Bab III Aspek Legal & Politik Intervensi AS terhadap Skandal FIFA
III.2 Politik Prestis AS dan Rusia melalui skandal FIFA
III.2.3 Peluang Sepak Bola dan Piala Dunia sebagai Wadah
III.2.3.2 Aktualisasi Politik Prestis: Konfrontasi Pemerintah
Melihat bahwa usaha AS terkait Crimea masih belum memberi pengaruh berarti di tanah Eropa Timur, Presiden Barack Obama memulai untuk mendorong tendensi AS-Rusia ke area sepak bola. Melalui komentarnya pada pertemuan Group of Seven di Jerman, Obama menghubungkan tendensi Rusia-AS terkait kepentingan geopolitik dalam sepak bola. Pada mulanya Obama menyindir perilaku kepresidenan Vladimir Putin, lalu Obama menghubungkan perkembangan AS dibanding Rusia di area sepak bola:
Does (Russian President Vladimir Putin) continue to wreck his country’s economy and continue Russia’s isolation in pursuit of a wrong-headed desire to recreate the glories of the Soviet Empire? The United States, by the way, since we keep on getting better and better at each World Cup, we want to make sure that a sport that’s gaining popularity is conducted in an upright manner. There’s an insult buried in there if you want to go digging for it. The United States made the knockout rounds at Brazil 2014. Russia didn’t win a game. I guarantee you the Russians went digging for it. I’m pretty sure they’ve got that line printed out and pinned to a dartboard. 212
Salah satu usaha AS untuk memojokkan posisi Rusia di area sepak bola diwujudkan oleh senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) dan Dan Coats (R-Ind.) yang mengirim surat secara langsung kepada Presiden FIFA, Joseph Blaatter. Kedua senator memohon kepada Sepp Blatter untuk mencoret nama Rusia dari aktivitas persepakbolaan secara penuh dengan mengaitkan kontroversi Olimpiade musim dingin Sochi dan eskalasi agresi di Ukraina. Mereka menyertakan isi Artikel 3 Statuta FIFA sebagai justifikasi permohonan Rusia yang berbunyi: “discrimination of any kind againsst a country, private person or group of people
212 David Lawler, “Barack Obama: ‘Putin trying to bring back Soviet empire and sacrificing
Russian economy’”,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11661279/barack-obama-putin- trying-to-bring-back-soviet-empire-and-sacrificing-russian-economy.html (diakses13 Mei 2016)
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on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.” Senator AS juga menambahkan fakta mengenai Yugoslavia yang pernah dicoret dari European Championship 1992 dan Piala Dunia 1994 karena adanya Perang Yugoslavia dan sanksi dari PBB. Berikut adalah isi surat kedua senator kepada FIFA:
In light of Russia’s military occupation of a sovereign Ukraine, we respectfully ask that you urgently convene an emergency session of FIFA to consider suspending Russia’s membership in FIFA, stripping Russia of the right to host the 2018 World Cup, and denying the Russian National Team the right to participate in the upcoming 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
According to Article 3 of the FIFA Statutes: “[d]iscrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.”
As you know, there is ample precedent for suspending or expelling a FIFA member, such as when FIFA denied the then-Yugoslavia the right to participate in both the 1992 European Championship and the 1994 World Cup. Since Russia has similarly displayed a brazen disrespect for fundamental principles of FIFA and international law, I hope you will agree that it does not deserve the honor of either hosting the World Cup or participating in one. We ask that a more deserving World Cup 2018 bid should be re-considered instead. 213
Surat lain datang dari senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) dan John McCain (R.Ariz.), meminta hal yang kurang lebih sama kepada FIFA untuk mempertimbangkan kembali dukungan kepada Sepp Blatter yang terpilih kembali sebagai Presiden FIFA untuk kelima kalinya karena keputusannya dalam memberikan hak tuan rumah PD kepada Rusia dan dukungannya untuk tetap melaksanakan PD di Rusia. Dalam isi surat, kedua senator menegaskan mengenai dukungan ekonomi yang datang dari investor dan pihak sponsor untuk maksimalisasi PD 2018 dapat membuka jalan bagi Putin yang sedang terkena
213 Mark Kirk “Kirk, Coats Urge FIFA to Suspend Russia’s World Cup Participation”
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sanksi ekonomi untuk melanjutkan agresinya ke Ukraina. Berikut adalah isi surat yang dikirim:
President Sepp Blatter is running for a fifth term as FIFA President, with the election scheduled to take place at the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich on May 29, 2015. In light of President Blatter’s continued support for Russia hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup – despite Russia’s ongoing violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and other challenges to the post-WWII security architecture – we ask that you reconsider your support for President Blatter’s fifth term as FIFA President.
