Woelki mocks Sepp Blatter’s ‘own goal’

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been “shown the yellow card” by Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne for boasting that football’s international governing body is more influential than any religion, writes Christa Pongratz-Lippitt. Mr Blatter told the Swiss paper Sonntags Zeitung: “We reach 1.6 billion people. Fifa is more influential than any country in the world or any religion through the positive emotions football triggers.”

Cardinal Woelki, who has been a keen footballer and supports FC Cologne, said on domradio.de (Cologne’s church radio), that more than two billion Christians worldwide would soon be celebrating Easter and would if necessary lay down their lives for their faith. “With all enthusiasm for football, I think Mr Blatter has vastly overestimated himself and his association. He’s scored … an own goal,” Cardinal Woelki said. “Where the really big money flows, the path to corruption is often short,” he added. He queried the controversial choice of Qatar as 2022 World Cup venue.