With its marquee event finished for another four years, soccer's governing body now will return its attention to combating the seedy side of the game.

FIFA members voted overwhelmingly at a pre-World Cup congress to establish an independent ethics commission to combat match-fixing, corruption and financial mismanagement of soccer around the globe. Within days of the vote, the congress had one of its own senior officials to send before it.

Even before recruiting began for a suitably qualified lawyer to head the ethics commission, FIFA executive committee member Ismail Bhamjee was sent home from the World Cup in disgrace for selling a dozen tickets for England's match against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15 for three times the face value.

The 62-year-old from Botswana claimed he was trying to help fans who had approached him and were desperate to see the match. He said he was guilty only of being naive.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he was furious with Bhamjee and expected the African confederation to take further action. Bhamjee was appointed to the FIFA executive committee by the confederation and could only be removed by African officials.

"I'm sure he will not serve any longer in the FIFA executive committee," Blatter said. Bhamjee's tenure on the executive committee was due to end next year, in any case. No member of FIFA's executive committee has ever been fired directly.

Blatter said independent auditors Ernst & Young would be investigating several facets of ticketing at the World Cup, including the Bhamjee case.

Italy's run to the final came despite allegations of match-fixing, illegal betting and manipulation of referee assignments in Serie A. The ongoing corruption scandal is centered on league champion Juventus and has the Turin-based powerhouse and other high-profile clubs facing demotion.

Yet despite the trouble in Italy, and fears in Germany of hooligan trouble and the potential for racial violence from far-right extremists, the World Cup was a major success.

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