FIFA Officials Arrested on Corruption Charges; Sepp Blatter Quits

[DoyleG]

The latest "bombshell" if its to be believed from Blatter is that the 2018/2022 World Cup hosts were practically decided in 2010 before the bidding process. It was agreed that 2018 would go to Russia so Eastern Europe would host its first World Cup and 2022 would go to the USA. Everybody agreed upon this until Sarkozy/Platini met with the royal family of Qatar and Platini put his support behind Qatar. Blatter claims the European members of the FIFA ExCo changed their support from the US to Qatar after this

I'm sure the other bidding nations are thrilled to hear this news after spending millions of dollars for their bids

Looking at the voting for 2022, Qatar was 1 or 2 votes short of getting a majority. No other bid really emerged as an alternative as it was between the US and South Korea. When the latter was dropped after the 3rd ballot, most of their votes went to Qatar.

As for 2018, Russia picked up the votes from the bottom bids that ended up putting them over the top.

 

[kmart]

why they just dont make an open auction. everybody should be able to buy the world cup. add a few rules like no back to backs and maybe a poor country as a host every ten years. the overall rotation will not change much and we will have to stop wondering/investigating if something/some1 has been bought.

the voting system seems like a obvious cash in system. once u are an voter u will be rich at some day.

 

[Alklha]

why they just dont make an open auction. everybody should be able to buy the world cup. add a few rules like no back to backs and maybe a poor country as a host every ten years. the overall rotation will not change much and we will have to stop wondering/investigating if something/some1 has been bought.

the voting system seems like a obvious cash in system. once u are an voter u will be rich at some day.

The problem isn't voting, it is equal voting. The idea that the likes of San Marino, Papua New Guinea and Montserrat should have the same voting power as Brazil, Germany and England is beyond ridiculous. It does nothing but lend itself to corruption.

 

[kmart]

The problem isn't voting, it is equal voting. The idea that the likes of San Marino, Papua New Guinea and Montserrat should have the same voting power as Brazil, Germany and England is beyond ridiculous. It does nothing but lend itself to corruption.

i get that. it will not really stop the buying voters off mentality. if for example san marino has like 0,01% chance to host. the vote still will gain value (depended on how much power u want to give to that vote - thats an opportunity to buy u off right there). + unequal voting will not stop soccer countries from buying each other off. if u follow the drama around fifa u noticed that allegedly the asian countries got bought off by germany after they hosted(japan-korea). it makes sense from my perfective. japan is out of the hosting race and just max out the voting power they have(voting for money is better than voting for nothing). germany still in the race will throw money on everyone who is out of that race. so in other words

soccer countries or not, if u give people opportunities to sell their vote they will use it at some point.

 

[Slopo]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/sports/fifa-scandal-arrests-in-switzerland.html?_r=0

ZURICH — Swiss authorities began a new series of pre-dawn arrests Thursday in the broad investigation, led by United States officials, into corruption in international soccer. More than a dozen people were expected to be charged, law enforcement officials said, nearly doubling the size of an already huge case that has upended FIFA, soccer’s multibillion-dollar governing body.

...

The police were targeting current and former senior soccer officials on charges that include racketeering, money laundering and fraud, authorities said. The new charges were expected to hit South and Central American soccer leaders particularly hard, the officials said. Alfredo Hawit of Honduras was among those arrested, multiple people familiar with the investigation said the arrests included. Hawit is the president of Concacaf, the regional confederation that includes North and Central America and the Caribbean.

...

The United States Justice Department was expected to unseal indictments in the case as early as Thursday morning, according to several law enforcement officials who were briefed on the case and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. F.B.I. and United States tax agents, along with federal prosecutors in New York, have spent years building the case against FIFA.

...

The arrests came about three hours before members of FIFA’s executive committee were to begin the second part of their two-day meeting to discuss governance reforms.

 

[mouser]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/04/politics/fifa-executive-arrested-on-cruise-ship/index.html

U.S. authorities keep finding more unceremonious ways to arrest top soccer executives from around the world.

Hector Trujillo, general secretary of Guatemala's soccer federation and a judge on the country's constitutional court, was hauled off a cruise ship at 6 a.m. ET Friday, to face criminal bribery charges.

