Netflix and it is more friendly relations with documentaries are no secret. While many of our obsession with documentaries stops at true crime, there is a sea of enlightening and equally gripping documentaries. A sea that Netflix is the proud owner of. From making documentaries about the coming of a vaccine during the pandemic to the dangers of social media in The Social Dilemma, the OTT Mughal has surely mastered the art. Apart from being incredibly informative another reason why viewers love Netflix documentaries is because of how devoid of censorship they are.

While many may run from releasing a documentary that paints a political leader or an influential person in a bad light, Netflix will be first in line to release it. A prime example is Jeffrey Epstein: The Filthy Rich documentary. The latest documentary on the streaming giant is a beautiful combination of all its strongest aspects. Gripping, fearless, and undoubtedly informative. Most importantly, it is very relevant to what is happening in the present times. So without further ado, here are five things you need to know before streaming ‘Fifa Uncovered’ on Netflix.

5 things you need to know before streaming Fifa uncovered

If you are someone who is set on watching the series because of the buzz it has created online, then here are a few pointers that will allow you to truly enjoy the series.

What is FIFA?

FIFA stands for Federation Internationale de Football Association and was founded in 1904. In the beginning, it had just seven countries and has now expanded into 211 national associations. After every four years, FIFA organizes one of the largest sports events, the World Cup.

When did the corruption start?

The 2018 World Cup which was held in Russia generated FIFA more than five billion dollars in revenue. However, FIFA wasn’t always surrounded by heaps of cash. It started in 1974 with Joa Havelange becoming the FIFA President. From an organization with just a dozen employees and no sponsorship, he built FIFA into the mega event that it is today. In 1974 FIFA made an eight-million-dollar deal with Coca-cola.

Despite the greatness he brought to FIFA, Havelnage is known as Football’s Godfather of corruption. Furthermore, he was infamous for giving financial aid to players in exchange for votes. Then comes his prodigy, Sepp Blatter. He seems to be among other things the center of the spotlight in the Fifa Uncovered Netflix documentary.

 Who is Sepp Blatter?

In 1998 Sepp Blatter took the office as the FIFA President. However, this was no smooth transition of seats. There were countless claims of the FIFA elections being rigged. Many even claimed that there were envelopes stuffed with cash to buy votes. How he came into power is also a huge reflection of what he went on to do with the power.

Corruption was not the only crime in Blatter’s reign, he was accused of sexism and racism countless times. Millions of dollars were made by taking bribes in exchange for broadcasting rights to one of the greatest football events. Things were going smoothly until Chuck Blazer who was a FIFA official was investigated.

4. Ex- FIFA official turns FBI informant

Upon investigation, Blazer jumped ships and ratted out his colleagues. The biggest blow of Blazer’s whistleblowing was taken by Jack Warner, another official.

One of the biggest scandals that Blazer revealed was the bribery that went on behind South Africa being selected to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010. In 2015, with Blazer by their side, the US Department of Justice caught fourteen FIFA officials and banned Sepp Blatter.

5. What does all this have to do with the 2022 World Cup?

As mentioned above, one of the biggest takeaways from Chuck Blazer’s whistleblowing was the massive bribe received from South Africa. Well, that was not the only time that FIFA officials had given the bid to host the World Cups in exchange for huge sums of money.

Given how the chances of Qatar hosting the World Cup were one in a million, fans are skeptical if it was a fair bid. And by highlighting the fact that Qatar mostly remains hostile to LGBTQ+ attendees and has heaps of allegations against the country abusing migrant workers have been made, the FIFA Uncovered Netflix documentary opens up room for questioning.