U.S. Soccer Is Going To Capitol Hill
By Sean Maslin
U.S. Soccer has had many great memories in Washington D.C. The 1994 World Cup, D.C. United, three MLS Cup finals, the 1996 Olympics, and multiple U.S. Men’s National Team and international matches. But next Wednesday U.S. Soccer will create a not-so fond memory when it heads to Capitol Hill to answer questions about recent corruption allegations.
The Senate subcommittee on consumer protection is an umbrella committee which oversees many different aspects of trade and growth, including sport in the United States. Dan Flynn, the chief executive and Secretary General of U.S. Soccer, will testify. Also called on to testify will be Andrew Jennings(the author of FIFA’s Dirty Secrets,) Michael Hershman (CEO and President of the Fairfax Group which works on government accountability,) and Sunjeev Bery (Advocacy Director for Amensty International in the Middle East and North Africa).
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The exact reason why U.S. Soccer is being called into question is in regards to the recent corruption scandal that saw 14 CONCACAF officials arrested in Zurich, Switzerland in May.
So far only one U.S. Soccer official- former U.S. Soccer Vice President Chuck Blazer- has been linked with corruption charges. But the U.S. Department of Justice has made it very clear that other indictments may be coming as the investigation continues.
Perhaps what is most interesting about this news is that Congress is moving forward with a hearing. Although Democrats and Republicans might disagree on pretty much everything these days the one thing that they might agree on is that neither side can agree with the other.
But this situation seems to be different as both sides appear to agree that this scandal, whether right or not, puts U.S. Soccer in a negative light. In a phone interview on Friday with New York Times writer Rebecca Ruiz Senator Richard Blumenthal (CT,) who is the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, said ” We need to understand how this corruption occurred. U.S. Soccer either knew or should have known. It’s that simple, and I don’t know which is worse.”
Republican Senator Jim Moran (VA) seemed to echo Blumenthal’s sentiments. In the same article Moran said “I’m not one who generally thinks Congress should get involved in every decision made by professional sports, but the revelations of bribery and mismanagement at FIFA should be of concern to us all.”
He added “The organization’s culture of corruption is turning a blind eye to significant human rights violations and the tragic loss of lives.”
Although little will be resolved on Wednesday it could be a pivotal moment in both U.S. Soccer and the international game. For the first time during the game’s history the United States will take a hard look at how the game is organized and shine a light on its positive and negative activities. What happens next is anyone’s guess but what is clear is that the United States is no longer content sitting at the kids table.