*By Michael Teich*
FIFA, the organization that runs world soccer, can move past its shady history of bribery and corruption when its members vote Wednesday on which country will host the 2026 World Cup, said Buzzfeed investigative reporter Ken Bensinger.
The finalists include Morocco, which would be only the second African country to host international soccer's quadrennial championship, and a united North American bid by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“It will be a massive test for FIFA,” said Bensinger, author of Red Card: How the U.S Blew the Whistle on the World's Biggest Sports Scandal. “It’s pretty obvious that the U.S is the choice. If FIFA selects Morocco, we might have a stinking sensation that things might not be cleaned up yet.”
The vote, to take place on the eve of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, will be the first under new rules established after the soccer world was rocked three years ago when U.S. investigators revealed generations of FIFA executives were involved in bribery schemes spanning decades.
Since the scandal, Bensinger said, FIFA has taken promising steps toward fixing its problems and improving its reputation, including adding women to the executive board for the first time and becoming more transparent about its voting procedures. This is the first time the World Cup will be awarded by a vote of all member organizations, not a small cadre of FIFA executives.
“Sports leagues that are transparent, not only do they avoid the scandal, but they also make more money,” Bensinger said. “Being transparent, being capitalist is good for the sport and good for its stakeholders, the fans, for everybody.”
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/world-cup-vote-may-signal-how-much-fifas-changed).
Buffalo's NFL team is playing its first home game since 1996, and in order to make it work amid a pandemic, the Bills are partnering with BioReference Laboratories in a pilot testing program.
U.S. Soccer and the women’s national team have settled the players’ legal claim over inequitable working conditions, putting to rest a part of the team’s gender discrimination lawsuit.
Jim Weber, CEO of Brooks Running a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, talks to Cheddar about the big growth in sales as more people took up running amid the pandemic.
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, November 25, 2020:
Kim Ng, who started her Major League Baseball career as an intern, has become the majors' highest-ranking woman and Asian American in baseball operations.
Justin Turner was removed from Los Angeles’ 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the World Series after registering Major League Baseball’s first positive coronavirus test in 59 days.
Bill Reiter, NBA insider for CBS Sports, joined Cheddar to talk about the trend of big-time athletes like LeBron James entering the big-time business world.
FanDuel CMO, Mike Raffensperger, joined Cheddar to discuss fantasy sports amid the coronavirus pandemic. Raffensperger also discuss how the company is handling bets, particularly in the NFL as players contract the virus.
The Tennessee Titans find themselves back in a waiting mode hoping the NFL allows them back inside their headquarters by Tuesday with their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers postponed until later this season by the league’s first COVID-19 outbreak.
The Tennessee Titans have suspended in-person activities through Friday after the NFL says three Titans players and five other personnel tested positive for the coronavirus.
