布拉特亮相國際足聯大會未受醜聞影響

ZURICH — Soccer’s world governing body will hold a presidential election Friday, two days after a group of its leading officials were charged with corruption, its headquarters were raided and the governments of two countries announced they were investigating more allegations of bribery.

蘇黎世——管理國際足球事務的國際足聯(FIFA)即將於週五選舉主席，而不過兩天前，其多名高層領導才遭貪腐指控，其總部被查抄搜索，還有兩國政府宣稱正在針對更多的賄賂指控展開調查。

But when the voting members of FIFA cast their ballots on Friday, it most likely will be as if nothing had happened this week. Sepp Blatter, the publicly embattled leader seeking a fifth term as FIFA’s president, shows no signs of political damage. Despite a new round of allegations of widespread bribery implicating some of his top lieutenants, 11 of whom have been provisionally suspended from soccer, Mr. Blatter is expected to handily defeat his only challenger.

然而，當國際足聯的會員於週五投下選票時，將很可能彷佛本週什麼事都沒發生過。尋求五度擔任國際足聯主席的賽普·布拉特(Sepp Blatter)雖公開陷入守勢，但並未顯示出在政治上受損的跡象。儘管又有一波大肆受賄的指控浮上臺面，牽涉到他的某些高層親信涉，並導致其中11人暫時禁止參與足球活動，預計布拉特仍舊會輕易打敗唯一的對手。

On Thursday, in his first public comments since the scandal became public, Mr. Blatter, 79, used a speech opening FIFA’s annual congress on Thursday to deflect responsibility for FIFA’s problems and simultaneously suggest he was willing and capable of solving them.

自從醜聞曝光後，現年79歲的布拉特於週四首次發表了公開評論。在國際足聯年度大會的開場演說中，他規避了自己對足聯種種問題的責任，但同時表示他有意願、也有能力來解決這些問題。

“We, or I, cannot monitor everyone all of the time,” Mr. Blatter said. “If people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it. But it must also fall to me to be responsible for the reputation of our entire organization, and to find a way to fix things.

“本會，或者是本人，無法時時刻刻監督每個人，”布拉特表示。“有意從事不法行爲的人，也會想盡辦法隱瞞，但我責無旁貸，必須捍衛國際足聯的名聲，尋求方法修正問題。”

“We cannot allow the reputation of FIFA to be dragged through the mud any longer. It has to stop here and now.”

“我們絕不允許國際足聯的名譽繼續遭受污衊，必須就此打住。”

Mr. Blatter is widely expected to win a fifth term on Friday — in a vote only miles from the luxury hotel where Thursday’s arrests took place — in part because of FIFA’s electoral math. The FIFA president is elected by a one-vote-per-country poll of its 209 member federations, making the many smaller countries who support Mr. Blatter an effective counterweight to his unpopularity elsewhere, most notably in Europe.

週五選舉的投票地點，和足聯官員於週四被捕的奢華飯店僅相距數英里，而外界普遍認爲布拉特將五度贏得選舉。這在一定程度上可歸因於國際足聯的選舉機制。足聯主席由209個會員組織選出，一國一票。許多小國支持布拉特，因此能夠有效反制其他地區的反對力量，尤其是歐洲。

His speech in a Zurich theater Thursday came amid both criticism and support of his leadership from around the world. In Russia and Brazil, top officials suggested the United States investigators had sought the arrests to increase American influence in soccer.

布拉特週四在蘇黎世的一家劇院發表了此番年會演說。與此同時，國際社會對他的領導能力則譭譽參半。俄羅斯及巴西的政府高層指出，美國的調查人員之所以逮捕國際足聯官員，是爲了提升美國在足球界的影響力。

Mr. Blatter has given countless speeches during his 17-year career as FIFA’s president, but none quite like the one he delivered Thursday. It was a delicate moment, but one so significant that Mr. Blatter, who is known for his off-the-cuff comments, was said to have repeatedly rehearsed his remarks in the car on the way to the theater.

布拉特任職國際足聯主席已有17年，期間雖發表過衆多講話，但都不若週四的演說那般。這一次，時機敏感，關係重大。據說，向來以即興演說出名的布拉特，在前往會場的車上，也進行了反覆練習。

The final product struck a mixed tone. One part sadness, one part resolve, one part unyielding optimism, Mr. Blatter’s speech urged FIFA and its members to do a better job policing themselves.

布拉特最終發佈的演說五味雜陳，摻雜了悲傷、決心與堅定的樂觀情緒。他在其中呼籲國際足聯及會員謹守分寸。

“I will not allow the actions of a few to damage the reputation of FIFA,” he said.

“我決不允許少數人的行爲玷污國際足聯的清譽，”他表示。

Mr. Blatter, who was not directly implicated in the indictment from the United States Justice Department (which is seeking extradition of the executives detained on its request) or a separate investigation announced by Swiss authorities into the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, acknowledged that these were “unprecedented and difficult times” for FIFA. He noted, too, that he was aware many people hold him “ultimately responsible for the actions and reputation of the global football community.”

