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FIFA and corruption
国际足联与腐败
Hear no evil
非礼勿听
Football's governing body is struggling to silence its critics
足球管理机构努力平息批评
AUTOCRATIC Russia and sweltering Qatar won the rights to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups fair and square, after a generally clean and honest bidding process. There might have been dodgy dealing, perhaps even criminal behaviour, on the part of a few of those involved—but not enough to justify rerunning the bids.
专制的俄罗斯和闷热的卡塔尔，光明正大的赢得了2018与2022年世界杯的主办权。这个过程，总体上是清白的，诚信的。虽然有些参与者难免有些小动作，甚至某些地方牵涉犯罪，但瑕不掩瑜，重选是没有必要的。
That, at least , is according to FIFA, world football's governing body. On November 13th it described the results of an internal investigation into the bidding process as having mostly cleared itself and the host countries of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, on November 18th it said that it was handing the report from that probe over to Swiss authorities because it may have uncovered criminal activity (as yet unspecified).
至少说出此话国际足联（世界性的足球管理机构）这样认为。经过一次国际调查，国际足联于11月13日从竞标过程内部调查结果描述来看撇清自己和主办国的嫌疑。。不过到了11月18日，国际足联又改口说，它将把报告提交瑞士当局，因为报告中的内容可能涉嫌犯罪（但未做出具体说明）。
The investigation into the bidding process had been led by Michael Garcia, an American lawyer, who submitted over 400 pages of findings to FIFA's ethics committee in September. His report was then reviewed by Hans-Joachim Eckert, a German judge who heads the committee's adjudicatory chamber (pictured right, with Mr Garcia). It was not published, despite pleas from some FIFA officials and Mr Garcia himself. Instead Mr Eckert released his own summary, which Mr Garcia has described as “incomplete and erroneous”. Two whistle-blowers have since said that Mr Eckert tarnished and misrepresented them. Mr Garcia has appealed against Mr Eckert's interpretation of his report—to another FIFA committee.
主持此次调查的是美国律师迈克尔·加西亚（图中左者），随后他于九月，向国际足联道德委员会提交了400余页的报告（下文简称“加西亚报告”）。德国法官，同时也是道德委员会裁决小组主席的汉斯-约阿希姆·埃克特（图中右者）审阅了报告。虽然国际足联一些官员和加西亚本人均要求公开报告内容，但最终亮相的只是一份经埃克特重述的摘要（下文简称“埃克特摘要”）。这份摘要，加西亚说它“不完整，且与报告有出入”。摘要发布以来，有两位举报人称埃克特损害了他们的名誉，并曲解了他们的话。加西亚已就埃里克摘要向国际足联另一委员会提出申诉。
Ever since Russia and Qatar won the hosting rights in 2010, there have been allegations of funny business. Several FIFA officials involved have since stepped down under a cloud. In June the Sunday Times, a British newspaper, published e-mails detailing lavish campaigning by Mohamed bin Hammam, a disgraced former FIFA bigwig from Qatar, ahead of the vote for his country. Lord Triesman, who led England's bid for the 2018 tournament, has said FIFA officials asked him for bribes.
2010年俄卡两国赢得主办权以来，丑闻申诉不绝于耳。数名涉事的国际足联官员在质疑中辞职。英国报纸《星期日泰晤士报》于七月公布了一些电邮，它们形成于卡塔尔胜选之前的一段时间。这些电邮显示，在名声不佳的国际足联前大佬，穆罕默德·本·哈曼主持下，卡塔尔的申办行为是多么的慷慨。负责英格兰2018年世界杯申办工作的特里斯曼勋爵称，国际足联官员曾向他索贿。
So it may seem odd that England was the country most harshly criticised by Mr Eckert. Its bid committee had accommodated unethical requests from corrupt FIFA officials, he said. Qatar, too, had committed some violations, but according to Mr Eckert its actions “were, all in all, not suited to compromise the integrity” of the process. Russia was let off the hook, even though investigators had limited access to its documents because the computers its officials used had been destroyed.
既然这样英格兰成为埃克特的抨击对象却有些说不通。他说，英格兰配合了国际足联中害群之马的不当要求。卡塔尔虽然同样存在违规行为，但“总的说来，并未损害”竞争程序的“完整性”。但如果真是国际足联官员主动索贿，那英格兰就有些冤枉了。 俄罗斯同样逃过一劫，虽然调查人员未能接触到全部的申办文件，因为彼时使用的电脑已毁坏。
Dismayed by the findings and the lack of transparency, some football officials are daring to peek above the parapet. Mr Eckert's summary was “a joke”, says Greg Dyke, the chairman of England's Football Association. His predecessor, David Bernstein, has called for UEFA, European football's governing body, to boycott the World Cup in protest. Reinhard Rauball, the head of Germany's soccer federation, has suggested that UEFA might leave FIFA if Mr Garcia's full findings are not published.
由于对调查结果和调查过程的透明程度不满，一些足协官员敢于挑战权威。英格兰足协主席格雷格·戴克说，埃里克摘要就是个“笑话”。他的前任大卫·伯恩斯坦，则呼吁欧足联（欧洲的足球管理机构）抵制世界杯。德国足球联赛主席莱因哈特·劳巴尔建议欧足联退出国际足联，除非后者公开加西亚报告的完整内容。
But a European rebellion seems unlikely. Michel Platini, the head of UEFA, who has himself had to deny allegations of corruption, voted for Qatar. Europe's football associations benefit from hosting World Cup qualifiers and the sponsorship deals that come with playing on the tournament's big stage. Poorer nations are even less likely to challenge FIFA, as they benefit from its handouts. The money sloshing around feeds a perception that at least some of it is used to buy favours or votes.
不过阻力很大。欧足联主席米夏埃尔·普拉蒂尼当初给卡塔尔投了一票，而他已否认了有关腐败的指控。欧洲各国足协均有望从举办世界杯预选赛中获益，因为彼时不仅有八方球迷，还能得到不菲的赞助。相对贫困的国家就更不愿意和国际足联作对了，因为他们能得到救济。钞票漫天飞舞，不难想见其中一部分是用于疏通乃至贿选了。
Despite not having read Mr Garcia's report, Sepp Blatter, the 78-year-old head of FIFA, insists his organisation is clean: “If we had anything to hide, we would hardly be taking this matter to the [Swiss authorities].” But the Swiss benefit from FIFA's presence in Zurich. A greater threat may come from the Americans. The FBI is investigating allegations of corruption against FIFA, and Mr Garcia can still recommend cases against individual officials.
虽然没读过加西亚报告，但78岁的国际足联主席尚帕·布拉特坚称，国际足联是廉洁的：“要是心中有鬼，我们哪能提交报告（给瑞士当局）呢。”不过，国际足联总部就设在苏黎世，而瑞士正受益于此。更大的威胁也许来自美洲：联邦调查局正就国际足联腐败一事展开调查，而加西亚针对官员个人提起诉讼。
After Mr Eckert's summary, FIFA said that “a degree of closure has been reached”. That depends on the sponsors. If they start to abandon FIFA and its World Cup, it will prove wishful thinking.
埃里克摘要之后，国际足联“放宽了阅读加西亚报告的限制”。这要看投资者的态度。如果金主们打算抛弃国际足联，事情就有看头了。
From the print edition: Intenational
本文原文出自《经济学人》杂志社 译者：韦永睿 校对：刘苗苗
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