FIFA Bans Kenyans for Graft. But Jack Warner’s Still Grafting.

By: Laurie | January 26th, 2008

Do the words “FIFA Corruption Investigation” make anybody else snicker? In a kind of cynical and jaded way?

They shouldn’t. I know this. The money to be had in the sport is huge, and where there’s huge money, there’s always somebody attempting to get more of it in illicit ways, as we’ve seen with this week’s match-fixing allegations in the African Cup of Nations. Corruption is a real problem, and I’m glad that they clamp down.

It’s just too bad they’re not willing to start at the top.

The latest officials to feel the FIFA hammer fall on their heads were Kenyans accused of hiring referees based on the bribes they were willing to pay.

FIFA’s ethics committee banned three former Kenyan officials on Thursday after it ruled they had been involved in irregularities surrounding the selection of Kenyan referees and assistant referees for the FIFA List of International Referees.

Former General Secretary of the Kenya Football Federation (KFF) Daniel Omino and former chairman of the Kenyan Referees Association Wycliffe Ogutu were each banned for five years.

A couple of others received lesser punishments. All are saying the ban is unjustified and planning an appeal. Of course they are. That’s what you do with FIFA.

They probably won’t win. They’re the little guys. Corruption among the little guys will be prosecuted.

Because as anybody who follows FIFA can tell you, if you want to get away with corruption in FIFA, you have to be a big fish with friends in high places.

A few more articles on FIFA Corruption you might enjoy:

‘Warner asked me to make a cheque out to his personal account. I said we don’t do that’

FIFA chief’s World Cup ticket scam

The stench of corruption

Jack Warner Cleared; FIFA Proves it is Useless

Ticket rackets and secondhand cars: How Chet got rich

And while you’re reading that last one, be sure to check out the entire Transparency in Sport website. This link will take you to “the documents and stories that FIFA’s leaders don’t want you to see.”