FIFA corruption

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AIBU to think it ironic that nothing happens for years and years about blatant corruption at FIFA, even though it is the favoured sport in many countries with a strong anti-corruption stance. Then, suddenly there is action as soon as the US develops an interest in "soccer", even though its still a minority interest?

I thought it more ironic that this should have happened just before a (FIFA) presidential election.

But wasn't that because all of the delegates are gathered together in Switzerland and so easy to get access to.

No doubt FIFA will be able to wriggle out of it and carry on as they always have. It would be interesting to see what would happen if EUFA and other confederations that are concerned about the state of affairs pulled out of all FIFA events until it is transparently a clean organisation.

You think the timing is significant, FriendlyLadybird? Someone trying to embarrass Sepp Blatter?

Was he standing unopposed for re-election?

I doubt it's to do with footballs popularity as they are mainly focusing on Concaf(Americas uefa), and as its so corrupt (much like the ICC) it's uneartherd the spiders web.

If they bring down blatter and platini then I don't care who does it to be honest.

Good on the U.S. For having the initiative/motivation to do something about it. Suspect it's no coincidence that the investigator appointed by FIFA to investigate corruption and who then consequently complained that FIFA misrepresented his report was an American lawyer. Either way, good on them!

Kirsty Wark on Newsnight ventured the same opinion, that it was ironic that it is the USA, hardly a soccer nation, who has taken the lead on this.

The Panorama guy shot her down: 'It's got very little to do with football, and everything to do with evidence of massive fraud and corruption on US soil."

England is now the bookies' favourite to host the 2018 World Cup. Will it really be stripped from Russia at this late stage?

In England's unsuccessful bid for the 2018 World Cup, a "total of fifteen stadia from twelve cities were proposed to FIFA. Had England's bid been successful, the final decision on which would host matches would have been made in 2013. Three stadia would have been forwarded from London: Wembley Stadium, Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and either the Olympic Stadium or Tottenham Hotspur's yet-to-be-built new ground (if the latter were ready).

"At the time of bidding, the Olympic Stadium was under construction the Olympic games in 2012; its future following the Olympics was unclear and beyond the control of the World Cup bid committee, and so the Tottenham ground was put forward alongside it. It was not made clear during the bid which stadium would have been preferred had both stadia been viable candidates in 2013.[13]

"The other stadia that were nominated were Sunderland's Stadium of Light, Birmingham's Villa Park, the New Nottingham Forest Stadium, Elland Road in Leeds, Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium, St James' Park in Newcastle, the new Bristol City Stadium, Plymouth's Home Park, Old Trafford and the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, and, in Liverpool, either the existing Anfield or the proposed Stanley Park Stadium.

"In the case of Liverpool, the bid committee determined that the current Anfield stadium would have been, with minor improvements, acceptable for World Cup matches; however, because of Liverpool FC's plans to build a new ground, the committee specified that the new stadium would take the place of Anfield if it were ready in time.[13]

"Many of the stadia selected would have required minor modernisation in order to meet the strict requirements for holding World Cup tournament games, as is usual for all pre-existing stadia. The grounds in Leeds, Sheffield, Milton Keynes and Plymouth in particular were all set for an increase in capacity, whilst new stadiums proposed in Nottingham and Bristol were a part of the bid."

The rumours about Blatter have been around fir years. I think he may be Teflon Man sadly

Ditto Finbar

Know nothing about fifi and just asked dh. He said about time, its been corrupt for years. So begs the question why now, whats the final straw on the camels back they made them investigate now?

I kind of agree with Finbar but.... they always fall in the end. So we can only hope.

Thank God the US are having a go although Blatter appears to be heat proof, slimy git!.

The WC in Russia and Qatar, fucking laughable without bungs here there and everywhere, would be fantastic if they were overturned and hosted elsewhere.

Americans are (rightly) obsessed about bribery, and not just on US soil. Over half the huge fines they levy age against nonUS companies. This action is an extension of that. About time too.

Google FCPA and bribery fines for details. It's taken a hell of a time, but I think the Teflon may be rubbing off...not holding breath, but I'm sure Blaater will be indicted soon.

They are brave deciding to piss off Qatar and Russia too.

But the WC in Qatar has always been a joke. My parents lived there for years and it is too hot to walk across a car park in the summer never mind play football. They are massively focused on becoming a big host nation for events like this - the whole place is completely different to 20 years ago because of building/road works.

Visa have just threatened to pull the advertising. On R4 this morning they have just said none of those arrested would dare give up Blatter.
Watching with interest hope Blatter gets arrested today

People get very fed up with bribery and corruption when they get out-bribed by someone else. If their bribe is successful, then they are quite happy with it.

Britain used to complain endlessly about bribery within the International Olympic Committee. But then we won the 2012 Olympics. Does anyone seriously think nobody's palms got greased in that bid? But as our bribes were clearly the winning bribes, we've stopped complaining!

We aren't angry with FIFA for being corrupt, we are angry that we weren't rich enough to come up with the winning bribe.

Good point, TTWK

Putin has spoken out. The essence of what he has said is " mind your own business, USA."

Fight! Fight!

It will be incredible if Blatter gets re-elected.

Unless he gets arrested he will be re-elected.

I agree that unless he gets arrested then it will be business as usual and nothing will change. But you only have to look at MP's expenses although on a comparatively tiny scale to see that there's corruption and greed everywhere.

It will be incredible if Blatter gets re-elected.

He has the Asian, African and South American confederations sewn up. Because it's one vote per federation, and there's lots of small countries in those three, he doesn't need North America, Europe or Australasia, as they have far fewer votes. And because they're small federations, they're easy to corrupt and cheap to buy.

You can see the general level of delusion here:

www.insideworldfootball.com/fifa/17112-exclusive-africa-backs-blatter-a-vote-against-would-be-blasphemy

Football fans will complain about the corruption right up until there's any thought of doing something about it, at which point they'll buy tickets from whichever corrupt country is hosting the event. The horrific level of deaths in Qatar won't make any difference to them.

So, what happens if the European leagues withdraw from FIFA and set up their own league - in the way that the Premiership was created, except that any other countries that wish to join are welcome.

(I can't believe I am asking this! I don't even like football, its the politics that are interesting.)

what happens if the European leagues withdraw from FIFA and set up their own league

Left to their own devices, the leagues would kill the World Cup tomorrow morning, along with all international football. It screws up scheduling, injures players, and the standard is in relative terms low; any team capable of getting beyond the group stages of the Champions League would dismantle any national side, if nothing else because they play together every week, and the top half dozen teams in each of the major European leagues would easily beat their respective national side.

A player who goes off to play in a national team comes back possibly injured, and probably having trained and played at a lower standard. Roy Keane was sent home from the 2002 World Cup for talking about this, in typically foul-mouthed Roy Keane style, but he's hardly the only person to regard national sides as little better than reserve-standard kickabouts.

The problem is that FIFA is a body made up of federations (aka associations), not leagues, and international football funds the federations' smaller members. The governance of the federations is not just the leagues, and the leagues keep all their money to themselves. To pull out of the World Cup, or FIFA more generally, the FA would have to get the support of constituent organisations who get a lot of money, in their terms, from international football, but who see no money at all from league football. So at the FA meeting, lots of people from small semi-pro sides (the teams that enter the FA full members' cup, say) would demand a voice. And there's a lot of them.