Warner Brothers is set to make a movie based on the ongoing Fifa scandal, having bought the rights to the yet-to-be-published book, House of Deceit, by Ken Bensinger. The movie will be produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's production company, Pearl Street Films, and Gavin O'Connor (Miracle, Warrior) will direct.
The book is an expansion of an article written by Bensinger for BuzzFeed News in 2014. Bensinger, who used to write for the Los Angeles Times, described how US Fifa executive Chuck Blazer, in his 17 years on FIFA's executive committee, helped transform soccer from a globally popular sport that was not actually making any money, to one that was.
Blazer also took to FIFA’s alleged culture of corruption like a fish in water. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to charges including money laundering, racketeering, and tax evasion, and became a whistle-blower for the FBI to avoid facing additional charges that could have landed him in prison for years. Blazer’s evidence was crucial in the arrest of several other Fifa members in the 2015 Fifa corruption scandal, which has threatened to blow up the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in particular.
No casting decisions have been made yet, but Bensinger has indicated that an actor like John Goodman would be a good choice to play Blazer.
With the book and film not due to be finished until at least 2017, it’ll be interesting to see whether Fifa president Sepp Blatter has actually resigned by the time it comes out or not. The Swiss had previously promised to resign his post as scandal engulfed the organisation, last week, however, he appeared to backtrack on his promise, to the amazement of many observers.
cnewbould@thenational.ae
