Source: www.guardian.co.tt
By Brian Lewis
One of the reasons my dear mother gave for never sparing the rod was: “if you get away once, you will be encouraged to keep doing it until you are eventually caught.” There were many house and life rules my mother instilled in my three siblings and myself and if we did not hear we would feel her rod of correction. Two wrongs will never make something right. There was no excuse for stealing milo and condense milk. None! All that you truly own was your good name, she use to say and “Don’t envy what other people have.” Then there was the always constant reminder: “Don’t put God out of your thoughts. He not sleeping.” Ad nauseam! Best describes how often I have been asked in recent days about Mr Austin “Jack’ Warner, Sepp Blatter and Fifa. Most people get highly annoyed—some offended, when I respond: “I have heard of far more people who Mr Warner has helped and assisted than those he has hurt. I respect his hunger for success, determination, work ethic and his rise in world football. I also have Rio Claro roots. One of my favourite books is “Upward Through the Night”—Mr Warner’s first biography. By reading it, I learned a lot about sports administration.
There is a cost that individuals such as Mr Warner pay for scaling the heights that he has. One of the limitations imposed on leaders is that they lose the right to do whatever they want whenever they want. In other words they lose the right to think about themselves. The higher the level of leadership, the greater the sacrifice. Austin ‘Jack’ Warner is a man who divides opinion like few other public figures; admire or dislike him, there is no middle ground. What is fact and what is fiction? Saint or sinner? What are allegations? What are the hard facts? Ralph Waldo Emerson observed: “for everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain you lose something.” Life is a series of trades - one thing for another. The IOC and Fifa, the two most powerful sporting bodies in the world, are far from being exemplary role models and examples of good governance and best practice. They remain very euro centric in thought and practice.
Both have their own rules, culture and way of conducting business. They are a monopoly and as such generate a substantial amount of money from television rights and sponsorship. They wield an enormous amount of power over in the case of Fifa –football and the IOC –the Olympics and other multi sports events sanctioned by the IOC. Those elected to high office in both organisations will play by the rules and adhere to the culture that is reserved for the most senior executive office holders. The rules the big boys play by are not the same rules that national associations, and sports men and women play by. Every now and then the rules change and the goal posts are moved. The IOC had its seismic and systemic shake up following the Salt Lake Winter Olympics scandal. Fifa will now have to reflect on how it conducts business.
The message and vision of sport for social good will be viewed as a charade if world sport cannot get its collective act together and stop playing smart with foolishness. "Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive." Edgar Alan Poe’s words over the years have proven to be prophetic as his profound warning escapes many men and women. “When you in good house, bad house will call you. Friends will carry you but they don’t bring you back. Cockroach should stay out of fowl business. If you don’t hear, you will feel.” Whatap! Whatap! Whatap! Thank you Mama!
Brian Lewis is the Honorary Secretary General of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee http www.ttoc.org. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the TTOC