美國司法部（正尋求引渡應其要求拘捕的官員）並未在起訴書中直接指涉布拉特；瑞士正針對2018和2022年世界盃主辦國的競標過程展開自己的調查，但也未指布拉特涉案。布拉特承認，這些對國際足聯而言是“前所未見的難關”。他也強調，自己明白許多人認爲他“對國際足球界的行爲和名譽負有最終的責任”。

“The next few months will not be easy for FIFA,” he added. “I’m sure more bad news may follow. But it is necessary to begin to restore trust in our organization. Let this be the turning point.”

“接下來的幾個月對國際足聯來說肯定不好過，”他還說。“我相信後續還有更多負面消息。不過我們必須重振外界對國際足聯的信任，讓這起事件成爲轉折點。”

It was difficult to tell how well Mr. Blatter’s message was received — the crowd at the theater applauded politely both before and after the speech — but there has been little indication that a sea change against him had occurred on the eve of the election.

布拉特的訊息能否順利傳達尚不得而知——劇院的聽衆在他演說前後均禮貌性地鼓掌——但是在選舉前夕，並沒有多少跡象顯示他會遭遇重大變化。

Mr. Blatter is expected to comfortably defeat his only challenger, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, once the secret-ballot voting is conducted, to secure a fifth term. Mr. Blatter, who won the presidency in 1998, was elected without opposition in his last two campaigns, but Friday’s vote will not be a similarly unanimous expression of support.

人們預計，布拉特會在不記名投票中輕鬆擊敗唯一的挑戰者約旦親王阿里·本·侯賽因(Ali bin Al-Hussein)，鎖定第五屆任期。自1998年獲選主席以來，布拉特在最近兩次選舉中都沒有競爭對手，但本週五的投票並不會與之雷同，僅發出一致的支持聲音。

Michel Platini, the president of European soccer’s governing body, called for Mr. Blatter to step down during an emergency meeting of top officials convened early Thursday and then enthusiastically endorsed Prince Ali.

在週四一早與高級官員召開的緊急會議中，歐足聯(UEFA)主席米歇爾·普拉蒂尼(Michael Platini)呼籲布拉特下臺，並熱烈推崇阿里親王。

The African, South American and Asian confederations are largely seen as supporting Mr. Blatter, who would need two-thirds of the votes to win on the first ballot and a simple majority on any ensuing ballots.

輿論認爲，非洲、南美洲與亞洲各國的足協基本支持布拉特。他將需要三分之二的選票來在第一輪投票中直接贏得選舉，或是在接下來的任何一輪獲得簡單多數票。

While the soccer officials here prepared for their congress — other issues under discussion Friday include a controversial proposal from the Palestinian Football Association calling for Israel to be expelled from FIFA — the fallout from Wednesday’s early-morning police raid at a luxury hotel continued to ripple. A former top FIFA executive who was indicted, Jack Warner, turned himself in to the police late Wednesday in his native Trinidad, and in Argentina a judge issued arrest warrants for three media and marketing executives names in the indictments.

在足聯官員來到此地準備參與大會的同時——週五還會討論巴勒斯坦足球協會呈交的剝奪以色列的國際足聯成員資格的爭議提案——警方週三凌晨於一家豪華酒店開展的突襲行動仍然餘波未平。被指控的國際足聯前高管傑克·沃納(Jack Warner)在週三晚間於母國特立尼達向警方自首，阿根廷的一位法官也對起訴書中控告的三名媒體與營銷高管發出了逮捕令。

Vladimir V. Putin, the president of Russia, criticized the United States for its involvement in the raids, accusing the Department of Justice of intervening outside its jurisdiction by pursuing the case against senior soccer officials, who, he noted, are not American citizens. Mr. Putin also said that he supported Mr. Blatter’s approach to running global soccer and added that the American investigation appeared to be a blatant attempt to stifle Mr. Blatter’s re-election.

俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾·V·普京(Vladimir V. Putin)抨擊美國涉入此次突襲行動，指責美國司法部逾越管轄範圍，追查不是美國公民的足聯高級官員。普京還表示他支持布拉特繼續執掌世界足球，並宣稱美國的調查行動明顯是要公然阻止布拉特連任。

In South America, the reactions were mixed. In Brazil, the host country of the 2014 World Cup and the home of José Maria Marin, the powerful soccer authority who was among the FIFA figures arrested in Zurich, some defenders of Mr. Marin contended that the investigation was an effort by the United States to gain influence within FIFA. But in neighboring Argentina, the satirical magazine Barcelona captured the prevailing mood with an irony-soaked cover denouncing the American investigation as an example of “Yankee” imperialism. The magazine called the complaint “an obvious assault on a bribery-fueled and sovereign” region.

