Final Score: Deceit 7, FIFA Credibility Nil

Final Score: Deceit 7, FIFA Credibility Nil

That's not the score of the North Korea game (I am praying for their safe futures), rather the verdict on Sepp Blatter's regime.

The long-awaited report on World Cup officiating is in. There's no problem. All is well in South Africa.

Well that's what FIFA says. So what if the rest of the 3 billion watching see otherwise on the tele.

I'm using a few clips from an AP story and I'll comment on them.

"The duty of the referees is not to explain their decision ... [but to] try to do their best on the field of play," Garcia-Aranda said. "[Otherwise] they are not focused on the game, they are focused on the media."

Say what? Officiating needs to be transparent. If a coach has a question, answer to the best of your ability. American sports have accountability due to past incidents like the Black Sox scandal. To not have this accountability only calls into question the legitimacy of the game.

Are these officials tied to organized gambling? Do they have bets on the games?

These are fair questions if the public that supports this enterprise is stonewalled.

Video replay isn't an option so long as Sepp Blatter is FIFA president, and he's all but certain to be re-elected to a fourth four-year term next year. And the idea of adding an extra set of eyes behind each goal has been kicked into the long grass and not likely to resurface anytime soon.

Then I will start the "Fire Sepp Blatter campaign" right now. He has the votes for a fourth reelection? How?

Oh, I forgot that this is international sport. Just like the Olympics, you get a cast of elite characters not always doing best for athletes or sport itself. Money and power can corrupt.

The lack accountability regarding officiating is the big concern. However, I will give the referees the benefit of the doubt on the "diving issue."

These World Class athletes have spent as much time with their soccer skills as their thespian abilities. That said, the human eye can't always spot a dive in real time.

That said, limited video review is needed at the World Cup. How limited? I don't know but something has to be done.

I've gained a great respect for top-level soccer. American coaches and administrators shrug their shoulders as if to say "That's international soccer, we must live with it."

It's a shame that FIFA--the group most invested in keeping the game's integrity--is driving the sport backwards.