Political football: Why the US - and not Europe - took action on Fifa corruption

THE arrest of seven top Fifa officials and the indictment of a group of 14 on corruption charges has left many people stunned. But those paying close attention to world football over the years have been wondering why it has taken so long to topple Fifa's house of cards.

Research has exposed corrupt practices within Fifa going back to the 1990s. In Europe, where the game dominates, little to no action has been taken. It took interest from the US, where football is still only emerging as a popular sport, for arrests to be made.

Despite all its merits, sport has, in recent years, become more and more enmeshed in a global system based on growth and inequality at the expense of social and economic justice. A good example of this is the 2014 World Cup venue in Manaus, deep in the Amazon, which is now Brazil's largest bird toilet.