[Closed] FIFA officials arrested

Rotten to the core

I was in South Africa during the 2010 world cup and some of the stories coming out at the time were shocking.

Much like the nonsense around the Olympic torch procession through the UK in 2012 I guess.

Hmm, that gives credence to recent reports that Blatter will not go to the USA, as he'll be arrested on arrival:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/15/sepp-blatter-fifa-united-states-fbi-concacaf

Rotten to the core

And as long as money is still sloshing around football the way it has been, then absolutely nothing will change.

No matter who is in charge.

Fingers crossed this comes to something. From what I understand the arrests are the result of US led investigations and it's possible they seek extradition (the US lost out to Qatar in the final bidding for the 2022 World Cup).

@nobeer, its perfectly possible to run FIFA in a transparent manner and to do so in a non-corrupt manner.

@speccie - to compare FIFA corruption to the 20121 Torch parade is a bit daft

@nobeer, its perfectly possible to run FIFA in a transparent manner and to do so in a non-corrupt manner.

Yes, but meanwhile, back in the real world....

Sadly I understand your point. Read today Jack Warner claimed he had been given a football center built with $26m of FIFA's money as a gift 🙁

It'll al be okay, they can just bribe their way out of jail.

Its odd how the worlds most popular sports Football and F1 seem to end up as the personal fiefdom of apparently and allegedly corrupt individuals

Hopefully enough mud will stick that the corporate sponsors dont want to be associated with the beautiful game and /or Sepp does some serious time in prison.

I dont think you can find a person anywhere on the planet [ not even Jam 😉 ] who sis willing to defend the organisation.

Qatar is a ****ing farce as well to hold a world cup there and hopefully someone arrested will do a deal and take the whole lot down from the top

Shame this happens

#wasn'tme

Its odd how the worlds most popular sports Football and F1 seem to end up as the personal fiefdom of apparently and allegedly corrupt individuals

It's not just football and F1 the whole of sport at the top level is corrupt to the core. Look at the IAAF just about everywhere there has been a World Champs recent has had during the bidding process the head of the IAAf's son as a consultant, coincidence? In cricket we've had match fixing, in football we've had match fixing and drugs, rugby has had bloodgate and drugs, Olympics had the Salt Lake city corruption (plus hwatever happened at Sochi), crosscountry skiing drugs, and cycling well I don't need to tell anyone on this forum about that.

End of the day it's all about the money and not really that odd that it happens at all. In fact you could say corruption and cheating are the natural state of sport it so endemic.

This footage of one of the arrestees just popped up on the Guardian feed - hilarious. They are hard-wired to nick stuff at every opportunity.

It's not just football and F1 the whole of sport at the top level is corrupt to the core. Look at the IAAF just about everywhere there has been a World Champs recent has had during the bidding process the head of the IAAf's son as a consultant, coincidence? In cricket we've had match fixing, in football we've had match fixing and drugs, rugby has had bloodgate and drugs, Olympics had the Salt Lake city corruption (plus hwatever happened at Sochi), crosscountry skiing drugs, and cycling well I don't need to tell anyone on this forum about that.

Swiss launch criminal investigation into the 2018 and 2022 WC bidding process and confirm the extradition request. Seems to have been a very deliberate act to make the arrests now in Switzerland as all the officials are gathered together for the President vote, much simpler than trying to make arrests/extradition requests in multiple countries

Arrests seem to be related to Latin American tournaments (alleged $100m in bribes over 20 years to one official) which are under the US jurisdicition as payments where made via US bank accounts

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32895048 ]BBC: Story update[/url]

JY, this is one discussion where we are definitely on the same side

I dont think you can find a person anywhere on the planet [ not even Jam ] who sis willing to defend the organisation.

Oh, I don't know. 1 in 10 in the Uk loves the guy! 🙂

[img] [/img]

Good news for anyone who likes sport and isn't in FIFA, basically... Let's hope they get a whole swathe of them and they really get what's coming to them... 😡

I believe I am correct in saying that FIFA is incorporated in a Swiss Canton where there is no such crime as corporate bribery, not a co-incidence I am sure.

Swiss launch criminal investigation into the 2018 and 2022 WC bidding process

Well about ****ing time, the main reason all these sporting bodies are based in Switzerland is because of the lack of oversight and even basic accountability. I really hope that is about to change.

Oh, I don't know. 1 in 10 in the Uk loves the guy

no sport (except perhaps road cycling) seems to have had rampant blatant corruption at the very top has it?

What? IAAF is up to their neck in it. Olympics had the Salt Lake City scandal and plus allegations around Sochi.

1 in 10 in the Uk loves the guy

Here is a good bid on governing bodies in Switzerland written in Nov 2014 by the usually excellent Inrng Blog

[url= http://inrng.com/2014/11/switzerland-land-of-governing-bodies/ ]Inrng Blog Link[/url]

Those officials can be easily bought as they all come from nations that are so corrupt it is a way of life.

Jeffrey Webb

FIFA vice-president and president of CONCACAF.

The 50-year-old was born and lives in the Cayman Islands and is the Cayman Islands Football Association president.

Previously been hailed by Sepp Blatter as the potential successor to the position of FIFA president.

