lol, FIFA

[Rich]

5 minutes ago, GhostMachine said:

No. He played trout.

GET

 

OUT

[Lineker]

Quote

The Jordanian Fifa presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein has said he will not reopen the bidding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups if he wins control of world football.

The controversial tournaments have been under constant scrutiny since the vote in December 2010. Qatar has come under pressure for the way in which it won the race and over conditions for migrant workers toiling to build the infrastructure required to host the 2022 tournament.

Russia is staging the 2018 tournament against the backdrop of systemic doping claims that have seen the country barred from athletics. “As far as I’m concerned, I will accept and support the World Cup happening in Russia and Qatar. But a lot of steps need to be taken and I would make sure they were implemented,” he said.

When then Fifa ethics committee investigator Michael Garcia attempted to ask questions about its conduct during the bid, Russia claimed its rented computers had been lost and the hard drives destroyed.

“I think every country in the world has the right to host the World Cup. I’ve said that many times. That’s the key point,” said Prince Ali. “However we have to guarantee that major issues around human rights and labour laws are implemented. They have said they are going to do it but Fifa needs to guarantee that it is done. At the same time we have to ensure that certain issues like the double bid don’t happen again.”

Prince Ali, who lost out to the incumbent, Sepp Blatter, by 133 votes to 73 in May’s election, said he was not minded to reopen the bidding process for the 2022 tournament unless fresh evidence emerges. “I do believe they have the right to host it and we do need a celebration in our part of the world.”

Qatar has failed to introduce meaningful reform to its labour laws despite huge international pressure since a series of Guardian reports on the issue, but has improved working conditions for those constructing World Cup stadiums. “They have said they are committed to dealing with the issue of labour laws but it has to be consistent,” said Prince Ali.

He said he was unconcerned about the recent doping revelations in Russia as they relate to football but would seek assurances from Vitaly Mutko, the Russian sports minister and Fifa executive committee member, if elected. “We haven’t seen anything to do with football, we are focused on football. Obviously within football doping is a very big concern. We have to tackle other issues including match-fixing.”

Perhaps for reasons of political expediency, Prince Ali said he “would not back proposals by the [Fifa] reform committee headed by François Carrard that proposed diluting the power of the Fifa executive committee, making it more of advisory parliament and handing power over commercial decisions to the executive.

But he said he backed other proposals including term limits, transparency over salaries and the publication of executive-committee minutes.

Prince Ali, who is seeking to replace Blatter after the president stood down days into his fifth term in light of a spiralling corruptions crisis, is one of five candidates for the February election.

He called on Fifa’s electoral committee to police rules that forbid confederation heads or senior figures from trying to influence voters. “I have to have trust and faith to ensure this is a proper election process. They can express an opinion but they are not allowed to pressure their associations,” he said.

The Bahraini Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa has already said that any candidate without the backing of a confederation will find it extremely hard to win.

Among Ali’s other rivals is Gianni Infantino, the Uefa general secretary who entered the race when Michel Platini was suspended from football for 90 days, and Tokyo Sexwale, a South African politician turned businessman.

He called on individual FAs to make their own decisions and insisted he could swing enough support to win. “Make your own decision and don’t worry about external pressures. That’s how it should be,” he said.

Ali, who has criticised his former backer Platini in the past, refused to comment directly on his rivals but said only he himself could bring the change Fifa requires, despite having served on the Fifa executive committee himself from 2011 to 2015.

“I won’t comment on individuals. What I will focus on is that we need a change of culture. That is why I was running from the start, to make the change that is needed. I made the conscious decision that I couldn’t remain on the executive committee under the circumstances and the only way to make that change was to make the change at the top.”

 

[Lineker]

The Fifa presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale says he wants national teams to be able to wear sponsors’ names on their shirts at an expanded World Cup tournament.

The South African, a prisoner under apartheid who became a politician and businessman, unveiled his election manifesto on Wednesday as he aims to replace Sepp Blatter at the top of world football’s governing body in the 26 February vote.

Sexwale said the crisis at Fifa, which faces investigations from the US Department of Justice and Swiss authorities and was hit by the indictment of 14 football officials and sports marketing executives in May, can be “utilised to turn things around and renew Fifa”.

