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ZURICH — Soccer’s world governing body will hold a presidential election Friday, two days after a group of its leading officials were charged with corruption, its headquarters were raided and the governments of two countries announced they were investigating more allegations of bribery.
苏黎世——管理国际足球事务的国际足联(FIFA)即将于周五选举主席，而不过两天前，其多名高层领导才遭贪腐指控，其总部被查抄搜索，还有两国政府宣称正在针对更多的贿赂指控展开调查。
But when the voting members of FIFA cast their ballots on Friday, it most likely will be as if nothing had happened this week. Sepp Blatter, the publicly embattled leader seeking a fifth term as FIFA’s president, shows no signs of political damage. Despite a new round of allegations of widespread bribery implicating some of his top lieutenants, 11 of whom have been provisionally suspended from soccer, Mr. Blatter is expected to handily defeat his only challenger.
然而，当国际足联的会员于周五投下选票时，将很可能彷佛本周什么事都没发生过。寻求五度担任国际足联主席的赛普·布拉特(Sepp Blatter)虽公开陷入守势，但并未显示出在政治上受损的迹象。尽管又有一波大肆受贿的指控浮上台面，牵涉到他的某些高层亲信涉，并导致其中11人暂时禁止参与足球活动，预计布拉特仍旧会轻易打败唯一的对手。
On Thursday, in his first public comments since the scandal became public, Mr. Blatter, 79, used a speech opening FIFA’s annual congress on Thursday to deflect responsibility for FIFA’s problems and simultaneously suggest he was willing and capable of solving them.
自从丑闻曝光后，现年79岁的布拉特于周四首次发表了公开评论。在国际足联年度大会的开场演说中，他规避了自己对足联种种问题的责任，但同时表示他有意愿、也有能力来解决这些问题。
“We, or I, cannot monitor everyone all of the time,” Mr. Blatter said. “If people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it. But it must also fall to me to be responsible for the reputation of our entire organization, and to find a way to fix things.
“本会，或者是本人，无法时时刻刻监督每个人，”布拉特表示。“有意从事不法行为的人，也会想尽办法隐瞒，但我责无旁贷，必须捍卫国际足联的名声，寻求方法修正问题。”
“We cannot allow the reputation of FIFA to be dragged through the mud any longer. It has to stop here and now.”
“我们绝不允许国际足联的名誉继续遭受污蔑，必须就此打住。”
Mr. Blatter is widely expected to win a fifth term on Friday — in a vote only miles from the luxury hotel where Thursday’s arrests took place — in part because of FIFA’s electoral math. The FIFA president is elected by a one-vote-per-country poll of its 209 member federations, making the many smaller countries who support Mr. Blatter an effective counterweight to his unpopularity elsewhere, most notably in Europe.
周五选举的投票地点，和足联官员于周四被捕的奢华饭店仅相距数英里，而外界普遍认为布拉特将五度赢得选举。这在一定程度上可归因于国际足联的选举机制。足联主席由209个会员组织选出，一国一票。许多小国支持布拉特，因此能够有效反制其他地区的反对力量，尤其是欧洲。
His speech in a Zurich theater Thursday came amid both criticism and support of his leadership from around the world. In Russia and Brazil, top officials suggested the United States investigators had sought the arrests to increase American influence in soccer.
布拉特周四在苏黎世的一家剧院发表了此番年会演说。与此同时，国际社会对他的领导能力则毁誉参半。俄罗斯及巴西的政府高层指出，美国的调查人员之所以逮捕国际足联官员，是为了提升美国在足球界的影响力。
Mr. Blatter has given countless speeches during his 17-year career as FIFA’s president, but none quite like the one he delivered Thursday. It was a delicate moment, but one so significant that Mr. Blatter, who is known for his off-the-cuff comments, was said to have repeatedly rehearsed his remarks in the car on the way to the theater.
布拉特任职国际足联主席已有17年，期间虽发表过众多讲话，但都不若周四的演说那般。这一次，时机敏感，关系重大。据说，向来以即兴演说出名的布拉特，在前往会场的车上，也进行了反复练习。
The final product struck a mixed tone. One part sadness, one part resolve, one part unyielding optimism, Mr. Blatter’s speech urged FIFA and its members to do a better job policing themselves.
布拉特最终发布的演说五味杂陈，掺杂了悲伤、决心与坚定的乐观情绪。他在其中呼吁国际足联及会员谨守分寸。
“I will not allow the actions of a few to damage the reputation of FIFA,” he said.
“我决不允许少数人的行为玷污国际足联的清誉，”他表示。
Mr. Blatter, who was not directly implicated in the indictment from the United States Justice Department (which is seeking extradition of the executives detained on its request) or a separate investigation announced by Swiss authorities into the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, acknowledged that these were “unprecedented and difficult times” for FIFA. He noted, too, that he was aware many people hold him “ultimately responsible for the actions and reputation of the global football community.”