Eugenio Figueredo

Former footballer and now Uruguayan FA executive.

A former president of CONMEBOL, the South American football federation.

Jack Warner

Former FIFA vice-president and president of CONCACAF from Trinidad and Tobago until he resigned from all his positions in international football in 2011.

He was arrested in relation to corruption in the bidding process for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Jack Warner, the former vice-president of Fifa, and his family, were paid around £1million from a Qatari firm close to the country's successful bid for the 2022 bid.

This led to the FBI investigating Trinidad-based Mr Warner and his alleged links to the Qatari bid.

Eduardo Li

President of the Costa Rican Football Association.

Julio Rocha

President of the Nicaraguan Football Federation.

Jose Maria Marin

Vice-president of the Brazil Football Federation and its former president.

The CBF were the football organisation who handed out controversial £16,000 Parmigiani watches at their congress in Sao Paulo a year ago when Marin was chief of the association.

Costas Takkas

A former general secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association.

Rafael Esquivel

President of the Venezuelan Football Federation since 1988.

Nicolas Leoz

Former CONMEBOL president between 1986 and 2013.

He allegedly wanted the FA Cup named after him in exchange for a vote for England in their attempts to host the 2018 World Cup.

They can easily be members of EU ZMs ...

the way that this all comes crashing down is for one of the nations with a big revenue league to say 'sod this we're not coming to the world cup until FIFA sorts itself out' but which team ?

given that we have jack all chance of winning it could/should be us but it'd be a massively big call to make from the FA - does Greg Dyke still have the MI6 WMD numberplate ? 🙂

Election to go ahead on Friday anyway. Blatter wants to consolidate his power while he still can.

I think Germany suggested a while ago that Europe should consider withdrawing from FIFA, it was a passing remark but it shows the thought is there. I don't think England doing it would carry any weight, we are all too often the petulant child threatening to take our ball home if we are not allowed to win, but a few other European countries might make a bigger statement.

There must be the heads of Columbian drug cartels, Russian Gangsters, and Mafia Dons, who look admiringly at Blatter, and wonder how the hell he manages to continue to get away with it?

He's possibly the most corrupt individual on the planet. Yet there he is... still smiling, and waving...still making the rules up as he goes along..... still looking like he'll be voted in again, and the billions will keep rolling in to his tax-free offshore accounts

[img] [/img]

".. still looking like he'll be voted in again, and the billions will keep rolling in to his tax-free offshore accounts"

MSP... You have no proof of this and really should add Allegedly to your comment. He may be paying full tax on all his earnings.

And yet so many people are happy to support all of this through ticket purchases and participation. Guilty by association.??*

Guilty as charged - personally felt "dirty" after watching the SA World Cup final - the vulgarity of the event juxtaposed with the poverty of those forced to watch from the sidelines across South Africa. Frankly revolting.

* does this extend as far as golden balls and Willie Windsor? JHJ to the thread....

I cant help feeling that Blatter will come out of this completely unscathed, maybe even more stronger as they are probably just getting rid of the ones that were not clever enough to cover their tracks....allegedly.

I expect that Blatter will make a statement along the lines of "I am needed now more than ever to clean up this corruption" 😐

Guilty as charged

So sadly yes I have funded corruption and insane salaries too.
I did finally get around to cancelling Sky entirely a couple of years back.

I cant help feeling that Blatter will come out of this completely unscathed

Indeed. The problem is that lots of people are corrupt. In a lot of countries, corruption is completely endemic. Business is general conducted through bribery and threats.

FIFA under Blatter is the grand master of both. His supporters are showered with largesse... millions spent on facilities, sponsorship deals, and flagrant back-handers in inflated salaries and fees His opponents... well.... when do you think England will be getting the World up? If you don't tow the line, you're basically cast out.

Turkeys don't vote for christmas. And a lot of people doing quite nicely will keep the Blatter gravy train rolling along

Not that it will make the slightest bit of difference to the Dubai debacle. That will keep on grinding on...

People can be amazingly flexible with their morals when there's something in it for them. Not just the officials but the fans as well... sad really...

I expect that Blatter will make a statement along the lines of "I am needed now more than ever to clean up this corruption

"Business is general conducted through bribery and threats."

Binners...don't let your political views judge all business. Our company does not do business in such a way.

mt - If you read my post, I wasn't saying [b]all[/b] business. I did quantify it by saying that was the case 'in certain countries'. I'd guess that if you look at the countries who'll be voting for more of the same under Blatter, they'll be exactly the parts of the world with slightly more questionable attitudes to how these things are done.

Oh look... my new Mercedes has just been delivered. And the balance in my Swissbank account is looking very healthy indeed!

UEFA should with draw it's support from FIFA or failing that get someone to take Blatter out(side) 😉

@dragon - Blatter is no mug, FIFA voting is one member one vote. So Cayman Islands have the same voting power as would England or Germany. UEFA know this and Platini won't stand against Blatter which shows the power he wields.

