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Not only is football one of the world's most popular sports, but it is also a multi-billion euro global business. Due to the large sums of money involved, football can be a breading ground for a wide variety of corrupt activities. Progressively over the last decade, FIFA has suffered from a number of corruption scandals.

The largest corruption scandal in the history of the sport with a bribe totaling 10 billion USD, which struck the heart of football - FIFA, reshuffled football from being the “the game for the millions” to "the game of millions."

Those of you who follow the news regarding FIFA will know, US judge on Wednesday delayed until March 7 the sentencing of disgraced FIFA former vice president Jeffrey Webb in the sweeping corruption scandal.

The 53-year-old from the Cayman Islands was scheduled to be sentenced in the FIFA scandal in New York after pleading guilty to racketeering, conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering three years ago.

The former FIFA Vice President is believed to be one of the main players in years of fraud committed in the name of football’s governing body. It is the sixth time that the sentencing has been rescheduled.

Former FIFA official Jeffrey Webb (2nd R) exits with his lawyer Edward O'Callaghan (2nd L) following a hearing at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in the brooklyn Borough of New York August 14, 2015. /VCG Photo

The Jeffrey Webb scandal could mean the end of FIFA in its present form - as a non-profit organization whose incomes are not taxed either in Switzerland or in the host countries of the World Cup. While the main profit from the Football World Cup is collected by FIFA, which is one of the main sources of corruption in its ranks. So, from 2011 to 2014, the federation earned $ 5.7 billion, two thirds of which fell on the sale of media and marketing rights in connection with the 2014 World Cup.

In fact, it is a huge business, and experts think it is time to make its management more streamlined and transparent. How to manage this task will determine the further development of the entire sports world, not just football, I believe. Restoring reliability and trust to FIFA will be of paramount importance. Without this, those who invest money in sports will have to look for the best way to get spend their money.

FIFA is, together with the international Olympic committee (IOC), one of the two most powerful sporting bodies in the world. The IOC is not perfect and has had its fair share of corruption allegations but nothing quite on the same scale as FIFA.

FIFA’s recent troubles, notably the widespread suspicion that the 2022 world cup was bought by Qatar - a ludicrous place to hold a world cup - may seem not to have much connection to the question of match fixing, which it is not specifically accused of aiding.

A home belonging Jeffrey Webb, a former vice president of FIFA and former president of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), stands in Loganville, Georgia, U.S., on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Webb allegedly used funds obtained from bribes to pay for a pool built at the home, according to an indictment by U.S. federal prosecutors. /VCG Photo‍

But, as the saying goes, a fish rots from the head down, and the governing body of a sport must be clean, transparent and beyond reproach if it is to expect its participants to be honest and fair. But we have got to the stage where virtually nobody beyond a small clique has full trust and faith in its leadership.

As a football fan, I think FIFA desperately needs to be reformed. It is hard to see how a governing body which cannot see what is wrong with its own rotten practices can be equipped to take on the wider issue of corruption. FIFA’s reform won’t stop match fixing, even in football. But if the football community cleans up its top body, they can expect higher standards below.

A combination of file pictures made on May 27, 2015 shows present or former FIFA officials (LtoR, from upper row) Rafael Esquivel, Nicolas Leoz, Jeffrey Webb, Jack Warner, Eduardo Li, Eugenio Figueredo and Jose Maria Marin. The US Justice Department announced on May 27, 2015 charges against nine present or former FIFA officials as part of a major investigation into corruption at the core of football's world governing body. Seven were arrested in Zurich, Switzerland. /VCG Photo

Finally, about Jeffrey's future destiny. The court is discussing his departure from a lifetime spent in the football business. This may be a serious lesson for those who try to take the same actions he took. Because millions of football fans around the world want to see a transparent football business. It is hard to imagine what the court will decide in the case. But if Jeffrey Webb ever returns to football again, he should try to dedicate his whole life to cleaning the stain on football’s reputation.

(Ayaz Mirzayev is a senior journalist a vast experience of working with national and international media. He is Editor in Chief Eurasia Media Network. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the view of CGTN.)