The World Cup Story, Part 1: Soccer and Scandal
6/7/202639 min
As the World Cup begins this week, we bring you a two-part Sunday special charting how FIFA built the World Cup into a global phenomenon and how it became marred in scandal and corruption. In Part 1, WSJ soccer experts Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson go back to the World Cup’s origins — how it grew from a small tournament in Uruguay into a massive empire. And how an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice prompted a moment for reckoning for FIFA. Ryan Knutson hosts.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRyan Knutson· Host0:00
[crowd cheering] The World Cup begins this week. [crowd cheering] 48 countries will compete in a tournament to determine the world's best soccer team. [crowd cheering] It's the world's favorite sporting competition.
Speaker 1· Soundbite0:23
[crowd cheering] [upbeat music] USA, USA, USA.
Ryan Knutson· Host0:41
[upbeat music] A tournament full of euphoria.
Speaker 1· Soundbite0:43
[crowd cheering] Diego Armando Maradona.
Ryan Knutson· Host0:47
Heartbreak.
Speaker 1· Soundbite0:54
[crowd cheering] It's all over now. It really is all over for Brazil. It's a disaster. The little boy is crying his eyes out. A whole nation is in disbelief, stunned.
Ryan Knutson· Host1:09
Surprises.
Speaker 1· Soundbite1:10
[crowd cheering] Roberto Baggio, the savior of Italy throughout this tournament. He's missed it, and Brazil in the World Cup.
Ryan Knutson· Host1:20
[upbeat music] With this year's World Cup happening in North America, we're gonna be seeing wall-to-wall