Filed under: Soccer, Featured Stories, International Soccer, FIFA World Cup

Earlier this week, Peter Godwin wrote this scathing editorial in the New York Times about South African president Thabo Mbeki’s implicit support of Robert Mugabe’s repressive regime in Zimbabwe, which sits on the northern border of South Africa.

As Godwin wrote, Mugabe has rigged elections and used torture and death squads to remain in power in Zimbabwe. While the rest of the world wishes to delegitimize Mugabe’s regime, Mbeki has quietly supported it. He was photographed here with Mugabe on an official visit to Zimbabwe — reportedly while some of Mugabe’s opponents were being tortured or killed. What’s more, South Africa has a seat on the United Nations Security Council, and Mbeki has blocked all attempts to put the situation in Zimbabwe on the agenda.

Godwin’s solution is to threaten to pull the 2010 FIFA World Cup from the country. He suggests that protests to FIFA could apply some political pressure to Mbeki to stop supporting Mugabe.

Apparently, Mr. Godwin is entirely unfamiliar with FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Continue reading Mugabe Controversy Won’t Sway Blatter, FIFA

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