So what does FIFA have to look forward to going into next week's big announcement of who will play whom in the first World Cup to be staged in Africa? Where do I start?
The handball debacle between Ireland and France. The recent violence involving qualifiers in Africa. Match-fixing. Ugly litigation in Chile that has the chance to disqualify them from next year's World Cup. The costly and scandal ridden battle of bid cities running for 2018-2022. I'm sure Sepp Blatter and company hope the final draw for South Africa 2010 will make us all forget the mess that FIFA has become. They'll spend a lot on pomp and spectacle. And maybe, for a minute, the tens of millions expected to tune in to the events in Cape Town will indeed forget. They will remember instead the sport to which FIFA is purportedly dedicated. For a fleeting moment.
Then, all too soon, its back to business as usual. And the business of FIFA is business.
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