FIFA officials arrested

[NorahDentressangle]

Hurrayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Looks they've been nailed at last. Arrested in Switzerland on behest of the USA as their bribes were paid in US dollars.

Headlines in our media tomorrow are likely to be

"We woz robbed"

but don't worry, we will be back for another round as Putin prepares to hold the World Cup as 2018 nears.

Labour MP Chris Bryant on Sky just now said

"If FIFA refuses to rerun the 2018 and 2022 bids, then the major world football associations, obviously led by UEFA, should consider setting up an alternative competition"

The elite are desperate to embarrass Putin and you can't rule anything out.

Bryant said "there is a danger that, if we just go forward with a UK boycott as it were of the four home nations, then all that will do is it will be counterproductive, it will make the Latin Americans, the Africans and the Asians go off in a different direction and say oh that's just typical Anglo-Saxon arrogance and will just damage British players but we cannot just let this corruption go by"

Putin is in for a surprise because the elite want to embarrass him, although he obviously understands the game. But will the rest of the world go along or will they the elite receive "null points", even with the BBC full throttle, as they seem to so often do?

Greg Dyke on Channel 4 News just said

"England shouldn't get involved in gesture politics on their own [i.e. referring to boycotting the World Cup on its own] ... because everyone would just "oh well done" and that would be the end of it"

Andy Burnham tells Jon Pienaar that England should boycott the World Cup.
I think it may happen.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02slx3c

First they wanted to boycott the World Cup in Russia, now the Establishment wants an alternative Wolrd Cup. Blatter hasn't been charged with anything, he says it is a conspiracy against him by England who lost the World Cup Bid, but the real aim is to embarrass Putin. That is probably why they will try their utmost to pull it off.

"FIFA crisis: Alternative World Cup should be considered says Labour's sport spokesman Chris Bryant"

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fifa-crisis-alternative-world-cup-5804395

To see the entire metropolitan elite political class on board is quite amazing. I wonder what Farage thinks. He is the only independent politician we have. No one pulls Farage's strings.

Greg Dyke was on Channel 4 News and was asked that since Blatter gives FIFA money to developing nations for football, couldn't England do something as we have lots of money in football. The whole condemnation of Blatter is that he has allegedly been buying votes by giving money to the football associaions of other countries. Greg said

"We can't just go around the world gibving away money ... I do think there is an argument for certain european cuntries to get closer to certain African countries and I think that since we didn't win the World Cup wehaven't done th, and that was probably a mistake".

Seems ilike Blatter got there first and they don't like it one little bit.

Thanks for continuing to update, Claig.

John Oliver on Last Week Tonight (which has a history of successfully motivating massive online protests) finished his show by challenging FIFA's largest corporate sponsors to remove Sepp Blatter.

Interesting to see that Scotland is on board. What are Wales and Northern Ireland saying?

The thing about sponsors is overplayed in my opinion. Visa, Coca Cola etc are not the only big companies in the world. Chinese companies and Asian companies may enter and take up where Western companies step out.

It all depends on whether England is successful in getting this "alternative World Cup" and then the Western sponsors can make money on that. But just like England were promised the votes of football federations in the World Cup Bid, and then only received one vote, I am not sure how many European countries will really back England when it comes to the crunch.

Germany is talking about it, but France voted for Blatter. If Germany join England then Germany will harm their relations with Russia for a very long time. That is what some Western politicians want, but I doubt that is what German business will wantand I wonder if they will let their political class allow that to happen.

This is all being played as if it is about football, but it really has political dimensions because it is a World Cup with nations from Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as just Europe.

"A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The recent arrests of senior Fifa officials on charges of corruption are deeply concerning for anyone who cares about football. The World Cup is too important to be tarnished with scandal and suggestions of criminal behaviour.

“The Scottish Government supports the calls of Stewart Regan, chief executive of the Scottish FA, for fundamental and urgent changes to the way Fifa is governed.”

In his Courier column, Alex Salmond claimed the amount of money on offer from TV deals means no major nations will pull out. He said: “The European associations will huff and puff, but no one will blow the World Cup money-making house down.”

Mr Blatter has claimed a bid to unseat him was down to “English media and the American movement” because of failed World Cup bids.

www.thecourier.co.uk/sport/football/scottish-government-calls-for-fundamental-and-urgent-changes-after-fifa-corruption-claims-1.880244

"In his Courier column, Alex Salmond claimed the amount of money on offer from TV deals means no major nations will pull out. He said: “The European associations will huff and puff, but no one will blow the World Cup money-making house down.”

