Transparency War, FIFA Edition

I'm starting a new category here on growthology: Transparency War.  Here's why.  The study of economic growth opens one's eyes to undercurrents in societal change, things like human capital, economic freedom, and political economy.  Most of these currents do not puzzle me, as I have a sense of their resolution somewhere in the future.  But the tension over transparency is an undercurrent that leaves me uncertain.  I would like to believe society is trending towards greater transparency, but that resolution is not at all clear.

Examples in the fight over transparency occur in education and medicine, for example.  Consumers have little choice and less transparency about their choices in both areas.  I'd like to call them markets, but that is a fiction.  Students cannot choose which 2nd grade teacher they want.  Nor are they granted a right to know of the performance of the various 2nd grade teachers they might be assigned.  And explaining the lack of transparency in doctoring is well-known to Americans and shameful to the country. But it is what it is.

The latest front in the Transparency War may seem trivial, but it's been on my mind and is all over the world's sports news.  FIFA soccer rules at the World Cup are explicitly aimed at reducing transparency to zero. World Cup 2010 in South Africa has produced a rash of inexcplicably bad refereeing errors, erasing good goals (See 2 of 3 USA games) and granting bad ones (see Mexico v Argentina), and allowing obvious cheats (see Brazil, handball).  England was knocked out of the competition thanks to a disallowed goal that all five referees neglected to see, but which any home viewer could watch on their telly.  Offsides players were called on; onside player were called off. More games were marred than not, which is the shame of the sport.

So what's the response of FIFA (the governing body of futbol)? Even LESS transparency!

The headline on CNN.com says "FIFA to censor stadium replays at World Cup"

JOHANNESBURG -- FIFA will censor World Cup match action being shown on giant screens inside the stadium after replays of Argentina's disputed first goal against Mexico fueled arguments on the pitch. Angry Mexico players protested to referee Roberto Rosetti after the screens in Johannesburg's Soccer City showed Argentina forward Carlos Tevez was offside before he scored the opening goal in a 3-1 victory on Sunday. FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot said Monday that replaying the incident was "a clear mistake."

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