南美洲的反應則相對混雜。2014年主辦世界盃的巴西，是在蘇黎世遭到逮捕的國際足聯高官若澤·馬利亞·馬林(José Maria Marin)的老家。一些人爲馬林辯護，聲稱美國爲增加在國際足聯的影響力才進行調查。在鄰國阿根廷，諷刺刊物《巴塞羅那》(Barcelona)緊跟風潮，用充滿反諷意味的口吻在封面上譴責這番調查突顯了“美國佬”的帝國主義。它聲稱，此次指控“顯然侮辱了這個受行賄支撐的主權”地區。

On a commercial level, Wednesday’s arrests prompted some FIFA partners to make statements regarding their relationships with the organization. Several sponsors, including Adidas, Coca-Cola and Visa, called for FIFA to change the way it operates — Visa vowed to “reassess” its World Cup sponsorship if the body did not change its ways — and on Thursday another major World Cup sponsor, Hyundai Motor, also registered its disapproval. The South Korean company said it was “extremely concerned” by the corruption charges.

商業層面上，週三的逮捕行動導致國際足聯的一些合作伙伴對於彼此之間的關係發出聲明。包括阿迪達斯(Adidas)、可口可樂(Coca-Cola)與Visa在內的數家贊助商呼籲國際足聯改變營運方式。其中Visa承諾，若國際足聯不改變路線，就要“重新評估”公司對世界盃的贊助。另一家世界盃主贊助商現代汽車(Hyundai Motor)也在週四表達了不認同的聲音。這家韓國公司表示“極度關切”相關貪腐指控。

South Africa denied any wrongdoing on Thursday after the American indictment unsealed Wednesday suggested that a $10 million bribe had helped the country win the right to host the 2010 World Cup. Federal prosecutors have accused Mr. Warner of offering his support for South Africa to the highest bidder, and then using much of the payout he received for personal use.

美國週三發佈的起訴書指出，有一筆1000萬美元的賄賂款幫助南非獲得了2010年世界盃的主辦權。南非則在週四否認從事了任何不法行爲。美國的聯邦檢察官控告沃納支持出價最高的南非，並從收受的贓款中拿出大筆錢財供個人揮霍。

South Africa’s sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, was quoted by Reuters as saying that the government had yet to receive an indictment from American prosecutors that included a link to South Africans. Mr. Mbalula also said that the 2010 World Cup funds had been accounted for and audited and that “no such amount has been found,” according to Reuters.

據路透社報道，南非體育部長菲基利·姆巴魯拉(Fikile Mbalula)說，政府還沒有收到提及南非角色的美國檢察官起訴書。姆巴魯拉還表示，2010年世界盃足球賽的資金賬目清楚，並經過審計，“沒有發現這麼一筆錢”，據路透社報道。

According to the indictment, when FIFA was considering which country should host the 2010 World Cup, Mr. Warner sent a relative to a Paris hotel room to collect a briefcase filled with $10,000 stacks of cash from a committee official for the South African bid. (Egyptian officials have recently asserted that FIFA executives solicited a multimillion-dollar bribe to secure the bid, and that Egypt, perhaps alone among the bidders, refused to pay.)

起訴書稱，當國際足聯在考慮由哪個國家舉辦2010年世界盃時，沃納派親戚到巴黎一家酒店的房間，從一名支持南非申辦的委員會官員那裏，收取了一個裝有一捆捆1萬美元現金的公文包。（埃及官員最近聲稱，國際足聯高層索取了數百萬美元的賄賂，以換取行賄者申辦成功，埃及或許是唯一拒絕行賄的申辦國。）

It is stories such as these that have led to a decaying public trust in FIFA, with much of the vitriol from fans directed at Mr. Blatter, who has been at FIFA in various positions for 40 years. Although he has earned praise for expanding soccer’s global reach and increasing its financial reserves, he has also been criticized for not working harder to create transparency in an organization that has a cash reserve of more than $1 billion.

正是這樣的故事，導致公衆越來越不信任國際足聯，球迷的很多批評直接指向了布拉特，他在國際足聯的不同崗位上待了40年，雖然在擴大足球在全球的影響力，以及增加其資金儲備上贏得了讚譽，但人們也批評他沒有更加努力地提高這個掌控着逾10億美元現金儲備的組織的透明度。

In his speech, Mr. Blatter did offer a small nod toward acknowledging FIFA’s shortcomings — the week’s events “demand action and change from us all,” he said — but he did not put forth contrition. Instead, amid a backdrop of corruption and conflict, he chose to focus on a message of purity.

在講話中，布拉特確實稍微承認了國際足聯的缺點——本週的事件“需要我們所有人採取動作，做出改變，”他說——但他並沒有表示悔過。在腐敗和衝突的背景中，他卻把重點放在傳達純潔的信息上。

Those who work in soccer, he said, do so “not for greed, not for exploiting, not for power, but because of the love of the game.”

他說，那些在足球界工作的人，投身其中“不是因爲貪婪，不是想要剝削他人，不是爲了獲取權力，而且因爲熱愛這項運動”。