美国司法部（正寻求引渡应其要求拘捕的官员）并未在起诉书中直接指涉布拉特；瑞士正针对2018和2022年世界杯主办国的竞标过程展开自己的调查，但也未指布拉特涉案。布拉特承认，这些对国际足联而言是“前所未见的难关”。他也强调，自己明白许多人认为他“对国际足球界的行为和名誉负有最终的责任”。
“The next few months will not be easy for FIFA,” he added. “I’m sure more bad news may follow. But it is necessary to begin to restore trust in our organization. Let this be the turning point.”
“接下来的几个月对国际足联来说肯定不好过，”他还说。“我相信后续还有更多负面消息。不过我们必须重振外界对国际足联的信任，让这起事件成为转折点。”
It was difficult to tell how well Mr. Blatter’s message was received — the crowd at the theater applauded politely both before and after the speech — but there has been little indication that a sea change against him had occurred on the eve of the election.
布拉特的讯息能否顺利传达尚不得而知——剧院的听众在他演说前后均礼貌性地鼓掌——但是在选举前夕，并没有多少迹象显示他会遭遇重大变化。
Mr. Blatter is expected to comfortably defeat his only challenger, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, once the secret-ballot voting is conducted, to secure a fifth term. Mr. Blatter, who won the presidency in 1998, was elected without opposition in his last two campaigns, but Friday’s vote will not be a similarly unanimous expression of support.
人们预计，布拉特会在不记名投票中轻松击败唯一的挑战者约旦亲王阿里·本·侯赛因(Ali bin Al-Hussein)，锁定第五届任期。自1998年获选主席以来，布拉特在最近两次选举中都没有竞争对手，但本周五的投票并不会与之雷同，仅发出一致的支持声音。
Michel Platini, the president of European soccer’s governing body, called for Mr. Blatter to step down during an emergency meeting of top officials convened early Thursday and then enthusiastically endorsed Prince Ali.
在周四一早与高级官员召开的紧急会议中，欧足联(UEFA)主席米歇尔·普拉蒂尼(Michael Platini)呼吁布拉特下台，并热烈推崇阿里亲王。
The African, South American and Asian confederations are largely seen as supporting Mr. Blatter, who would need two-thirds of the votes to win on the first ballot and a simple majority on any ensuing ballots.
舆论认为，非洲、南美洲与亚洲各国的足协基本支持布拉特。他将需要三分之二的选票来在第一轮投票中直接赢得选举，或是在接下来的任何一轮获得简单多数票。
While the soccer officials here prepared for their congress — other issues under discussion Friday include a controversial proposal from the Palestinian Football Association calling for Israel to be expelled from FIFA — the fallout from Wednesday’s early-morning police raid at a luxury hotel continued to ripple. A former top FIFA executive who was indicted, Jack Warner, turned himself in to the police late Wednesday in his native Trinidad, and in Argentina a judge issued arrest warrants for three media and marketing executives names in the indictments.
在足联官员来到此地准备参与大会的同时——周五还会讨论巴勒斯坦足球协会呈交的剥夺以色列的国际足联成员资格的争议提案——警方周三凌晨于一家豪华酒店开展的突袭行动仍然余波未平。被指控的国际足联前高管杰克·沃纳(Jack Warner)在周三晚间于母国特立尼达向警方自首，阿根廷的一位法官也对起诉书中控告的三名媒体与营销高管发出了逮捕令。
Vladimir V. Putin, the president of Russia, criticized the United States for its involvement in the raids, accusing the Department of Justice of intervening outside its jurisdiction by pursuing the case against senior soccer officials, who, he noted, are not American citizens. Mr. Putin also said that he supported Mr. Blatter’s approach to running global soccer and added that the American investigation appeared to be a blatant attempt to stifle Mr. Blatter’s re-election.
俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·V·普京(Vladimir V. Putin)抨击美国涉入此次突袭行动，指责美国司法部逾越管辖范围，追查不是美国公民的足联高级官员。普京还表示他支持布拉特继续执掌世界足球，并宣称美国的调查行动明显是要公然阻止布拉特连任。
In South America, the reactions were mixed. In Brazil, the host country of the 2014 World Cup and the home of José Maria Marin, the powerful soccer authority who was among the FIFA figures arrested in Zurich, some defenders of Mr. Marin contended that the investigation was an effort by the United States to gain influence within FIFA. But in neighboring Argentina, the satirical magazine Barcelona captured the prevailing mood with an irony-soaked cover denouncing the American investigation as an example of “Yankee” imperialism. The magazine called the complaint “an obvious assault on a bribery-fueled and sovereign” region.
