Book Review: Red Card: The F.I.F.A. Scandal

       Football, Futbal, Soccer.  Loved around the world.  Players are rewarded with fabulous salaries; they are revered by millions for their abilities; home town fans are indeed "fanatics".  The 'beautiful game' as it is known among its many followers is run/organized by an international body that is headquartered in Switzerland- in Zurich.  The governing board is ruled by a director who is elected by members from national boards who sit together when votes are cast on established time tables.  One of the key decisions of the director and the executive board is to select the site of the World Cup competition held every four years.  The Cup has been held regularly for almost 100 years, with several interruptions, usually for armed conflicts.  Seems straight forward, other sports have championships, some annually.  The Olympics are held every four years also, often with competing countries looking to host the games which often is used as a show case for the host nation's attributes.
As one might expect, national committees work hard to curry favor with the F.I.F.A. delegates/voting members.    Hmmmmm.  Might this be an opportunity for behind-the-scenes negotiations?   Might there be individuals who might be subject to offers of graft?  Possibly.   There have been persistent rumors over the years that bribes were sought and bribes paid by certain individuals to decision makers and voting delegates.  And now, here's the story of the whole sordid mess and the fall out of the final word.