FIFA’s executive committee has been accused of bribery, game fixing and illegal acceptance by different countries that hosted the World Cup.

Two weeks ago, on May 27, Swiss officials raided FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich upon request of the U.S. arresting seven people.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice reveals indictments brought onto 14 people, totaling to 47 counts of money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud.

Students at AHS react to FIFA’S scandal and were shocked by the new evidence that came out.

“I was scared when I heard about the allegations towards FIFA because the discoveries could ruin future seasons and I did not want their discoveries to interrupt other leagues,” Senior Omar Haddou said.

Students and members of the Soccer Club are already discussing the issue since it has gone viral.

“One of the main reasons we created this club was to discuss soccer related issues and this issue is too big not to be discussed,” junior Faisal Hassen said.

The unsealing of the 47-count indictment includes FIFA officials accused of accepting bribes totaling to over $150 million, in return for providing lucrative media and marketing rights to soccer tournaments as rebounds over the past 24 years.

“FIFA has been corrupt for many years now, but this is just the first time they have been accused in a global scandal,” Hassen said.

Faisal Hassen, president of the AHS soccer club shares his opinion on the scandal and tells how this issue will affect other federations that have relations with FIFA.

“This will affect other soccer corporations such as CONCACAF and/or UEFA because both of  those corporations are tied with FIFA in a way,” Hassen said.

The scandal has gained worldwide attention due to soccer’s reputation as one of the most popular sports in the world and the fact that it has been played for centuries.

“FIFA is soccer’s world governing body, so I believe sooner or later they will regain their trust, but it will not be anytime soon,” Hassen said.

Due to all the scandals that FIFA has faced throughout the years, fans from all around the world have stopped trusting their teams. 

“Many countries have already stopped trusting FIFA because this is not the first time something like this has happened, Hassen said.

The U.S. had been dragged into this scandal because FIFA officials had been laundering money and committing wire fraud in the states, reports claimed.

“Jeffery Webb, who is the President of North America’s soccer federation, was one of the seven people arrested in Switzerland,” Hassen said.

Students are anticipating the end of this scandal so that FIFA may crawl out of this pit and reemerge with stronger trust and values around the world.

“I think FIFA’s ratings will become better. With the  right council, they could make the world’s greatest and largest sport even better,” Hassen said.

After the scandal came out to the spotlight, FIFA’s president announced in a conference his resignation. He had been president for more than 17 years before stepping out.

“At first I did not have a feeling that all FIFA has done would come back to get them. Sepp Blatter seemed like a private person and heavily secured. But in the end, I’m happy he has resigned for the right reasons,” Haddou said.

Students are hopeful that with the new leadership, FIFA will gain its strength back.

“I think that FIFA will come back from all of this and establish a more stable leadership. I believe they’ll do the exact opposite of what Blatter did,” Haddou said.

FIFA is currently searching for a new presidential candidate amidst the chaos. Students hope the organization will make the right choices.

“My respect for FIFA will increase due to a new presidency; I’m sure they will  find the right candidate,” Haddou said.

Students are confident that the scandal will not affect members of the club since their love for soccer goes beyond FIFA and corporate barriers.

“I do not think the global scandal will affect Soccer Club but it affects everybody that watches or travels to big soccer games or tournaments such as the World Cup,” Hassen said.

Students appear to have faith in the new candidates for president. Sepp Blatter’s two personal favorites come to mind, Luis Figo and Michael Platini.

“I believe FIFA will learn from its own mistakes because FIFA can’t afford to repeat the same mistakes again,” Hassen said.

In 2010 it was announced that  Russia had won the bid for the 2018 World Cup, and Qatar had won the bid for the 2022 World Cup. 

Some of the only viable explanations of this involve FIFA executives accepting bribes from Qatar in order to increase their chances of winning the bid.

The past few weeks have been hectic for FIFA and its fans, with allegations popping up day by day from people, companies and governments. FIFA is slowly but surely losing the trust it has built around the world over the years.

Fans are anxious to get back to watching the soccer they love without the conspiracy constantly circling around it.