Two years ago, on June 5, 2014, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress issued a statement on the build-up of pressure on FIFA to revoke Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup of soccer.
In May 2014, United with Ukraine, an Ottawa-based organization, launched its campaign, which included support from corporations such as Visa, Kia Motors and Sony. The initial target of the campaign was Anheuser Bush InBev, with a portfolio of more than 200 beer brands, including Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois.
The world governing soccer body, FIFA, banned former President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Plantini from FIFA for eight years. Since the news broke of the corruption allegations, 18 individuals and two corporations had been indicted, including nine FIFA officials and five businessmen. In 2015, five major FIFA sponsors – Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Visa and Budweiser – called for Mr. Blatter to stand down immediately as FIFA president.
“We have presidents and prime ministers of Western nations looking for additional economic sanctions to further punish and isolate Russia. And, we have this opportunity standing right in front of us to have FIFA strip Russia of its 2018 World Cup hosting rights, which is estimated to be worth $20 billion to that country. I can think of more than 100 countries that would be far more deserving of that $20 billion than Russia,” said Eugene Melnyk, chairman of the Campaign Advisory Committee for United with Ukraine. (Mr. Melnyk is owner of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League.)
United with Ukraine called upon FIFA’s sponsors, as well as governments of all 209 FIFA member nations, to revoke the hosting rights and to initiate a new, transparent selection process that includes human rights considerations as part of its voting protocol.
Eugene Czolij, president of the Ukrainian World Congress, stated: “The Ukrainian World Congress calls for FIFA to add its voice to the condemnation of Russia’s actions by the international community by revoking Russia’s privilege to host the 2018 World Cup, an honor of which Russia has proven itself unworthy.”
Domenico Scala, head of FIFA’s Audit and Compliance Committee, said in 2015 that “should there be evidence that the awards to Qatar and Russia came only because of bought votes, then the awards could be cancelled.” David Bernstein, former chairman of the English Football Association, had called on all UEFA nations to boycott the 2018 and 2022 World Cups due to allegations of corruption in the bidding process.
The doping scandal of Russian athletes that made headlines in 2014 and again this year has also rocked Russia’s chances of hosting the World Cup in 2018. A German TV documentary, “Secret Doping Case” (Gehemasache Doping), that showed the doping issue was a systemic problem, with banned substances being pushed on Russia’s athletes by their coaches. Following the release of the documentary, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) launched its investigation. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), in a recent vote by its council, voted to suspend Russia’s membership in the IAAF. As a result, Russia may skip the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee is expected to vote to ban Russian athletes from the 2016 competition later this month. A total of 18 Russian athletes had lab results test positive for substances banned by the IAAF.
FIFA, Moscow analysts say, would need to mirror the IOC’s decision and thus Russia could be stripped of hosting rights for the 2018 World Cup.
Source: “Pressure mounts to revoke Russia’s hosting of FIFA 2018 World Cup,” The Ukrainian Weekly, June 15, 2014.