2015考研英语阅读国际足联主席选举

　　FIFA s presidential election

　　国际足联主席选举

　　Beautiful game, ugly politics

　　美丽的运动，丑陋的政治

　　Pity the republic of football. It has a governmentmuch like many another

　　为足球界的共和国惋惜，它的政府和其他很多政府同属一丘之貉。

　　IN ZURICH on June 1st a presidential election is due to take place. It is a rare event, the firstsince 2002, with a mere 208 voters. No incumbent has lost since 1974, and the man inpossession is expected to win again. The winner, despite his grand title, will not be a head ofstate. Yet he will be better known than many who areand his writ, unlike any of theirs, runsthe world over. The presidency in question is that of FIFA, the global governing body ofassociation football; the electors are its members, national associations. Sepp Blatter, a Swiss,has had the job for 13 years and thinks he deserves four more.

　　6月1日在苏黎世一场主席选举将如期举行。这是一次仅有208名投票者的罕见的选举，上一次发生还是在2002，。自1974年起，在任者从未在这个选举中失利过，而如今大权在握的现任者也被看好能再次胜利。尽管胜利者头衔颇大，但他却不是一名国家元首。可是他比很多国家领导人更广为人知而且与其他元首们不一样，他的权利笼罩全世界。这个职位就是管理足球联合会的全球性组织国际足联;投票者是各成员，国家性足协。瑞士人塞普??布拉特已经担任国际足联主席一职长达13年，他认为自己理应再连任四年4年。

　　On May 25th his only challenger, Mohamed Bin Hammam, a Qatari who was once an ally, facedan unexpected obstacle: allegations of bribery involving him and Jack Warner, a Trinidadianwho heads a regional confederation with 35 FIFA members. The claims were made by ChuckBlazer, the American general secretary of Mr Warners group, who sits with both men on FIFAs24-member executive committee . FIFAs ethics committee is due toexamine the claims on May 29th. The accused deny wrongdoing.

　　5月25日，他的唯一挑战者、也是曾经的盟友卡塔尔人穆罕默德??本??哈曼遭遇一个意想不到的障碍：他与来自特立尼达岛的杰克??沃纳因涉嫌贿赂而受到指控，后者是拥有35名国际足联成员的地区性组织的主席。该项指控是由美国人查克??布拉泽提出的，他是沃纳先生任主席的足联的秘书长，同时两人都为由24人组成的国际足联执委会的成员。国际足联道德委员会将于 29日审查该项指控。被指控者均否认了指控。

　　To some, FIFAs politics stank even before this.Earlier this month the former chairman of theFootball Association, which runs the game inEngland, told British MPs that four members of theexecutive committee, which decides where WorldCups should be held, had asked for, or hinted atwanting, payment in cash, kind or honour for theirvotes on the 2018 tournament. The British press has unearthed otherclaims regarding votes for the 2018 and 2022tournaments. Those involved in all this deny doingwrong; and accusations from Britain carried a whiff of bad grace, because Englands bid for2018 failed miserably. The latest claims, though, come from the heart of FIFAs politicalstructure.

　　对有些人来说，国际足联的政治在此之前就臭名昭著了。本月初，该组织某位前任主席、管理英格兰足球的人告知英国议员们国际足联执委会的四位成员曾要求、或者暗示想得到现金支付或承诺来换取他们手中为2018年世界杯举办权的投票。执委会决定世界杯的举办地。英国媒体曾挖出其他针对2018年和2022年世界杯举办地评选的指控。涉及于此的人士均否认自己有过失;而英国的指控带了些许恶意，因为英格兰参加了2018年世界杯举办的竞选但大败而归。尽管最新的指控来自国际足联最核心的政治结构。