Opinion | The shameless vs the shameless: Why it's only a matter of time before US government ensnares Sepp Blatter
There's nowhere to hide for the embattled Fifa chief as he will prove no match for US attorney general Lynch and her men in the end
There is a special place where bald-faced ambition meets outsized ego. It is a barely humane entity littered with sub-species of Machiavellian deceit where crucial decisions are made daily that truly impact billions of people.
It's called Washington, the capital of the free world, and in one of life's more delicious ironies it could also be the place that spells the end to the kleptocratic scourge behind the people who run international football and the unscrupulously cunning gnome that leads them.
Even Fifa, and their embattled leader Sepp Blatter, are quickly learning that they are no match for the US government
When the shameless tackle the shameless, always go with the one that has endless resources. Even Fifa, and their embattled leader Sepp Blatter, are quickly learning that they are no match for the US government, a fact that was hammered home once again last week when American attorney general Loretta Lynch and her Swiss counterpart Michael Lauber held a joint press conference in Zurich.
Back in May, Lynch's office issued a series of indictments in a US$150 million bribery and racketeering conspiracy against 14 Fifa related officials that resulted in a sweeping roundup by Swiss police.
Seemingly working in unison, Lauber's office also announced at the time that they were investigating possible corruption in the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and 2022 to Qatar. Lauber said last week that they had now seized properties in the Swiss Alps as well as additional evidence during searches of houses in western Switzerland while Lynch added, "We do anticipate pursuing additional charges against individuals and entities."
She also refused to comment if Blatter was being targeted but some questions hardly need answering. So far the biggest names ensnared have been former Fifa vice-president Jeffrey Webb and a pair of buffoons, US soccer kingpin Chuck Blazer and Trinidad's Jack Warner. The US Department of Justice simply does not engage in an operation of this scale unless the ultimate goal is not only Blatter's shiny scalp, but the complete implosion of Fifa and its inherent apparatus.