As per @MSP's post FIFA are claiming the investigation will back up anti-corruption measures they have already taken 😯

[url= https://news.vice.com/article/fifa-bosses-get-rude-awakening-with-arrests-at-their-five-star-swiss-hotel ]VICE News link[/url]

I agree with your point about one member one vote, but that wasn't what I was thinking. I was thinking more that UEFA clubs & countries boycott any FIFA event i.e. the next World Cup.

I do love the FIFA spin, wonder if they really believe this sh*t.

Its odd how the worlds most popular sports Football and F1 seem to end up as the personal fiefdom of apparently and allegedly corrupt individuals

It's not odd at all, corruption is the natural state of affairs around most of the world. We live in a slightly less corrupt little bubble here in the west, pretty much anywhere else in the world massive corruption can be found through out most walks of life and for remarkably small gains. Considering the huge sums of money involved in football, it is of no surprise at all.

@dragon, understood but a boycott will never happen and Blatter knows it. Also Germany is reasonably onside with FIFA, they got to host a recent world cup and are no strangers to corruption in their football either.

I believe I am correct in saying that FIFA is incorporated in a Swiss Canton where there is no such crime as corporate bribery, not a co-incidence I am sure.

Makes little difference as this case shows, if you do business in or via the USA then you're subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

@thisis agreed, the US charges are not against FIFA itself. If you want to go after FIFA that's more difficult which was my point

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32904317 ]UEFA flexing it's muscles[/url] and [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32910235 ]Visa(and others)[/url] threatens to kick 'em where it hurts.

Having watched the news last night and seen the developments this morning I have to say I am, reluctantly, feeling a sense of optimism that this is the end for Blatter and maybe for FIFA overall. A complete clearout and re-birth.

It is indeed sad that it has taken the US to act but in many respects this makes total sense. They have the most aggressive legal system with effectively unlimited penalties and they also have the least to lose, if FIFA threatened to ban them they won't care as international football really isn't that important to them. they can call FIFA's bluff in a way that the Europeans and big South American countries cannot.

Whatever is being said today Russia and Qatar must be very worried that the tournaments are re-voted or delayed. I doubt UEFA have the balls to withdraw from Russia 2018, they are probably tied in contractually anyway.

Fingers crossed that yesterday marks the beginning of the end for Blatter and FIFA as it currently stands.

I just wish UEFA would grow some and boycott FIFA. Not going to happen, suspect there are plenty of Euro skeletons in Euro closets as well.

Swiss police are confirming that all those arrested fell to the ground and pretended to be injured.

France and Spain voted for Blatter. It's clear there will be no UEFA boycott of the World Cup, Germany are defending champions and France and Spain support Blatter. What a bunch of scumbags

I don't think it is France and Spain who support Blatter so much as the French and Spanish FA officials.

That's the big problem, lots of officials will have been on the take, even those from major nations. They were never going to vote for reform.

Blatter himself will never have taken a bribe or been involved in any corruption directly, he will be untouchable on that front. He has just allowed and encouraged it to go on to consolidate his power (and pay himself 10 million a year).

@MSP I hear you, I suppose I hope Blatter will have some mud stick. It is hard to believe he could never have done anything on the way up or to stay at the top which was corrupt. Allowing it and encouraging it will see him charged I would suspect. As Greg Dyke said last night I strongly believe one of those arrested will enter plea bargaining negotiations and spill the beans. Predictably Warner is already bleating and I think others will do so too. Prison sentences in the US for corruption are very long indeeed.

Also yes French/Spanish FA officials voted but they would have done so with the support of and at the direction of their associations. I am not entirely sure Platini is all he is cracked up to be either, hard to see how he would not have been able to influence the French and he has repeatedly refused to stand against Blatter.

**** me!

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32982449

OK what have they got on him?

Smoking gun no doubt

Oh and thank ****

He's just explaining (in French) why he's resigning even though he's totally innocent.

What was the point of standing for the election only to quit days later?

FBI ?

Just sayin like..

Somehow I still can't believe this is the end of him. I expect him to do a Farage and return as leader at the bequest of all his followers.

[img] [/img]

Lolz

Did you hear his hustings speech. It was total rambling nonsense, it was clear he hadn't prepared anything, just came across a rambling old fool who was used to the easy life and guaranteed election. Now he's realised what this controversy means he a) is quitting before he's busted and b) cannot be bothered now the job has become quite a lot harder.

Don't think he fancied getting arrested at the Women's World Cup Final 🙂

**** me!

He knows the FBI are coming for him. He knows there will be plea bargains from those arrested which will implicate him.

EDIT: Just read his resignation speech, the key will be who stands and where the support comes from in the Extraodrinary Congress to be called ASAP. I would not be totally surprised to see a Blatter Puppet stand and be well supported. (very similar to MSPs post above)

I still don't think there will be any evidence of any irregular payment or bribe made by Blatter, made to Blatter or authorised by Blatter. Everything done by him will be all above board, of course he knew that all the money being paid into all those projects was being siphoned off by national officials, but there will be absolutely no evidence of his involvement.

I don't think he was in it for the money, the fact that FIFA paid him a massive wage was just a bonus(allegedly as FIFA accounts don't have to be submitted in Switzerland). He was in it for the power, he wanted to rule and manipulate, that was his motivation.