Placido Domingo, soccer star

Now we know why Placido Domingo had to give up his Washington Opera post. He'll be busy, er, advising world soccer governing body FIFA. 

FIFA boss Sepp Blatter wants the baritenor to sit on a "council of wisdom" alongside Henry Kissinger and Johan Cruyff and advise FIFA on cleaning up its act after the recent bribery scandals. Blatter said, "He is happy, he is proud that he is part (of it)."

I am not making this up.

Comments

[Mags]

Please Placido - dont' get involved with FIFA you have a reputation to protect!!!

[John]

I had no idea PD knew that much about bribery...

[Rose-Mary Hyslop]

They must be paying Placido a lot of money to take this risk. I would have thought he'd have the sense to steer well clear of that venal bunch, but perhaps he is arrogant enough to think that he can make a difference.

[J M]

If good men can't make a difference, then who can?

I can't possibly see how PD's reputation could be damaged, unless he chooses to play ball (ahem) with the FIFA corrupt elite, but given his track record in activities away from the stage, it is most likely that he could help to draw a set of sensible reccomendations if he and his peers are allowed to act.

The strange thing is not that he is asked to do something for the greater good, but why FIFA thought about him in the first place (his passion for football is a well known fact, but surely that is not enough to fix an organization as corrupt as FIFA, but Blatter shows, yet again, what a clever operator he is: drawing a commiteee of his mates that may not have any bite, not for lack of will, but for lack of know how)...

[Julie]

Not a happy ending for signore Domingo.

[Devil's Trill]

It's his connection to the 1990 world cup, isn't it.

[Nikolaus Vogel]

Haha! Well this is what Blatter thinks is a PR coup because, of course, everyone loves Placido, at least the Placido that he likes to project to the public - you know, the one who has never been unfaithful to his wife. But, sadly, it probably reveals as much about the "real Placido" as it does about Blatter and FIFA.

[Ken]

I hope he is not in over his head. There's lots of money involved here and many sharks in the water.