World Cup: Fifa's own goal

As befits an organisation that brands itself "For the game, for the world", Fifa doesn't bear its responsibilities lightly. Its own code of ethics bestows a special responsibility of safeguarding the integrity and reputation of the game, to strive constantly to protect football from immoral or unethical practices. And for a while yesterday in Zurich those promises seemed to be holding good. Two members of the key World Cup-awarding executive committee were banned in the wake of a Sunday Times investigation into corruption; another four officials were also booted out. If not quite an Augean stables moment, it was justice delivered swiftly, and openly. But then the twist: the journalism that prompted the findings was sensationalist, wrenched out of context, intolerable. The allegations that prompted the sackings bizarrely became, in the words of Fifa, rumours propagated to sell more newspapers. Questions on the paradox of how it came to the conclusion that its own top-level officials were guilty if the allegations were abject distortions were evaded. And there was similar ducking over the claims that Qatar, bidding for the 2022 World Cup, had colluded with the Spain-Portugal 2018 bid to exchange a bloc of votes – something strictly forbidden and which could scupper England's own attempt to host 2018. The investigation seemed to have gone on the lines of: we asked them if they did anything wrong, they said no, so case unproven. Fifa is acutely embarrassed by the affair, particularly as it is only two weeks from decision day for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Those driving England's claim to host the tournament share the same feelings – that the mischief-raking British media are an impediment to our chances of staging glorious games that deliver a commercial bonanza. That nervousness is compounded by the imminent prospect of a Panorama special on the same subject, although in this case the BBC programme needs to deliver fresh evidence to escape criticism of opportunistic rehashing. What Fifa performed yesterday was a damage-limitation exercise, expelling the guilty while casting confusion on the extent of culpability, proclaiming its own decisiveness while ignoring structural inadequacies. After the International Olympic Committee found itself mired in corruption after the Salt Lake City fiasco, it embraced reform, including a ban on informal visits to bid cities – where promises would be sought and given – and exacting conflict-of-interest rules. This is where Fifa should be focused after 2 December when the winners are named. Meanwhile, we can only wish David Beckham, Prince William, David Cameron, Gary Lineker, Fabio Capello and the rest of England's bid team good luck.