John Oliver FIFA Rant: 'Last Week Tonight' Host Asks Sponsors To Unseat Sepp Blatter

Last week’s sweeping indictments of 14 officials tied to FIFA’s corruption scandal did not escape the notice of HBO “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver, who unloaded on soccer’s international governing body in a scathing 13-minute rant Sunday night. Oliver, who previously ripped the organization for its corrupt practices ahead of last summer’s World Cup in Brazil, focused much of his vitriol at recently re-elected FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Oliver mentioned several examples of FIFA’s questionable practices, including its use of dangerous artificial turf during the upcoming women’s World Cup and life-threatening conditions at 2022 World Cup construction sites that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of migrant workers. Despite these situations, and even after nine current and former FIFA employees were arrested last Wednesday on corruption charges, none of FIFA’s top sponsors have withdrawn their financial support. Oliver called on these companies, such as McDonald’s and Adidas, to use their influence to force FIFA to change.

“Barring an indictment, the only people with the power to get rid of Sepp Blatter are FIFA’s sponsors, these companies, and I would like to make a plea to them tonight. Please, make Sepp Blatter go away,” Oliver said.

Blatter, who was not among the 14 officials indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice, has dodged scandal after scandal since he assumed FIFA’s presidency in 1998. The arrested FIFA executives, including executive committee members Jack Warner and Jeffrey Webb, stand accused of accepting more than $150 million in bribes in exchange for media and television rights, among other charges.

“It took the country that cares the least about football to bring down the people that have been ruining it. That’s like finding out that Kesha arrested a group of bankers involved in commodities fraud,” Oliver said, referring to the U.S. investigation into FIFA.

Despite the scandal, unprecedented in FIFA’s history, Blatter easily defeated sole challenger Prince Ali bin al-Hussein last Friday to win a record fifth consecutive term in office. Oliver’s entire anti-FIFA rant can be found below.