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Column: No need for rush to judgment on Qatar

By WTOP Staff

JOHN LEICESTER
AP Sports Columnist

Secret slush funds, junkets, gifts and payments to football officials. At first glance, the latest allegations that a Qatari official greased palms to help buy the 2022 World Cup for his Gulf nation make very depressing reading for anyone who loves the global game and its showcase tournament.

But the silver lining is this: better that this came to light than not at all. This stink bomb couldn’t have been rolled into FIFA’s house at a more opportune time. With global attention latching onto football because of the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, outside pressure on football’s governing body and Qatar for plausible answers, for action and for heads to roll will be intense.

The spotlight now falls on two people: FIFA president Sepp Blatter and FIFA prosecutor Michael Garcia.

Blatter should resist calls — at least for now — for Qatar to be stripped of the 2022 World Cup or for a re-vote to be held. Such a momentous and unprecedented decision, which would be a huge affront to the tiny but very rich nation in a volatile, complicated and strategic part of the world, cannot be taken lightly. It should not be taken in the heat of the moment. Nor should it be a knee-jerk response to allegations in a newspaper.

Politicians and others so quick to suggest that Qatar is no longer or perhaps never was a suitable and trustworthy World Cup host should pause and take breath. They should consider how public opinion in the Middle East might react if Qatar was shamed in the eyes of the world by being stripped of the tournament, especially if evidence to justify such a financial, geopolitical, legal, social and sporting earthquake is anything less than rock-solid.

They also should consider whether pressure on FIFA to ditch Qatar is based on an abundance of cold, hard facts and incontrovertible proof of Qatari wrongdoing that makes FIFA’s 2010 vote for the Gulf nation invalid. Or is Western snobbery, jealousy of Qatar’s wealth and disdain — verging on borderline racism at times — for what is a new frontier in the global spread of football also playing a role, even a minor one, here?

Yes, the evidence of apparent sleaze, patronage and influence-buying leaked to the Sunday Times by what it called “a senior FIFA insider” does look compelling. It alleged that Qatari official Mohamed bin Hammam, subsequently banned for life by FIFA in 2012, made dozens of payments totaling $5 million to generate a swell of support in the game for Qatar and its unlikely but ambitious bid to play the World Cup in air-conditioned stadiums in a country with no footballing tradition.

And, yes, these aren’t the first allegations to suggest that the Qatar vote was crooked. Qatar 2022 organizers issued a statement denying “all allegations of wrongdoing” and said Bin Hammam played no role in the bid. The Sunday Times investigation was impressively detailed, with emails and spreadsheets showing apparent payments and favors for African football officials.

“This is really exciting. If confirmed, it would really, well, corroborate the worst suspicions that we had of what had happened,” Mark Pieth told the BBC. He is a Swiss anti-corruption expert FIFA turned to for advice on how to restore its battered credibility after the 2010 vote and Blatter’s re-election in 2011.

The easy argument to make on the back of the Sunday Times claims is that the buck should now stop with Blatter and that he must resign or, at the very least, abandon his ambitions for another four-year term from 2015. Although the newspaper didn’t allege wrongdoing by the FIFA president, repeated bribery, vote-buying and corruption scandals during his 16-year watch have shredded the governing body’s reputation. There’d be cheers inside and outside football if he stepped aside.

But surely more pressing for football than the relatively narrow personnel issue of whether Blatter should go (which he won’t) is the broader issue of FIFA’s future and credibility. It must demonstrate that anti-corruption and good-governance reforms Blatter introduced after his re-election aren’t simply cosmetic. It must prove to a world that struggles to believe anything FIFA does or says, or even why it should still exist, that it can now clean up its own mess. It must show that it has properly investigated Qatar’s bid.

That job is Garcia’s. The former U.S. attorney and Interpol vice president previously prosecuted financial crimes on Wall Street and helped prosecute and convict terrorists in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. After FIFA appointed him in 2012 as its first supposedly independent lead prosecutor, Garcia pledged to study all allegations of corruption from any source. He offered anonymity for whistleblowers. He now intends to wrap up his investigation of the votes on Qatar and 2018 World Cup host Russia by next week and then spend another six weeks writing up and finalizing his findings.

Before rushing to judgment, football, FIFA and its critics should hear what he has to say. If there was serious wrongdoing, FIFA must have the courage to order a re-vote on 2022 if necessary.

But given the ramifications, it should also be allowed to tread one step at a time.

___

John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester@ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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