Didn't really find a thread in which this would fit in properly, so here's a new one.
Ex-DFB president Theo Zwanziger attacks FIFA, Qatar and Gianni Infantino in an interview with German football magazine 11Freunde - and he's not holding back. Here are some quotes that have already been published:
"FIFA is a network of dependencies which's environment has a tendency for corruption. Simply put: Those who want to rise to the top establish a good relationship with their bosses. Those who want to stay at the top are well advised to not scare off their employees. On top off that there's a tendency to look away, transparency and control are insufficient."
"For Infantino it was unconceivable to get into the line of fire as president. So he replaced the two jurists at the top of the Ethics Commission, Swiss Cornel Borbely and German Hans-Joachim Eckert, with allies and bootlickers."
"I absolutely wanted to work on FIFA reforms. But if I had entered this battlefield, there would have been a lack of understanding by many people and my opportunities would have been limited. Sometimes you have to howl with the wolves for the sake of the matter."
"If an unstable system permeated with weak characters gets out of control - it explodes."
"I have said it many times and I remain firm on it: Qatar is the cancerous ulcer of world football." [Qatar actually tried to sue him for that]
"If Mr. Grindel [current DFB president] asked me if he should apply to take away the World Cup from Qatar, I'd advice him not to. It would only harm the DFB, for example when it comes to hosting the next big tournament. Even being the football association with the most members, the DFB only has one vote in the FIFA-Congress as every one else."
"FIFA operates according to the principle: Whose bread I eat, whose song I sing. And right now FIFA is eating Qatar's bread. A player who behaves in a brutal or racist manner on the pitch is severly punished. That's very good! But on the highest levels of officials there's completely different rules."
"I concede that football has become somewhat of a circus. Even a circus can be attractive, even if to some degree it's only an illusion. No doubt football has moved away from its basic ethical significance. And in my opinion football isn't suitable as a rolemodel anymore."
Single-hand appraoches wouldn't be of any use to change Infantino's system. "The DFB should work together with other progressive associations on lasting improvements."
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What should be taken into account here is that Zwanziger was DFB president from 2006 to 2012 and was himself involved in the corruption affair surrounding Franz Beckenbauer and bringing the 2006 World Cup to Germany. He's been part of the FIFA and UEFA system for a very long time and has very likely profited from this himself. Regarding his claims he wanted to work on reforms but held back to protect the DFB from harm by loosing influence and falling from the good graces of FIFA's president and higher officials have to be taken in rather unsubstantiated. The whole interview does indeed reek of a man who's now hitting out in hindsight and clearly not a friend of the current leaders.
Still, what he says absolutely falls in line with what almost anyone knows about Infantino lead FIFA and surely doesn't come as a big surprise - it's interesting, though, as it comes from an ex-top official. It's a bit like a Mafia member going into witness protection and dishing out on their deeds - sure, he's a bad guy himself but that doesn't take away from the insight we're given.
Blatter's FIFA already was a corrupt shame of an organization, but clearly Infantino and his men have put another one on top with their increasing ties to the Arabian peninsula and blown out tournaments. Football seems ever more profit oriented and soulless. A German proverb says: "Den Teufel jagt man hinaus, der Satan kommt wieder herein" - "You chase out the devil, Satan comes back in."
Ex-DFB president Theo Zwanziger attacks FIFA, Qatar and Gianni Infantino in an interview with German football magazine 11Freunde - and he's not holding back. Here are some quotes that have already been published:
"FIFA is a network of dependencies which's environment has a tendency for corruption. Simply put: Those who want to rise to the top establish a good relationship with their bosses. Those who want to stay at the top are well advised to not scare off their employees. On top off that there's a tendency to look away, transparency and control are insufficient."
"For Infantino it was unconceivable to get into the line of fire as president. So he replaced the two jurists at the top of the Ethics Commission, Swiss Cornel Borbely and German Hans-Joachim Eckert, with allies and bootlickers."
"I absolutely wanted to work on FIFA reforms. But if I had entered this battlefield, there would have been a lack of understanding by many people and my opportunities would have been limited. Sometimes you have to howl with the wolves for the sake of the matter."
"If an unstable system permeated with weak characters gets out of control - it explodes."
"I have said it many times and I remain firm on it: Qatar is the cancerous ulcer of world football." [Qatar actually tried to sue him for that]
"If Mr. Grindel [current DFB president] asked me if he should apply to take away the World Cup from Qatar, I'd advice him not to. It would only harm the DFB, for example when it comes to hosting the next big tournament. Even being the football association with the most members, the DFB only has one vote in the FIFA-Congress as every one else."
"FIFA operates according to the principle: Whose bread I eat, whose song I sing. And right now FIFA is eating Qatar's bread. A player who behaves in a brutal or racist manner on the pitch is severly punished. That's very good! But on the highest levels of officials there's completely different rules."
"I concede that football has become somewhat of a circus. Even a circus can be attractive, even if to some degree it's only an illusion. No doubt football has moved away from its basic ethical significance. And in my opinion football isn't suitable as a rolemodel anymore."
Single-hand appraoches wouldn't be of any use to change Infantino's system. "The DFB should work together with other progressive associations on lasting improvements."
-----------------
What should be taken into account here is that Zwanziger was DFB president from 2006 to 2012 and was himself involved in the corruption affair surrounding Franz Beckenbauer and bringing the 2006 World Cup to Germany. He's been part of the FIFA and UEFA system for a very long time and has very likely profited from this himself. Regarding his claims he wanted to work on reforms but held back to protect the DFB from harm by loosing influence and falling from the good graces of FIFA's president and higher officials have to be taken in rather unsubstantiated. The whole interview does indeed reek of a man who's now hitting out in hindsight and clearly not a friend of the current leaders.
Still, what he says absolutely falls in line with what almost anyone knows about Infantino lead FIFA and surely doesn't come as a big surprise - it's interesting, though, as it comes from an ex-top official. It's a bit like a Mafia member going into witness protection and dishing out on their deeds - sure, he's a bad guy himself but that doesn't take away from the insight we're given.
Blatter's FIFA already was a corrupt shame of an organization, but clearly Infantino and his men have put another one on top with their increasing ties to the Arabian peninsula and blown out tournaments. Football seems ever more profit oriented and soulless. A German proverb says: "Den Teufel jagt man hinaus, der Satan kommt wieder herein" - "You chase out the devil, Satan comes back in."