Soccer as a globally organized sport finds itself in the gravest crisis of its history. Toward the end of May, nine senior FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) officials and another five corporate executives were arrested in jaw-dropping and game-changing dawn raids in Zurich by Swiss police on charges of racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud drawn up by the U.S. Justice Department.
Simultaneously, Swiss authorities themselves launched separate inquiries into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. Being charged with rampant, systemic and deep-rooted corruption by U.S. authorities is not something that can be lightly brushed aside.
Multinational sports federations are legitimate and influential nonstate actors in the web of global governance. Elements of uncivil society like people, arms and drug traffickers, international terrorists and money launderers comprise the undesirable nonstate actors. They have taken advantage of the spread and tools of globalization to control illicit activities on the unlit side of the global street.