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How FIFAgate, soccer’s biggest scandal, became ‘a missed opportunity’ for reform

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Summary
Nutrition label

79% Informative

10 years ago Tuesday , a U.S. Department of Justice indictment led to 31 guilty pleas and multiple trial convictions.

The case quickly erupted into the biggest corruption scandal in modern sports history.

FIFA, ever since 2016 , has argued the organization has been professionalized and transformed.

But experts say some promises seem empty.

Former U.S. officials say they were wary of how the world might perceive them.

They did not want to shut down tournaments or enrage soccer fans.

FIFA, the rhetoric went: FIFA had been robbed by its own officials; now that they were gone, FIFA was clean.

FIFA convened a “Reform Committee’s” report in December 2015 .

U.S. Attorneys went public with their investigation last decade , they hoped other countries would take the baton and run.

FIFA, in response to criticism, has consistently pointed to the DOJ’s restitution as proof of recovery from the scandal.

VR Score

82

Informative language

80

Neutral language

41

Article tone

semi-formal

Language

English

Language complexity

57

Offensive language

possibly offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

short-lived

External references

45

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