01 cover sbi 152.indd - FIFA/CIES International University Network

Valcke leaving the organisation, only
to return some time later in the role
of Secretary General, a position which
Blatter himself had occupied during
his accent of the top office.
But despite the ceaseless attacks
and innuendo, Blatter remains in
position and there is little doubt that
FIFA has taken tremendous strides
on his watch. Since assuming the
presidency he has overseen the
re-structuring of FIFA’s competition
portfolio, seen women’s football gain
an unprecedented degree of exposure
and credibility and moved the
organisation into a shiny new palace
of a headquarters in Zurich.
All in all that’s not bad going for a
former Swiss amateur league player
who started his professional career
as head of PR for his local tourist
board in Switzerland before becoming
General Secretary of the Swiss Ice
Hockey Federation.
He developed a career in
journalism and PR, ultimately getting
his first shot at the international
sports scene at the Olympic games
of 1972 and ’76 as Director of Sports
Timing and PR for the Swiss watch
brand Longines.
Extra responsibility
It was the springboard to a career
which has shaped FIFA, football and,
some would say, the world.
And it is the way that FIFA has
reached out beyond football to
harness the power of the sport to a
range of causes and projects which
demonstrate the most positive
exertion of his influence.
“FIFA is no longer merely an
institution that runs our sport,” he says.
“It has now taken on a social, cultural,
political and sporting dimension
in the struggle to educate children
and defeat poverty. At the same
time it has also become a powerful
economic phenomenon. The 208
national associations affiliated to FIFA
represent 260 million people actively
connected to the game, including
players, coaches and administrators.
Based on the reasonable assumption
that each of them has three or four
family members or friends with an
interest in the game that figure rises
to one billion, a seventh of the Earth’s
population. The football family has a
major responsibility and must set an
example.”
The history books
That responsibility is being discharged
in a number of different ways, not
least of which is the Football for Hope
movement which aims to use the
power of football to drive sustainable
social development around the world.
Football for Hope supports and
sustains a wide range of innovative
and imaginative football based
projects on every continent.
These projects are set up to deal
with social issues ranging from
encouraging children to stay in
education to providing a focus and
incentive for long-term unemployed
youngsters. Some promote peace
and conflict resolution, others health
awareness, particularly in relation to
AIDS in Africa.
When historians come to review
Sepp Blatter’s personal contribution,
he will inevitably be regarded as a
controversial character who built
influence and a fiefdom on a mixture
of easy charm, hard bargaining and
tough politics.
But in the villages of Asia, the
townships of Africa and the favellas
of Latin America - places where the
name Blatter probably means next to
nothing - the social work instigated
and supported by his FIFA may well
prove to be life changing. And that’s
real influence.
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