As you know, more than a year has passed since Russian troops and Russian-backed separatists began their dismemberment of Ukraine, which continues to this day in violation of both Minsk I and Minsk II ceasefire agreements. At the same time, NATO has intercepted more than 100 Russian aircraft in NATO territory since the beginning of 2014. Russia has also opted out of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty that has been a mainstay of European security since 1992. Given Russia’s ongoing violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and Putin’s efforts to undermine the principles of multilateral cooperation, shared norms, and international security agreements, we believe that allowing Russia to host the World Cup would bolster the Putin regime at a time when it should be condemned. More than 40 countries, all FIFA members, have imposed sanctions on Russia in an effort to influence events on the ground in Ukraine. By allowing Russia to host the tournament, FIFA would offer an economic lifeline to the Putin regime in contravention of the multilateral sanctions that have been imposed by the international community.
The next president of FIFA has a responsibility to ensure not only a safe and successful 2018 World Cup, but the endurance of the FIFA mission that claims to promote football “globally in the light of its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.” We strongly encourage you to elect a president who will uphold these values and work to deny the Putin regime the privilege of hosting the 2018 World Cup.214
Mengetahui adanya kedua surat dari senator AS yang secara langsung menyerang Rusia tersebut, anggota Duma Rusia, Alexander Sidyakin dan Michael Markelov membalas dengan menulis surat kepada Sepp Blatter pada tanggal 11 Maret meminta FIFA untuk memberi penalti kepada AS terkait agresi militer yang
214 Robert Menendez, “Sens. Menendez, McCain Call on FIFA Congress to Elect New FIFA
President that Would Deny Russia 2018 World Cup”, http://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and- events/press/sens-menendez-mccain-call-on-fifa-congress-to-elect-new-fifa-president-that-would- deny-russia-2018-world-cup (diakses 13 Mei 2016).
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dilakukan terhadap beberapa negara berdaulat seperti Yugoslavia, Irak, Libya dan Suriah. Anggota Duma menyertakan isi statuta FIFA Artikel 3 dan menyinggung tentang Yugoslavia di dalam isi surat. Sidyakin juga menyampaikan pesan elektronik di Twitter: “an eye for an eye, a ball for a ball.”215 Isi surat anggota Duma Rusia:
In light of US’s military against several sovereign states such as Yugoslavia with no particular reason: Iraq and Libya—alleged search chemical weapon: attempt to invade and occupy Syria and numerous cases of human rights violation all over the world revealed by E. Snowden, we respectfully ask that you urgently convene an emergency session of FIFA to consider suspending US’s membership in FIFA and denying the United States Team the right to participate in the upcoming 2014 World Cup Brazil.
According to Article 3 of the FIFA Statutes: “discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.”
As you know, there is ample precedent for suspending or expelling a FIFA member such as when FIFA denied the then-Yugoslavia the right to participate in both the 1992 European Championship and the 1994 World Cup.
Since US has similarly displayed a brazen disrespect for fundamental principles of FIFA and international law, I hope you will agree that it does not deserv the honor of either hosting the World Cup or participating in one.216
Pada tanggal 1 April 2015, 13 senator AS mengirim surat kepada presiden FIFA Sepp Blatter dan secara eksplisit memohon FIFA untuk mengadakan kongres luar biasa guna merelokasi PD 2018 ke negara lain. Setelah Putin memutuskan untuk menginvasi dan menganeksasi Crimea, keputusan FIFA untuk tetap mengadakan PD 2018 di Rusia akan membuat rezim Putin berada di bawah sorotan lampu
215 Versha Sharma, “The World Cup Cold War: U.S. senators want to punish Russia politically, via
football. Russian lawmakers respond in kind”, http://www.vocativ.com/world/russia/world-cup- cold-war/ (diakses 11 Mei 2016).
216 Versha Sharma, “The World Cup Cold War: U.S. senators want to punish Russia politically, via
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ketika seharusnya rezim Putin diisolasi. Berikut adalah isi surat 13 senator AS yang dikirim kepada FIFA:
Given Russia’s ongoing violations of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, we respectfullu request that you convene an Extraordinary Congress of FIFA to consider stripping Russia of the privilege of hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cu. Allowing Russia to host the FIFA World Cup inappropriately bolsters the prestige of the Putin regime at a time when it should be condemned and provides economic relief at a time when much of the international community is imposing economic sanctions.
With the goal of ending the crisis in Ukraine annd ensuring a successful 2018 World Cup, we strongly encourage FIFA to deny the Putin regime and the privilege of hosting the 2018 World Cup and make preparation for alternate host country.217
Perilaku petinggi kedua negara di atas dapat dikatakan cukup agresif terutama dari pihak AS yang mengirimkan surat kepada FIFA hingga lebih dari sekali meskipun tidak mendapat respon dari FIFA dengan tetap menyantumkan Rusia sebagai salah satu negara yang berkompetisi di Piala Dunia 2014 dan tetap menjadi anggota FIFA. 3 minggu kemudian pada tanggal 20 April, Blatter bertemu dengan Vladimir Putin di Sochi dan menolak dengan tegas permohonan AS dengan mengatakan kepada Putin: “Jika para politisi tidak bisa menerima keputusan FIFA untuk mengadakan PD di Rusia saya selalu mengatakan kepada mereka ‘kalian bisa tetap tinggal di rumah dan kami akan tetap melaksanakan PD terbesar di Rusia.’”218
