FIFA Officials Arrested on Corruption Charges; Sepp Blatter Quits

[cgf]

They basically are an insane sanctioned rouge state....

They can basically be whatever, but in practice they aren't actually sanctioned and instead are a major customer for weapons from the west...

 

[cgf]

My point was more that they're being bought on the black market by Saudi Arabia, and thus not being documented.

If you look at the quantities of far scarier weapons that they are buying openly on the regs, do you really think this small shipment makes it any easier or trickier for the Saudis to miss-use their weapons as they wish?

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Okay but can we not realize for a second that its literally trading weapons for a World Cup vote? Using arms dealing in order to secure the World Cup? If you can't realize how ****ed up that is, no degree of explanation will do it.

 

[cgf]

Okay but can we not realize for a second that its literally trading weapons for a World Cup vote? Using arms dealing in order to secure the World Cup? If you can't realize how ****ed up that is, no degree of explanation will do it.

That's totally what it is and it is ****ed up, but so is using priceless art with innumerable cultural impact to buy WC votes. At least with a case like the Saudis. If they were selling plutonium to the Iranians or weapons to latin american cartels for WC votes my reaction would be very different.

 

[Epsilon]

I disagree. Bulk of weapons need to be documented. Black market weapons dealing means that there is weaponry in circulation that is undocumented. That's a problem, and the fact that its being used for a single world cup vote is indicative of a pretty major issue. A bribe with a Picasso is obviously a problem, but it's not an undocumented weapon with the potential to circulate further on a nations black market. That's where the difference lies.

Who said anything about "black market"? Sounds like this was a standard exchange of weapons between a western country and Saudi Arabia, it's just the motivation for it happened to involve some quid pro quo beyond just the payment.

 

[kov]

I hope the recent talk of stripping Qatar *and* Russia of WCs does not pan out. It seems clear that bribery was simply table stakes, and that every single WC has involved bribery the way every F1 race involves tires. I think the focus should remain on FIFA personnel first and foremost, and setting up something more transparent and limited.

Qatar though, I think should be backed out, because it was and still is an unfeasible bid that only happened by sheer magnitude of bribes and corruption -- such magnitude that it actually would have negatively impacted the games themselves. I don't think anything about Russia's bid would negatively impact the games themselves.

 

[mmk786]

what constitutes as negatively impacting the game?

 

[Ceremony]

I presume bidding to hold a tournament at a time when temperatures would negatively affect the health of the players never mind the performance counts.

 

[DyerMaker66*]

5:00

That's just... bad.

 

[DyerMaker66*]

Didn't know you can file lawsuits over missed calls now.

brb going to sue Benito Archundia

Maradona's going down.

 

[kov]

what constitutes as negatively impacting the game?

I meant 'the games', small 'g' -- the actual play on the field. I think they would be a disaster played in July in Qatar, horrible to watch and maybe even kill some players.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

what constitutes as negatively impacting the game?

Having to play the games in November//December because June//July temperatures are far too hot would be the biggest one.

 

[Ugmo]

I truly believe Qatar 2022 is dead. They will get that tournament taken away, because it makes no sense whatsoever to have a World Cup there and it's going to create nothing but headaches for FIFA's sponsors. My guess is Russia stays. The argument will be that there isn't enough time to award it to another country.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

If I had to bet money, it would be that Russia stays and we get 2022.

 

[mmk786]

Not sure how holding a world cup in winter is negatively affecting the game. Negatively affecting some self centered european leagues and its fans, yes, but not the game itself.

Telling vast swathes of the world's population that their countries can never hold the world cup due to local climate will definitely impact the game negatively.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

Not sure how holding a world cup in winter is negatively affecting the game. Negatively affecting some self centered european leagues and its fans, yes, but not the game itself.

Telling vast swathes of the world's population that their countries can never hold the world cup due to local climate will definitely impact the game negatively.

because it would screw up every domestic league on the planet for six weeks?

 

[Ugmo]

Telling vast swathes of the world's population that their countries can never hold the world cup due to local climate will definitely impact the game negatively.

How? Soccer is already the world's most popular sport by miles and miles... did that only happen because people in countries with hostile climates were convinced they were going to get a World Cup someday?

Playing the tournament in Qatar does far more damage than moving it to a better suited country would, without any question whatsoever.

 

[Evilo]

Not sure how holding a world cup in winter is negatively affecting the game. Negatively affecting some self centered european leagues and its fans, yes, but not the game itself.

Even that is arguable since many people have advocated for years to have a year calendar and a break in winter.

 

[kov]

Not sure how holding a world cup in winter is negatively affecting the game. Negatively affecting some self centered european leagues and its fans, yes, but not the game itself.

Telling vast swathes of the world's population that their countries can never hold the world cup due to local climate will definitely impact the game negatively.

I'd be fine with this if it was actually part of the original bid, but it wasn't. Qatar bid to host the WC in the summer in super-techno air-conditioned stadia. They can't deliver on that.

So fine, let them rebid with an honest accounting that they plan to schedule it during all the world's domestic league seasons. If all the countries think that's a better bid than all those other countries who bid for it during the summer, well then justice will out.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup...0-world-cup-vote-report?ex_cid=sportscenterFB

And so it continues...

 

[Alex Jones]

Every world cup since 98 is now officially corrupt, right?? What a mess.

 

[cgf]

Every world cup since 98 is now officially corrupt, right?? What a mess.

Just the awarding of them. And the awarding of WC has been corrupting going back much further than 98.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

This truly is the gift that keeps giving

 

[EchoesoftheEighties]

I've always thought Morocco would've been a better option than south Africa anyway. It made sense on a few levels, Africa world cup, Arab world cup, etc.

Nice work Fifa

 

[jniklast]

The FIFA movie "United Passions" grossed a mighty $609

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/08/football/fifa-film-united-passions/