big business not simply because they had a plan, but because of transformations in world capitalism (welfare state in Europe was also shrinking, for example). A conservative aristocrat with a mind linked to racist British colonial times such as Stanley Rous could not maintain hs position as FIFA presient simply because he would be a constraint for capitalism, which needed modernization represented by Havelange and his partners.
FIFA aims profit and not the development of football throughout the globe and even less that everybody be able to watch the matches. That means more inequality, disrespect for laboutr rights, disrespect for the countries' sovereignty, unnecessary stadium building or reform, empty seats in world cup matches. That is not just because Havelange, of Sith master Sepp Blatter, or Platini, or Valcke, or Infantino have interest on it. They are engines of a greater machine called capitalism. Sport is just an excuse. There is precisely why there are powerful men inside FIFA from countries with no football tradition such as Cayman Islands, Qatar... Just follow the money.
There are, however, very serious flaws in the documentary, that counterbalance its aforementioned qualities. The very beginning of its first of four segements is terrible, with cheesy edition and too obvious narration and testimonies.
The film improves afterwards, but the alternation of good and bad testimonies would be a trait until the end. What irritated me the most was that correct criticism about some of FIFA's choices and procedures are mixed with a lot of prejudice by some interviewees. A straight example: off course Qatar has been chosen by being rich, there is a strong suspection of bribes behind that selection, workers in the World Cup infrastructure had awful conditions and no labour rights (indeed, FIFA has been worsening laws in all host countries in the last decades, what is not discussed in the documentary) and Qatar has no tradition in football (differently, for example, from Saudi Arabia or Iran).
Saying that is not the same of defending that Qatar could not be the host because the United States were candidates, because the weather is too warm, or because it is too expensive for European spectators to go. That is ridiculous! It is fair that an Arabian and Middle East country be the host for the first time. Qatar, the owner of Paris Saint Germain, is certainly not the best option, but the region deserved to host, and Asian spectators could eventually attend the match in great numbers. So, the documentary mixes good information and correct criticism with prejudice and Eurocentrism.
The correct criticism against Argentine military dictatorship in 1978 and interesting comparison do Nazi Olympic Games in 1936 were directed to criticize Putin's Russia hosting the world cup in 2018. Well, it not only deviates from noticing that Qatar is even more authoritarian, but also that the alliance with dictatorships is a longstanting tradition of FIFA, that predates Havelange and Blatter: 1934 World Cup was held in Fascist Italy under Mussolini and squadra azzurra has been world champions playing at home just like Argentina would be in 1978. From 1921 to 1954, FIFA president was no one less than acclaimed Jules Rimet.
Another serious problem in the documentary, in my critical opinion, is that it fails to connect the dots: indeed, FIFA way is a corrupt one, and from 1974 on, with Adidas, International Sport and Leisure (ISL), Coca-Cola and so forth, money increased a lot and football became a big business it had not been before, when FIFA was still amateur. However, you cannot understand that avoiding the key word: "capitalism".
Havelange and Blatter stablished together with Horst Dassler leading FIFA as a big business not simply because they had a plan, but because of transformations in world capitalism (welfare state in Europe was also shrinking, for example). A conservative aristocrat with a mind linked to racist British colonial times such as Stanley Rous could not maintain hs position as FIFA presient simply because he would be a constraint for capitalism, which needed modernization represented by Havelange and his partners.
FIFA aims profit and not the development of football throughout the globe and even less that everybody be able to watch the matches. That means more inequality, disrespect for laboutr rights, disrespect for the countries' sovereignty, unnecessary stadium building or reform, empty seats in world cup matches. That is not just because Havelange, of Sith master Sepp Blatter, or Platini, or Valcke, or Infantino have interest on it. They are engines of a greater machine called capitalism. Sport is just an excuse. There is precisely why there are powerful men inside FIFA from countries with no football tradition such as Cayman Islands, Qatar... Just follow the money.