南美洲的反应则相对混杂。2014年主办世界杯的巴西，是在苏黎世遭到逮捕的国际足联高官若泽·马利亚·马林(José Maria Marin)的老家。一些人为马林辩护，声称美国为增加在国际足联的影响力才进行调查。在邻国阿根廷，讽刺刊物《巴塞罗那》(Barcelona)紧跟风潮，用充满反讽意味的口吻在封面上谴责这番调查突显了“美国佬”的帝国主义。它声称，此次指控“显然侮辱了这个受行贿支撑的主权”地区。
On a commercial level, Wednesday’s arrests prompted some FIFA partners to make statements regarding their relationships with the organization. Several sponsors, including Adidas, Coca-Cola and Visa, called for FIFA to change the way it operates — Visa vowed to “reassess” its World Cup sponsorship if the body did not change its ways — and on Thursday another major World Cup sponsor, Hyundai Motor, also registered its disapproval. The South Korean company said it was “extremely concerned” by the corruption charges.
商业层面上，周三的逮捕行动导致国际足联的一些合作伙伴对于彼此之间的关系发出声明。包括阿迪达斯(Adidas)、可口可乐(Coca-Cola)与Visa在内的数家赞助商呼吁国际足联改变营运方式。其中Visa承诺，若国际足联不改变路线，就要“重新评估”公司对世界杯的赞助。另一家世界杯主赞助商现代汽车(Hyundai Motor)也在周四表达了不认同的声音。这家韩国公司表示“极度关切”相关贪腐指控。
South Africa denied any wrongdoing on Thursday after the American indictment unsealed Wednesday suggested that a $10 million bribe had helped the country win the right to host the 2010 World Cup. Federal prosecutors have accused Mr. Warner of offering his support for South Africa to the highest bidder, and then using much of the payout he received for personal use.
美国周三发布的起诉书指出，有一笔1000万美元的贿赂款帮助南非获得了2010年世界杯的主办权。南非则在周四否认从事了任何不法行为。美国的联邦检察官控告沃纳支持出价最高的南非，并从收受的赃款中拿出大笔钱财供个人挥霍。
South Africa’s sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, was quoted by Reuters as saying that the government had yet to receive an indictment from American prosecutors that included a link to South Africans. Mr. Mbalula also said that the 2010 World Cup funds had been accounted for and audited and that “no such amount has been found,” according to Reuters.
据路透社报道，南非体育部长菲基利·姆巴鲁拉(Fikile Mbalula)说，政府还没有收到提及南非角色的美国检察官起诉书。姆巴鲁拉还表示，2010年世界杯足球赛的资金账目清楚，并经过审计，“没有发现这么一笔钱”，据路透社报道。
According to the indictment, when FIFA was considering which country should host the 2010 World Cup, Mr. Warner sent a relative to a Paris hotel room to collect a briefcase filled with $10,000 stacks of cash from a committee official for the South African bid. (Egyptian officials have recently asserted that FIFA executives solicited a multimillion-dollar bribe to secure the bid, and that Egypt, perhaps alone among the bidders, refused to pay.)
起诉书称，当国际足联在考虑由哪个国家举办2010年世界杯时，沃纳派亲戚到巴黎一家酒店的房间，从一名支持南非申办的委员会官员那里，收取了一个装有一捆捆1万美元现金的公文包。（埃及官员最近声称，国际足联高层索取了数百万美元的贿赂，以换取行贿者申办成功，埃及或许是唯一拒绝行贿的申办国。）
It is stories such as these that have led to a decaying public trust in FIFA, with much of the vitriol from fans directed at Mr. Blatter, who has been at FIFA in various positions for 40 years. Although he has earned praise for expanding soccer’s global reach and increasing its financial reserves, he has also been criticized for not working harder to create transparency in an organization that has a cash reserve of more than $1 billion.
正是这样的故事，导致公众越来越不信任国际足联，球迷的很多批评直接指向了布拉特，他在国际足联的不同岗位上待了40年，虽然在扩大足球在全球的影响力，以及增加其资金储备上赢得了赞誉，但人们也批评他没有更加努力地提高这个掌控着逾10亿美元现金储备的组织的透明度。
In his speech, Mr. Blatter did offer a small nod toward acknowledging FIFA’s shortcomings — the week’s events “demand action and change from us all,” he said — but he did not put forth contrition. Instead, amid a backdrop of corruption and conflict, he chose to focus on a message of purity.
在讲话中，布拉特确实稍微承认了国际足联的缺点——本周的事件“需要我们所有人采取动作，做出改变，”他说——但他并没有表示悔过。在腐败和冲突的背景中，他却把重点放在传达纯洁的信息上。
Those who work in soccer, he said, do so “not for greed, not for exploiting, not for power, but because of the love of the game.”
他说，那些在足球界工作的人，投身其中“不是因为贪婪，不是想要剥削他人，不是为了获取权力，而且因为热爱这项运动”。