He is one of 16 current and former FIFA executives charged in an indictment announced Thursday by Attorney General Loretta Lynch. In all, 41 people from soccer's world governing body and associated marketing companies are facing charges in a sprawling criminal case that has thrown world football into crisis.

 

[Burner Account]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-fifa-idUSKBN0U40S320151221

FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA boss Michel Platini, the two most powerful men in world soccer, were banned for eight years on Monday for ethics violations, leaving the world's most popular sport rudderless in a sea of corruption cases.

 

[Power Man]

8 years?


Are you kidding me?

Should be suspended for life imi

 

[Evilo]

Yeah? What is against Platini?

I don't think Platini is corrupt. I surely don't agree with all his views, but I don't think he's corrupt. It's beyond obvious Blatter told him he'd sink with him if he supported his opponents. And he did just that.

 

[Power Man]

I'm biased, I've never liked Platini (the person; as a player he was great)

 

[Evilo]

It's just that he doesn't seem to be that type of person, and frankly UEFA doesn't seem corrupt like FIFA obviously is.
People seem to mix the two and mix the two presidents, but they're different.

 

[Kurtz]

The dawn of Tokyo Sexwale is nearly upon us.

 

[Jussi]

Man, if FIFA's this determined on cracking down on people being overpaid for doing nothing, I'd hate to be in Wayne Rooney's or Diego Costa's shoes right now.

 

[Chimaera]

they're all in on it.

You can't move up the ladder without having some type of hand in the pot.

 

[mouser]

Yeah? What is against Platini?

I don't think Platini is corrupt. I surely don't agree with all his views, but I don't think he's corrupt. It's beyond obvious Blatter told him he'd sink with him if he supported his opponents. And he did just that.

Corrupt as in taking bribes, maybe, maybe not. I think it's safe to say he's lacking in ethics with his involvement over the FIFA payment.

 

[Live in the Now]

Yeah? What is against Platini?

I don't think Platini is corrupt. I surely don't agree with all his views, but I don't think he's corrupt. It's beyond obvious Blatter told him he'd sink with him if he supported his opponents. And he did just that.

They have proof Platini was given a 2 million dollar payment by Blatter.

 

[King 88]

You are fools to think that uefa isnt corrupted like fifa. Fifa just takes the corruption to next level

 

[Evilo]

They have proof Platini was given a 2 million dollar payment by Blatter.

Platini never denied this. He said it was Blatter who gave him a job.

 

[Bakayoko Ono]

Blatter is like 80, this would basically be a lifetime ban for him.

 

[Jussi]

Platini never denied this. He said it was Blatter who gave him a job.

He said he gave FIFA a number that he knew was way more than required and was suprised they paid it.

UEFA seem to be backing Platini in this.

 

[Chimaera]

I don't care if he's guilty or not. I think you need to clean house.

That means the top down. Anyone on the executive council should go. Bring in new leadership.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I don't care if he's guilty or not. I think you need to clean house.

That means the top down. Anyone on the executive council should go. Bring in new leadership.

This.

It's relatively immaterial, at this point, if Platini is guilty of everything he's been accused of. At the very least, it's quite obvious he was aware of the rampant corruption and chances are he has dirt on him as well. At this point, FIFA just needs an image overhaul and you can't have that with Platini still on board. Platini's done for as far as any high-profile postitions go.

 

[Jussi]

By the way, Tim Roth admitted in a Reddit AMA that he only did the FIFA movie for the money and he's actually ashamed of doing it.

 

[Power Man]

On top of that they will have to pay for their own tickets

 

[Chimaera]

In thinking on it, there's either one of two things going on with Platini.

He's either a buffoon and had no real idea what was going on, and just went by ignorant of all of what was happening, or he knew. If he knew, at best he just let things go and didn't get his hands dirty (which is crime enough by not blowing the whistle) or what I feel is a greater likelihood that he didn't pass it up when benefits came around his way just like everyone else.


Nothing in his history has shown he's a complete fool, and he is more than aware of how the wind was blowing. If that's the case, how he, or anyone else could stand for a farce of him being involved in leadership is part of what's wrong with it all.

They're all on the take. There might not be a guy who is not at least aware of what was going on in FIFA from the top down. If they didn't, they're once again either the dumbest guy in the room or lying. Most of them probably had their hands out when the money rolled around. They need to blow it up.