By Veturi Srivatsa
Zurich, May 29 (IANS): Is there a similar ring to Sepp Blatter’s shrill attack on the media when he thundered that it had been part of a conspiracy to throw him out as FIFA president? Hasn’t one Narayanaswami Srinivasan more or less used the same language to defend himself when things got hot for him as Indian cricket board chief?

Both refused to quit, saying why they should when they did no wrong. Blatter was craftier of the two. He said he fought for the last 3-4 years against all corruption, against everything that is forbidden and saw to it all those who took the decisions on the controversial World Cup venues are thrown out of the FIFA decision-making process.

Srinivasan on the other hand dithered and delayed in striking because his own son-in-law was involved in the wrongdoing, and he was also less unhappy with the media. He is no longer the board chief, waiting for the Supreme Court appointed its former judges committee to pronounce steps to cleanse cricket administration in the country and importantly on Srinvasan’s involvement or otherwise in the spot-fixing scandal.

In high places like FIFA and on a much lesser scale in the world’s richest cricket body the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the patronage remains the same. The members (vote bank) are wined and dined at star hospitality which most of them could hardly afford in their individual capacity.

The sports bosses riding high have a fantastic memory and knack for man management and every voter is made to feel he or she is wanted not realising that they are taken care of because of the importance of their ballot. They continue to enjoy certain handouts as long as they are in the good books of the chief. He is not doling out anything from his pocket. He is only taking it out of the coffers filled by the sport’s popularity, be it football worldwide or cricket in India.

If political decision-makers of Europe and the US could not pull Blatter down, the same had been with the Indian board which is heavily insulated by political patronage till the apex court of the country took upon itself to cleanse the system.

Of course, the contest in the Indian board is far more closely fought in a house of 30-odd members and the outcome is eventually tilted by a couple of votes controlled by the government, unlike in FIFA where Blatter polled 133 as against the 73 his opponent His Royal Highness Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan in an effective house of 209 members. This shows the vice-like grip of the Machiavellian Blatter has over his constituents assiduously cultivated for over two decades, first as secretary general and then as president.

Blatter also knows which television channel to speak to first like some of our politicians who prefer particular anchors to spread their Gospel.

Blatter soon after his election spoke to a channel back home in Switzerland and virulently attacked the Americans and British for trying to get even with him for the rejection of their candidature to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups for which Russia and Qatar respectively got the vote.

He knew he would sound convincing when he accuses the Americans and the British, stating it is a case of sour grapes. For good measure he spoke of the timing and legitimacy of jurisprudence when they chose to strike, asking why the Americans arrested in Zurich the people wanted in their own country and that, too, when the FIFA Congress was about to meet.

Like a good politician, Blatter also feels the nerves of his supporters by promising to do something for Oceania and the women’s soccer.

Again like all this wily sports administrators, he kept saying for the last eight years that he would not be contesting the next election. Here he is successfully battling it out and promising yet again that he would give FIFA in a very strong position, this time not saying that this would be his last term. All he says is "Let’s go FIFA".

Blatter has given a new definition to corruption: The individuals are responsible, not the organisation as a whole. In the same breath he extols the members that they are FIFA and FIFA needs them!

No wonder, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is a staunch supporter of FIFA and its supreme boss who said some eight years ago that India was a sleeping giant about to wake.