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 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 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
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 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 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
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 your podcasts.