There are countries designated as "state sponsors of terrorism," and Russia is turning into an international sponsor of corruption. Take a look at this statement from our Foreign Ministry:
*We have many questions regarding the detention in Switzerland, at the request of the United States, of senior officials of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) on the basis of a ruling by an American court. A group of individuals representing various countries stands accused of around fifty cases of different kinds of financial fraud. Without going into the details of the charges, we would point out that this is yet another clear case of the unlawful extraterritorial application of U.S. law. We expect that this will in no way be used to cast a shadow over the international football organization as a whole or over its decisions, including personnel decisions. Once again, we strongly urge Washington to stop trying to sit in judgment far beyond its own borders according to its own legal standards, and to follow generally accepted international legal procedures. http://mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/newsline/BBCCB78E3D14BFDD43257E520058D540 *
Why the hell does Russia need this? The whole world is welcoming the start of the investigation.
All of FIFA's major sponsors have expressed concern and demanded that the organization adhere to ethical standards. Everyone from Visa to Nike and Coca-Cola.
McDonald's expressed "extreme concern." McDonald's, for crying out loud!
And only Russia is muttering something about "casting a shadow" and "Washington sitting in judgment." Why do we have to do this, when FIFA and Blatter are losing even the trust of the fans?
*FIFA is catastrophically losing credibility both among football officials and among ordinary fans. Yesterday, German Football Association president Reinhard Rauball and Transparency International called on Blatter to resign. According to an international survey conducted by Transparency International, only 2.2% of fans trust Blatter and want to see him remain FIFA president (69% said they had lost trust in the organization) http://www.vedomosti.ru/opinion/articles/2015/05/28/594039-krasnaya-kartochka-funktsioneram-fifa *
It's unpleasant, and it shouldn't be this way.