JournalismPakistan.com | Published July 16, 2015
Join our WhatsApp channel
WASHINGTON: He says that he is the only reporter to ever be barred by FIFA president Sepp Blatter (pictured) -- and veteran investigative journalist Andrew Jennings wears it as a badge of honor.
No more so than on Wednesday when the grizzled Briton went before a US Senate subcommittee on Capitol Hill scrutinizing FIFA and the litany of corruption allegations convulsing football's world governing body. Jennings, who has made a long and fruitful career out of ruffling feathers, has spent 15 years pursuing Blatter and other high-ranking football administrators.
So he made no effort to hide his glee when US authorities in May charged 14 football officials and sports marketing executives over more than $150 million of bribes.
Blatter was not among them, but shortly afterwards the man synonymous with FIFA largesse said he would step down -- not that Jennings thinks the Swiss has any intention of doing so.
Jennings, reveling in the opulence of his surroundings and with all eyes on him, did not miss the chance to twist the knife further into Blatter and Co. at Wednesday's hearing.
The star witness -- who had flown in from Britain -- branded FIFA "sleazebags," "low lifes" and "a smelly shell," his broad British accent incongruous in a room full of Americans.
"Once upon a time FIFA officials walked down the street with their FIFA blazer, the FIFA logo. 'I'm from FIFA. I'm important,'" said Jennings.
"Who would do that now? Who would dare do that now? None of them."
He may have helped bring FIFA close to its knees, but Jennings, an author who has also made documentaries for the BBC, had a long and varied journalism career before homing in on the beleaguered footballing body.
He has reported in war zones -- Beirut, Chechnya and Central America -- and gone "nose-to-nose" with mafioso in Palermo, as he put it to the subcommittee hearing.
Nor is FIFA the first major sports body he has successfully gone after, having helped expose corruption at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the 1990s.
After that he had FIFA firmly in his sights and he described Wednesday how he had experienced attacks on his computers and legal threats, and how he met US special agents who wanted to know what evidence he had of alleged FIFA wrongdoing.
"I was not alone any more, the real people had arrived," he said.
He handed over to them financial documents and other papers about Chuck Blazer, he said, at one point the most powerful man in North American football and a key Blatter ally.
Blazer is now disgraced, facing jail time and banned from football for life after admitting to US investigators that he took more than $11 million in bribes from 2005 to 2010.
He may be in his seventies now, a grandfather and his hearing not what it once was, but Jennings shows scant sign of slowing down -- or of being in the slightest bit concerned at making more enemies.
Also in his crosshairs Wednesday was the US Soccer Federation ("massive, massive deficiencies") and its absent president Sunil Gulati, who is also a top FIFA executive.
"I note the absence of your FIFA delegate Mr Sunil Gulati," Jennings said in the direction of US Soccer CEO Dan Flynn, another giving testimony, his tone rich in irony.
"That's one crucial question today," Jennings went on, his voice getting louder.
"Where is Sunil? Where is he?"
Jennings has gobbled up and spat out FIFA, but FIFA has consumed him too.
He may be very much an old-school journalist with his long sideburns and thirst for rooting through reams of documents, but he has embraced Twitter -- his timeline full of FIFA references.
And as he went through airport-type security ahead of the subcommittee hearing he could not resist stopping to chat with the guards -- about FIFA.
Ultimately, Jennings relishes digging for dirt.
"I'm a document hound. If I've got your documents, I know all about you," he recently told The Washington Post, after the FIFA scandal burst to the fore.
"This journalism business is easy, you know. You just find some disgraceful, disgustingly corrupt people and you work on it." - AFP
March 16, 2025: Senior analyst Imtiaz Gul joins the growing list of journalists and commentators banned from Pakistani television, raising fresh concerns about declining press freedom in the country.
March 14, 2025: Explore how exiled Pakistani journalists are leveraging digital platforms to deliver independent analysis and fill critical information gaps that state-controlled media leaves behind, transforming the country's media landscape from abroad.
March 07, 2025: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has questioned the delay in the Arshad Sharif murder investigation, as the government seeks additional time to finalize a mutual legal assistance agreement with Kenya.
March 07, 2025: Former Suno TV anchor Paras Jahanzaib breaks silence on her sudden removal, exposing government pressure tactics against journalists who refuse to follow official narratives in Pakistan.
March 05, 2025: The Federal and Punjab governments have denied advertisements to Dawn since October 2024, allegedly due to its critical reporting. In an editorial, the paper vowed to uphold journalistic integrity despite pressure tactics.
March 04, 2025: ARY News faces mounting pressure, as top journalist Kashif Abbasi remains off air, exposing the deepening crackdown on free speech in Pakistan. How far will censorship go to silence dissent?
March 01, 2025: Pakistani authorities' efforts to silence critical media voices are backfiring as prominent anchors build massive audiences on alternative platforms. This analysis explores how media suppression undermines democracy while empowering digital journalism.
February 27, 2025: Pakistan's media landscape faces unprecedented restrictions as prominent journalists Habib Akram and Khalid Jamil join the growing list of silenced voices, highlighting the dangerous consequences of state-sanctioned censorship.
March 16, 2025 The Trump administration has ordered furloughs at U.S.-funded broadcasters, including Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia, raising concerns about press freedom and government control over media funding.
March 15, 2025 Explore the dynamic relationship between athletes and sports journalists, examining the challenges, ethical dilemmas, and mutual benefits that shape the sports media landscape.
March 14, 2025 The National Press Foundation is offering a fully funded journalism training workshop in Singapore from June 22 to 25. The workshop will cover sustainable global trade, investment, politics, and more. Apply by April 6.
March 14, 2025 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urges Maharashtra authorities to ensure their AI-driven media monitoring plan does not undermine press freedom. The initiative, which classifies news as positive or negative, raises concerns over government overreach and self-censorship.
March 13, 2025 The McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism offers up to $15,000 in grants and editorial support for investigative journalists. Apply by April 14, 2025 for the Spring Fellowship.