I think Alex Salmond may end up being wrong because the political class is determined to embarrass Putin. They all joined in and didn't go to the Sochi Olympic opening ceremony (including the Germans), so they may all be told not to go to the World Cup in Russia too. As we approach 2018, there will be more calls to boycott.

"Pelé backs Sepp Blatter’s re-election as Fifa president for fifth term"

www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jun/01/pele-sepp-blatter-fifa-president-respect

I wonder what Brazil is saying and whether Brazil will join in England's "alternative World Cup"? How can you have a World Cup or an alternative World Cup without Brazil, the most magical footballing nation on the planet, and then there is also Argentina, what are they saying?

Brazil is a BRICS country, so I doubt they will want to embarrass Russia like our political class do.

And then there are the fans in England and across Europe? Will the metropolitan political class succeed in convincing them to hold an "alternative World Cup"?

It is very unfortunate that many countries are being accused of doing underhand things, and of course we are totally clean here. How not to win friends and influence people. We got only one vote in the World Cup Bid. It seems we are expected to believe that nearly every other country on the planet voted corruptly.

"South African officials have dismissed allegations by US investigators that a $10m (£6.5m) bribe was organised for Fifa officials to host the 2010 World Cup.

There had been a "clean audit report" at the end of the World Cup, a government minister said.

A football official added that the bid was run by "men of integrity", including the late Nelson Mandela."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32912917

"Fifa corruption: Europe plots to stage an 'alternative World Cup' in place of Russia 2018
...
The plan to boycott the tournament which is due to be held in Russia – revealed to The Independent by the leading Uefa official behind it – would involve European teams and some invited South American countries breaking away from the official tournament, fatally undermining it in the eyes of the fans and sponsors.
...
“If we [Uefa] break out and run our own business, I am sure that these countries that don’t want change will realise they can’t miss Europe. I know it is not democratic but if we want in the future to have a Fifa as we know today [a global organisation] then we have to do some radical things.”

It is estimated that around 10 to 15 Uefa nations ignored the confederation’s prior agreement to vote for Mr Blatter’s rival, Prince Ali of Jordan, on Friday. Spain and France were among the European countries to cast their ballot for Mr Blatter. This presents a major challenge to the reforming European nations, including the English FA, led by Greg Dyke, who would like to unseat the 79-year-old Fifa president.

Meanwhile, the Government and the Football Association have agreed not to rule out any options in the battle against alleged corruption in Fifa."

www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/fifa-corruption-world-cup-boycott-is-the-only-way-to-reform-fifa-says-senior-uefa-official-10290415.html

Will France and Spain join the plan? Will Germany really risk straining relations with Russia for a very long time? Will Brazil and Argentina join the plan?

But if the plan fails, what will the world think of the planners?

Are you one of those Russian trolls, Claig?

I have been accused of that, but no.

"It is the sad truth, Hansen said, that democracy has not served Fifa particularly well in the rise of Blatter. Where Fifa differs from the United Nations is that the former has no equivalent of the Security Council to take the big decisions. The one-member, one-vote system that gives Germany or the United States the same influence as the smallest string of islands under Jack Warner’s control in the Caribbean has delivered five straight election victories for Blatter."

www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-uefa-must-tell-blatter--we-can-boycott-the-world-cup-and-we-are-not-afraid-to-do-so-10290541.html

Breaking news, Sepp Blatter is standing down.

Will there now be a revote for the 2018 World Cup and will Russia be stripped of it? Don't bet against it.

Sky are saying there is much more to come.
They are saying Qatar decision is in doubt. They haven't mentioned Russia yet, but I think Russia will be a target. Sky don't think the sponsors had the key influence in this.

Chris Bryant, Labour MP, says that it is good that Blatter has gone, but it is not enough. He says we must have a rerun of the 2022 Qatar bid.

Chris Bryant predicted on Friday that Blatter would go after winning the vote on Friday, just as Neville Chamberlain went 3 days after winning the vote in the House of Parliament. And 3 days after Friday, Sepp Blatter has gone. Chris knows his stuff.

Greg Dyke has said no more talk of England boycotting the 2018 World Cup, he says the opposition was only to Blatter.