Global Corruption Report: Sport and results of new poll on fan distrust of FIFA
69% of fans polled have no confidence in FIFA
On the day Transparency International launches its Global Corruption Report: Sport, an in-depth report looking at why sport has become so corrupt and what can be done to stop this, the anti-corruption group is also announcing the results of a new poll that shows just how much fans distrust FIFA, football’s governing body.
“As fans we have a love affair with football. When our teams win we are ecstatic, when they lose we are devastated. But when results – whether of games, or rights for hosting events, elections, etc. - are driven not by fair competition, but by corruption, we feel betrayed,” said Cobus de Swardt, managing director of Transparency International.
“Sport should be a force for good in the world but the latest scandals not only in football, but in athletics and tennis, have exposed just how vulnerable it is to corruption. This must stop now,” added de Swardt.
“Public trust will only be restored in FIFA, the IAAF and the world of sport if large-scale reforms are not only implemented, but are seen to be implemented transparently. We expect real and irreversible change in 2016,” said Gareth Sweeney, editor of the Global Corruption Report: Sport.
The Transparency International/Forza Football poll showed that although most fans have no confidence in FIFA, half said it had a chance to restore its reputation:
- 69 per cent of fans have no confidence in FIFA.
- 50 per cent said that FIFA had a chance to restore its reputation.
- 43 per cent said the scandals are affecting how they enjoy football
- 60 per cent would not choose any of the current candidates standing in the FIFA presidential election this week
25,000 fans took the poll on the Forza Football app in 28 countries. (See below for full poll results).
“FIFA should take this message to heart. Unless it acts more fans will turn away from football. The trust levels are low but the fans will give FIFA a chance if it acts now,” said Sweeney.
The Global Corruption Report: Sport
Tackling corruption in sport is possible. The Global Corruption Report: Sport provides a comprehensive overview of the root causes of corruption across sport and outlines evidence-based recommendations from leading experts in the field on what needs to be done to clean up sports.
The report stresses the need for greater participation of all those involved from the fans who buy tickets, the athletes who provide the entertainment to the sponsors and broadcasters who fund sports activities and the citizens of countries and cities that host big event.
The Global Corruption Report: Sport addresses corruption risks over 60 articles from a broad range of contributors, including the International Olympic Committee, UNESCO, government bodies, players’ organisations, athletes past and present, supporters groups, civil society, academics and journalists.
Topic covered include political interference in Asian football, corruption trends in African sport, and corruption risks in the football transfer market and there are more than 15 country specific articles: labour rights in Qatar, the World Cup legacy and Olympics in Brazil, financing the Sochi Winter Olympics, following the World Cup money in Russia, political control of football in Hungary, governance of cricket in Bangladesh, ownership of football clubs in the UK, corruption in US collegiate sports and more.
The Global Corruption Report: Sport puts forward a series of detailed recommendations including:
- Increased independent oversight in international sports governance.
- Stringent and transparent criteria for eligibility, plus independent verification for all senior decision-making positions.
- Increased financial transparency in all sports associations, the money they make and how it is disbursed, far beyond minimum legal requirements of host countries.
- Citizen engagement in bids for major sporting events and the need for formal safeguards to stop corruption and all human rights, labour, environmental and social sustainability abuses.
- The need for sponsors to promote integrity and hold sports organisations to the same standards that they apply to their supply chain.
- Further exploration of the need for a global anti-corruption sports agency.
Transparency International calls for these recommendations to be applied to all international sports organisations, particularly those facing corruption scandals such as the IAAF in athletics. It will also use them as a checklist for FIFA reform in the first 100 days under its new president to be elected on 26 February.
The results of the Transparency International/Forza Football poll
FIFA poll results taken from 25,000 votes in the Forza Football fan opinion app, between 8-17 February 2016
Q1. Do you have confidence in FIFA?
Yes - 19% (4,828 votes)
No - 69% (17,689 votes)
Don't know - 12% (3,113 votes)
The top five countries whose fans stated they had no confidence in FIFA
Chile - 88%
Argentina - 80%
Ireland - 80%
South Korea – 80%
Spain - 76%
The top five countries whose fans stated they do have confidence in FIFA
Thailand - 55%
Japan - 53%
Russia - 46%
South Africa - 31%
Qatar - 30%
In the UK, 76% of fans stated that they don’t have confidence in FIFA.
In the USA, 66% of fans stated that they don’t have confidence in FIFA.
In Italy, 60% of fans stated that they don’t have confidence in FIFA.
In France, 63% of fans stated that they don’t have confidence in FIFA.
In Sweden, 75% of fans stated that they don’t have confidence in FIFA.
Q2. Do you believe FIFA will ever restore its reputation?
Yes - 50% (12,718 votes)
No - 25% (6,495 votes)
Don’t know - 25% (6,378 votes)
The top five countries whose fans stated that said FIFA can restore its reputation
Russia - 77%
Thailand - 72%
Saudi Arabia - 64%
South Africa - 63%
France - 62%
The top five countries that whose fans stated said FIFA cannot restore its reputation
South Korea - 49%
Ireland - 36%
UK - 34%
Germany - 34%
Switzerland - 27%
In the USA, 50% of fans stated they do believe FIFA can restore its reputation.
