There's nothing beautiful about what the beautiful game has gone through, albeit off the field, over the past couple of days.
Arrests, corruption charges, extradition to the US are terms you don't associate with sport; but such has been the turmoil facing FIFA that those are exactly the things happening with even worse expected to be on the cards.
On Wednesday, Zurich police in Switzerland put some of the high-profile FIFA officials under arrest on charges of corruption, with the US trying to extradite them for trial in their court for fraud, running a racket, money laundering and some other criminal offences.
While it was news, to those who closely follow the game and how its governed from the FIFA office, the events had no element of surprise associated with it.
To understand what led to all this, a timeline will be the best way.
1991
For almost a quarter of century, those running the game have been involved in illegal wealth-gathering activities like money laundering and accepting bribes for favour, which amount to criminal offences.
1998
Sepp Blatter's emergence to the chair of FIFA president bathes in controversy with those in the know alleging that African delegates of football's governing body were bribed as much as $50,000 to vote against Lennart Johansson.
2010
Despite human rights violations in Russia and Qatar, FIFA, in December 2010, decided to award both the countries with 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively. The decision was widely criticised amid allegations of bribery.
2011
In a major revelation, Blatter confirmed trading of votes between Qatar and Spain-Portugal to bag the hosting rights for World Cups. Later that year, Mohamed bin Hammam, member of FIFA's executive committee, was accused of bribing Caribbean Football Union members with $1 million to vote in favour of Qatar. He was subsequently banned by FIFA's ethics committee.
2012 FIFA launches internal investigation
More bad news arrived for football has an investigation was initiated by FIFA to check corruption charges. FIFA appointed a former US attorney Michael J Garcia to investigate the charges.
2013 Plight of migrant workers exposed
FIFA's woes multiplied when a report in the Guardian revealed death of Nepalese migrant labourers involved in building infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup.
According to the report, many of the labourers were asked to work in conditions equalling to slavery and subsequently died of heart attacks. The conditions alleged were such that it led to death of a worker every day.
2014
The world football body held Garcia's report on corruption back, following which the FIFA-appointed investigator resigned. The New York Times reported Garcia doubting whether FIFA can ever get rid of its deep-rooted corruption.
"No independent governance committee, investigator or arbitration panel can change the culture of an organization," Garcia reportedly mentioned in his findings.
2015
Nine high-ranking soccer officials, including two current vice-presidents of world governing body FIFA, and five sports marketing executives have been indicted on federal corruption charges, US law enforcement officials said on May 27.
The 47-count indictment unsealed in a federal court in York charged the defendants with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies as part of a scheme that spanned more than two decades, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
(With agency inputs)
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