Repeating his call for a strong commitment to development programmes to help the game outside its profitable centre in Europe, Sexwale promised an “open-door policy” to national associations and to “allow stakeholders easier access” to the Fifa president.

But his most eye-catching proposal is to allow national associations to generate more sponsorship revenue by allowing company logos on shirts.

Sexwale said he would “seriously explore the possibility of the national jersey, as happens in other sporting codes, bearing the logo of the main sponsor – not only the jersey-maker as is currently the case. There is space there for much value worth millions of dollars which will be destined directly into [various] FAs’ coffers,” he said.

Shirt sponsorship became widespread in the club game in the 1980s but Fifa has not allowed deals for national team jerseys, with national football associations limited to sponsorship on training tops and off-the-field equipment.

Sexwale said that Fifa needs to “take a hard look, with sensitivity” at the imbalances in representation at World Cups among regional confederations. Europe, which has 53 FAs, has 13 World Cup slots while Africa, with 54 members, has only five.

The South African proposed no specific numbers but opened the door to an expansion of Fifa’s biggest tournament. “Concerning the number of national teams in the World Cup, it is proposed this be above the current 32 teams, subject to an inclusive discussion by the Fifa executive committee,” he said.

Sexwale called for the creation of an international advisory board made up of 11 “internationally respected eminent persons from various walks of life, including football”.

He said this body, which would meet annually “to share its critical views with and about Fifa” would be “part of the effort to win back the trust and confidence of various stakeholders following the disruptive corruption allegations which have damaged the Fifa brand”.

[Colly]

Oh Tokyo. He'd started so well by having a hilarious name.

[DavidMarrio]

It's England sponsored by Bargain Booze taking on Italy sponsored by Dolmio pasta...Just like mamma used to make

[GhostMachine]

The Russia situation I'm iffy on, but as far as Qatar is concerned bidding should definitely be re-opened. 

[Lineker]

The suspended Uefa president, Michel Platini, has lodged an appeal to the court of arbitration for sport against his 90-day ban.

Platini lost his appeal to Fifa’s appeals committee this week against the suspension that halts his candidacy for the Fifa presidential election on 26 February.

Platini’s legal team, which needs expected cooperation from Fifa to fast-track the case, said “we are confident that Cas will issue a ruling very quickly given what is at stake.”

Sepp Blatter has also been suspended by Fifa’s ethics committee pending a full investigation into 2m Swiss francs (£1.35m) Blatter approved for Platini in 2011 as backdated salary.

Blatter and Platini are expected to appear before the Fifa ethics judge, Hans-Joachim Eckert, in December. Switzerland’s attorney general has also opened criminal proceedings against Blatter and questioned Platini for suspected criminal mismanagement of Fifa money. Both deny any wrongdoing.

[Rich]

Not really sure what it is going to properly reveal, but here is a documentary tomorrow night on Ch5 in the UK about Blatter

http://www.channel5.com/shows/sepp-blatter-exposed-the-fall-of-fifa/episodes/sepp-blatter-exposed-the-fall-of-fifa

Monday night 9pm

[Lineker]

The luxury Parmigiani watches famously handed out in goodie bags to Fifa executives last year have been donated by Fifa’s ethics committee to charity.

The £16,344 watches, given as gifts to football officials by Brazil’s FA during a Fifa Congress in São Paulo that was dominated by corruption allegations and protests, have all now been handed to the global NGO streetfootballworld.

65 watches were reportedly distributed last year to the 28 officials on Fifa’s ruling executive committee, to a representative from each of the 32 member associations and to representatives from South America’s governing body.

However the ethics committee, which said last year it would not open formal proceedings against officials if they handed the watches over, said it had found only 48 were actually distributed, all of which have now been returned.

Streetfootballworld will now invest proceeds from the sale of the watches into grassroots football projects in Brazil.

One of the original recipients, the FA chairman Greg Dyke, initially refused to hand his watch back, having promised to donate it to the FA’s official charity partner, Breast Cancer Care, for auction. But, with the threat of sanctions if he did not return the watch to Fifa, he did surrender it to the ethics committee in April.

Dyke said at the time he had no idea the watch was worth so much. “It was the fourth watch I’ve had since I started doing this job. Everywhere you go you get these watches. I wouldn’t know a £16,000 watch if my life depended on it. No one should give you a £16,000 watch without telling you what it’s worth.