In Italy, 40% of fans stated they do believe FIFA can restore its reputation.
In France, 62% of fans stated they do believe FIFA can restore its reputation.
In Sweden, 50% of fans stated they do believe FIFA can restore its reputation.
Q3. Should football fans be allowed to vote in the FIFA presidential election?
Yes - 69% (17,529 votes)
No - 24% (6,241 votes)
Don’t know - 7% (1,815 votes)
The top five countries whose fans stated that football fans should be allowed to vote in the FIFA presidential election.
South Korea - 80%
Japan - 78%
South Africa - 78%
UK - 77%
Belgium - 76%
The top five countries whose fans stated that football fans should not be allowed to vote in the FIFA presidential election
Argentina - 43%
Chile - 36%
Qatar - 32%
Denmark - 34%
Russia - 30%
In the USA, 73% of fans stated that football fans should be allowed to vote in the election.
In Italy, 67% of fans stated that football fans should be allowed to vote in the election.
In France, 62% of fans stated that football fans should be allowed to vote in the election.
In Sweden, 69% of fans stated that football fans should be allowed to vote in the election.
In Spain, 64% of fans stated that football fans should be allowed to vote in the FIFA presidential election.
Q4. Has the FIFA scandal affected how much you enjoy football?
Yes - 43% (10,933 votes)
No - 52% (13,224 votes)
Don’t know - 5% (1,395 votes)
The top five countries whose fans stated that the FIFA scandal had affected how much they enjoy football
South Korea - 80%
Chile - 61%
Argentina - 56%
Portugal - 56%
Spain - 53%
Top five countries whose fans stated that the FIFA scandal had not affected how much they enjoyed football
Denmark - 68%
Belgium - 65%
Sweden - 60%
Austria - 58%
France - 57%
In the UK, 50% of fans stated that the scandal hadn’t affected how much they enjoy football.
In the USA, 51% of fans stated that the scandal hadn’t affected how much they enjoy football.
In Italy, 45% of fans stated that the scandal hadn’t affected how much they enjoy football.
In Sweden, 60% of fans stated that the scandal hadn’t affected how much they enjoy football.
Q5. Who would you pick to run FIFA?
HRH Prince Ali Al Hussein – 9% (2,192 votes)
Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa - 3% (863 votes)
Jérôme Champagne - 6% (1,452 votes)
Gianni Infantino - 19% (4,891 votes)
Tokyo Sexwale - 3% (656 votes)
None of the above - 60% (15,241 votes)
The majority of respondents from every nation, except for Saudi Arabia, chose ‘none of the above’. 37% of fans from Saudi Arabia favoured Prince Ali Al Hussein. However, only slightly less chose ‘none of the above’ (30%).
Second to ‘none of the above’, Prince Ali Al Hussein is the candidate of choice for UK, USA, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Netherlands, Australia, Argentina, Chile, and Thailand.
Second to ‘none of the above’, Gianni Infantino is the candidate of choice for Sweden, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Colombia, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Russia and Costa Rica.
Even in South Africa, Tokyo Sexwale’s home nation, ‘none of the above’ was, by some distance (43%), the respondents’ favoured response, with Sexwale garnering 28% of the vote.
Q6. Do you think football is more corrupt than other sports?
Yes - 57% (14,571 votes)
No - 31% (8,041 votes)
Don’t know - 11% (2,924 votes)
The top five countries whose fans stated that football is more corrupt than other sports
Argentina - 79%
Portugal - 73%
Chile - 69%
Brazil - 67%
Colombia - 67%
The top five countries whose fans stated that football is not more corrupt than other sports
Denmark - 47%
Russia - 46%
Japan - 46%
Belgium - 41%
France - 39%
In the UK, 60% of fans felt that football is more corrupt than other sports.
In the USA, 56% of fans felt that football is more corrupt than other sports.
In Italy, 56% of fans felt that football is more corrupt than other sports.
In Spain, 66% of fans felt that football is more corrupt than other sports.
In Sweden, 56% of fans felt that football is more corrupt than other sports.
Q7. Women make up less than 1% of the voting population in the FIFA Congress. Do you think the number of women in FIFA should be increased?
Yes - 64% (16,470 votes)
No - 21% (5,282 votes)
Don’t know - 15% (3,787 votes)
The top five countries whose fans stated that there should be more women in FIFA.
Costa Rica - 83%
Colombia - 78%
Spain - 76%
Sweden - 75%
France - 72%
The top five countries whose fans stated that they should not be more women in FIFA.
Russia - 52%
Saudi Arabia - 46%
Qatar - 35%
Austria - 32%
Germany - 30%
In the UK, 69% of fans stated that there should be more women in FIFA.
In the USA, 72% of fans stated that there should be more women in FIFA.
In Italy, 58% of fans stated that there should be more women in FIFA.
Correction: In Q3 above the reference to Sweden has been changed to "In Sweden, 69% of fans stated that football fans should be allowed to vote in the election."
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