Not even John Oliver could’ve predicted how positively entertaining the arrests of several high-ranking FIFA officials would be.
Last year he introduced non-soccer fans to FIFA’s long history of corruption, bribery, and human rights violations in an excellent takedown, but because Last Week Tonight was off last week, he had to wait until this past Sunday to talk about how the U.S., “the country that cares the least about football,” brought down the corrupt officials behind it.
And it might be safe to say he’s bloody thrilled about it. In fact, it just might change what the rest of the soccer world thinks of the U.S.
“If America keeps driving this investigation and actually finds something to indict him, I don’t think you understand how much that would mean to everyone on Earth,” Oliver said. “The whole world’s opinion of America would change overnight.”
But while many FIFA heads were chopped down, one remains in the form of FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who was just reelected to his fifth term. And as long as Blatter is in power, the corruption will likely continue—at least until the sponsors start to go away. And if that’s the case, Oliver will do anything to make that happen. Anything, sponsors.
Update 1:50pm CT, June 2: Blatter has resigned. The Last Week Tonight staff pulled out some proper celebratory GIFs while Oliver, who vowed to drink Bud Light Lime if Budweiser and the other FIFA sponsors could “make Sepp Blatter go away,” may have to keep his end of the bargain.
“I will drink one, maintaining eye contact with the camera, and I will say it was delicious,” Oliver said Sunday. “Because if you get rid of the Swiss demon who is ruining the sport I love, this stuff will taste like fucking champagne.”
Champagne…. pic.twitter.com/1S8shEcN6E
— John Oliver (@iamjohnoliver) June 2, 2015
Screengrab via Last Week Tonight with John Oliver/YouTube