David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I second the amendment proposed by Senator Darragh O'Brien.

I would like to ask for a debate on ethics in sport in view of the situation regarding Sepp Blatter. The whole international sports world is a byword for corruption. The International Olympic Committee is a mess. FIFA is a complete and absolute disgrace, with hundreds of millions of dollars washing around being used as bribes. Now Mr. Putin has come out and made the matter an international political thing. If anything would make me look further for the resignation of Sepp Blatter, it would be the support of Mr. Putin.

Mr. Blatter is the chief executive of FIFA, so he should know what goes on. There was the extraordinary situation in which a football match was awarded to Qatar but was scheduled to take place in the middle of the summer, which was absolute, utter and outrageous madness. The chief executive is responsible when there is systematic corruption, just as is the case in politics. If there is political corruption then a Minister is expected to resign. The corruption may be deemed somebody's fault down the line but the Minister resigns, and it should be the same for Sepp Blatter. The chief executive is either a nincompoop or a crook. If he did not know what was going on then he is a nincompoop and if he did then he is a crook.