Who's manipulating FIFA ?

[ZAMB]

As for your last point, whilst FIFA says it is committed to encouraging fair play in society, I can't imagine that it wants to be a political body and start moralising over nations. I suppose that it can be argued that it has in the past with South Africa, but I am not aware of other instances.

I expect it would prefer to only punish countries who infringe its statutes or for matters involving football. Seeing as it is only a body that oversees football, I don't blame them.

Wasn't the sporting boycott of South Africa an effective part of the anti-apartheid action? FIFA were reluctant to act there too, but eventually joined in - as "a body that oversees football" and the people there were grateful.

Less than three weeks ago we had the privilege to welcome you to our country, Mr President, as well as other leaders of FIFA, as we celebrated our First Decade of Democracy. We were greatly honoured that you were able to attend these historic celebrations because as Africans and South Africans, we had wanted to say - thank you FIFA for what you did to help us achieve our freedom!

We wanted you to celebrate together with us because of the important role that FIFA played in the international struggle against Apartheid, to ensure that our people, both black and white, attain freedom, democracy, peace and reconciliation among the different racial, ethnic and religious groups that had seemed set to sink into an abyss of a bloody catastrophe.

I trust that what you saw of the new South Africa that you helped to bring into being, told you that we have not disappointed the expectations of FIFA about our country and people when the International Federation imposed a sports boycott against apartheid South Africa in 1976 and when it lifted that boycott in 1992, practically showing all our people the rich reward of persisting in the peaceful negotiations that resulted in the birth of democratic South Africa in 1994.

http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/mbeki/2004/tm0514.html