國際足聯必須抓住最後的改革機會

Sepp Blatter’s resignation as president of Fifa is good news for world football. But “Blaxit”, as his departure plan has been dubbed, will not alone deliver the overhaul the organisation needs. Fifa is a deeply corrupt body that requires a complete reconstruction of its governance if it is to gain a shred of international respect. Should reform not follow swiftly, the case for abolition will become unanswerable.

塞普•布拉特(Sepp Blatter)辭去國際足聯(FIFA)主席一職對世界足球運動來說是個好消息。但他的離去（被戲稱爲“Blaxit”）還不足以爲該組織帶來所需的徹底變革。深陷腐敗的國際足聯若想獲得絲毫國際尊重的話，就必須全面重建自身的治理機制。如果改革不能迅速跟上的話，主席下臺也無濟於事。

For years, those angered by corruption allegations at Fifa have rightly called for Mr Blatter to go. There can be no doubt that bribery has flourished during his 17-year term of office, whatever his personal involvement may have been. But it is important to remember that Fifa’s bad reputation preceded his presidency. Mr Blatter’s predecessor, the Brazilian João de Havelange, was found guilty of taking bribes from a marketing company.

多年來，那些憤怒於有關國際足聯的腐敗指控的人一直在以充分的理由呼籲布拉特下臺。毫無疑問，賄賂在他17年的任職期間蔚然成風，無論他本人是否曾參與其中。但重要的是要記住，在他擔任主席之前，國際足聯就早已有了壞名聲。布拉特的前任、巴西人若昂•阿維蘭熱(João de Havelange)就被判定收受一家營銷公司的賄賂。

The problem with Fifa lies in its structure. It generates billions of dollars in each four-year World Cup cycle largely by selling television viewing rights. A large chunk of these revenues are paid out to the 209 national football associations, often in the form of cheques handed to individual FA presidents at Fifa congresses.

國際足聯的問題在於其組織結構。每次四年一屆的世界盃期間，它都可以通過出售電視轉播權獲得數十億美元的收入。這些收入大部分被支付給209個國家的足球協會，而且通常是在國際足聯代表大會上以支票形式交給各國足協主席本人。

What happens to this money is not always clear. Some goes towards “developing football” in member states, some is said to have found its way into accounts controlled by regional soccer officials. The point is that these payments to grateful FA presidents are the lifeblood of a patronage culture that has guaranteed Mr Blatter’s repeated re-election.

這些錢最後的流向並非總是可循。有些用於成員國“發展足球運動”，有些據說是流進了由當地足協官員控制的賬戶。關鍵是，這些交給心存感激的足協主席的錢款是國際足聯庇護文化的命脈，正是這一文化保證了布拉特多次連任。

Fifa can only end this system by taking drastic action. It must abandon its legal status as a Swiss not-for-profit sporting association, with no obligation to publish accounts or meet basic requirements for transparency. As one Swiss MP said this week, an organisation that manages billions cannot operate “like a yodelling club”.

國際足聯只能通過採取釜底抽薪式的行動結束這種體制。它必須放棄作爲一家瑞士非盈利體育協會的法律地位——沒有義務公開賬目或滿足基本的透明度要求。正如一位瑞士議員本週表示，一家管理着數十億美元的組織不能“像約德爾調(yodelling)俱樂部一樣”運作。

Instead, Fifa should run itself as a public company, subjecting its activities to proper reporting disciplines. Among these would be the need to have independent board members and external accountants. The organisation should set up a system to ensure that money paid to national FAs is used for its proper purpose.

相反，國際足聯應該像上市公司一樣運作，讓自己的活動遵守適當的報告規定。這其中就需要有獨立的董事會成員以及外部的會計師。國際足聯應該建立一種機制，確保支付給各國足協的資金用於其真正目的。

For now, there is little sign that Fifa’s top management has embraced the need for radical change. Puzzlingly, it has allowed Mr Blatter to stay in his job for up to nine more months. His credibility is spent and he should go at once. Much of the media, meanwhile, is fixated on the question of who might succeed him. This fails to recognise that Fifa’s problems will not be solved simply by allowing 209 FAs, many of whom are wedded to “business as usual”, to pick another Fifa-fixer of the traditional stripe.

就目前而言，幾乎沒有跡象表明國際足聯高層已經接受有必要進行徹底變革。令人困惑的是，它還允許布拉特繼續留任最長達9個月的時間。布拉特信譽已失，應該立馬走人。同時，大部分媒體都在關注誰有可能接替他的問題。這未能認識到：國際足聯的問題不會僅僅通過讓209名各國足協主席（其中很多人佯裝“若無其事”）選出另一位繼承傳統衣鉢的掌門人而得到解決。

Instead, change will probably have to be forced from outside. Fifa should ask an unpaid external body to examine how it operates and propose a completely new governance structure. A report by George Mitchell, the former US Senator, played a vital role reforming the International Olympic Committee after the bribery scandal surrounding the 2002 Winter Games.

相反，變革很可能不得不通過外部施壓來進行。國際足聯應該邀請一家不取酬勞的外部機構檢查其運作情況，並提出一種全新的治理結構。在圍繞2002年冬奧會的賄賂醜聞曝光後，美國前參議員喬治•米切爾(George Mitchell)的一份報告對國際奧委會(International Olympic Committee)的改革發揮了重要作用。

The barons of world football need to recognise what is at stake. The World Cup is a phenomenally popular competition whose matches are well organised. Across the globe, there is trust that the four-yearly contest is played fairly.

世界足球領域的巨頭們需要認識到問題孰輕孰重。世界盃是一項廣受歡迎的體育競賽，賽事活動也組織得井然有序。在全球範圍內，人們相信這項四年一屆的賽事是公平進行的。

But the stench coming from Fifa’s Zurich headquarters is beginning to overwhelm the tournament’s reputation. With Mr Blatter’s slow-motion exit, a precious window of opportunity for Fifa to reform itself has opened. It will not stay open indefinitely.

但國際足聯蘇黎世總部散發的惡臭已經開始毀掉這項賽事的聲譽。布拉特的緩緩退出爲國際足聯改革自身打開了珍貴的機會之窗，但它不會一直開着。