The soccer scandal that stretched across the world and into the White House
Sorry NFL fans, the other football is the world’s most popular sport, by far.
Unfortunately, it is scandal-prone. Investigative journalist Ken Bensinger knows more than most about how the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has done its business, and it’s not pretty.
Bensinger writes about the roots of the 2015 FIFA scandal in his book,“Red Card: How the U.S. Blew the Whistle on the World's Biggest Sports Scandal.” The book details a global law enforcement effort to expose a culture of corruption, bribery and racketeering that has pervaded professional football, from the top down, the bottom up, and sideways.
In this talk, Bensinger speaks at length about the strange and suspenseful incidents that led to high level prosecutions of FIFA officials. He also shares background on the peculiar link between the FIFA scandal and allegations that President Trump has been compromised by the Russian government.
Bensinger was part of a team at Buzz Feed that broke news of the infamous Christopher Steele dossier.
He spoke at The Elliott Bay Book Company on July 30. KUOW’s Sonya Harris recorded his talk.
Listen to the full versions below:
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John O'Brien
Producer
John O’Brien is a KUOW newsroom producer. He works with the Morning Edition and All Things Considered teams to schedule, record, and edit interviews and stories on a variety of topics, from politics and public health to arts and culture. He learned to make radio in 2006 as an intern on KUOW’s The Conversation and is a former host of KUOW's Speakers Forum.
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