Introducing: The Lords of Soccer

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
It's the most popular sport in the world, two hundred
and fifty million players in two hundred nations. Soccer is
the sport of the people. At the top of the
professional pyramid is FIFA, somewhat mysterious group of elite businessmen
who promote the sport and organized the biggest international sports

(00:25):
contest on Earth, the World Cup. Yeah, it's the pud
It's ultimate game, like every four years. It's the ultimate
celebration of the splendor and brilliance of the beautiful game.
It will be some can can on the show Sunday
say tonight's from all the champions over lall. This clash

(00:46):
of nations generates four and a half billion dollars in
revenue and attracts more than two billion eyeballs. That kind
of influence can move international agendas. But behind the excitement
and spectacle lurks an ugly truth and assorted history, as
allegations of corruption within FIFA have now infiltrated every level

(01:08):
of football's global governing body. In two thousand and fifteen,
American authorities rated a five star hotel in Switzerland and
arrested some of soccer's top executives. It was a corruption
scandal that rocked the world. FIFA now a byeword for
global corruption and introduced us to a cast of criminals

(01:29):
and shady characters, the rival even the most dramatic floppers
in the game. The list of crimes is long, including rocketeering,
fraud and money laundry. Bribery and FIFA go together like peanut,
butter and jelly. But FIFA's problems didn't start in two
thousand and fifteen, and they're far from going away. The

(01:49):
FIFA scandal rumbles all. This is the story of the
largest corruption scandal in history in the world's most popular sport.
The story of how a ruped a few turn the
beautiful game into an international con job. And as soccer
begins it's March towards this year's World Cup. In the
tiny gas rich nation of Qatar, this multibillion dollar business

(02:14):
continues to operate out of bounds. You'll hear all about
it on our new podcast, The Lords of Soccer Al
FIFA Stole the Beautiful Game. I'm Connor Powell. The twelve
part series from My Heart Radio and Inside Voices, launches
June sixteen. Listen to The Lords of Soccer on the
i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get

(02:36):
your podcasts.