“The fact that gifts of great value are being handed out randomly and often with the recipient unaware shows up a culture in need of change.”

Fifa’s code of ethics says football officials should not accept gifts of more than “symbolic or trivial value” and that “if in doubt, gifts shall not be offered or accepted”. It also says that ignorance is no defence and that officials “are expected to be aware of the importance of their duties and concomitant obligations and responsibilities”.

[Benji]

And that is why many companies have a zero tolerance policy on gifts, because regardless of worth, they can and will be seen as bribes.

[Rich]

Zero tolerance is a bit strong.  We have to be seen as not taking bribes, the rule is generally we can take something as long as it falls in to one or both of the following criteria:

1. It is available to members of the general public
2. It is available to members of staff

[Benji]

It is a bit strong, but it's better than being caught up in an ethics committee hearing and potentially seeing jail time.

[Colly]

Dyke sounds a bit silly with his 'I didn't think it was expensive' nonsense. It's up there with 'I was just getting a traffic cone to be sick in' in terms of likely stories.

[Lineker]

Five of Fifa’s sponsors have written to the executive committee of football’s scandal-battered governing body demanding “independent oversight” of the reform process.

Sponsors were originally promised places on the Fifa reform committee but instead of being invited into meetings discussing the overhaul, they have only been offered seats on an advisory board which is yet to be appointed.

The letter was sent from Adidas, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Visa and the Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch before meetings this week.

It reads: “It is clear to us that such independent oversight needs to run long-term through the implementation and evolution of the reform process. Reforms can set the proper framework for these characteristics, but a cultural change is also needed. The culture change has to begin within Fifa and filter through to the confederations and Fifa’s Football Associations.”

The reform committee was established following the indictment of football officials by American authorities.

[Lineker]

Two leading Fifa officials have been arrested in another pre-dawn raid of the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich on suspicion “of accepting bribes of millions of dollars”, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice has announced.

The luxury hotel favoured by Fifa officials was raided for the second time this year, with the Fifa vice-presidents Alfredo Hawit of Honduras and Juan Ángel Napout of Paraguay detained on orders issued by the FOJ on behalf of the US Department of Justice.

While Swiss authorities confirmed two arrests, the New York Times quoted law enforcement officials as saying more than 12 people were expected to be charged.

Switzerland’s federal office of justice said that the two officials being held in custody pending extradition are suspected of accepting bribes “in return for selling marketing rights in connection with football tournaments in Latin America, as well as World Cup qualifying matches”. The statement added that both men “are opposing their extradition to the USA”.

Officials said that according to the arrest requests, some of the alleged offences were agreed and prepared in the US, with payments also processed via US banks.

Fifa, currently midway through a two-day executive committee meeting, acknowledged the latest controversy, saying in a statement: “Fifa will continue to co-operate fully with the US investigation as permitted by Swiss law, as well as with the investigation being led by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General.”

The new Brazilian Fifa executive committee member Fernando Sarney said the atmosphere at Thursday’s committee meeting was funereal following the arrests. “It was like someone had died,” he said. “Everybody was surprised, the feeling was like it’s happening again, that it’s something we think is personal. It was supposed to be a positive day today with the reforms and a lot changes, compliance, transparency.”

Hawit was appointed interim president of Concacaf, the confederation of countries from North and Central America and the Caribbean, after his predecessor Jeffrey Webb was arrested in May. Napout is the president of Conmebol, the South American confederation.

A witness told reporters that the hotel closed its gates after a group of four people believed to be plainclothes police entered shortly before 6am. Another group of police then went in through the rear entrance and left half an hour later. Shortly afterwards, two cars with tinted windows were seen leaving the hotel, but reporters could not see who was inside.

Fifa’s leaders were gathering in Zurich to discuss governance reforms before a congress in February at which suspended president Sepp Blatter is expected to be replaced.

Blatter was suspended for 90 days in early October by Fifa’s ethics committee alongside Jérôme Valcke, his right-hand man, and Michel Platini, one candidate hoping to replace him as president. The suspension would theoretically mean the trio could return five days before February’s extraordinary congress.

However, last week Fifa’s ethics committee announced that it was recommending life bans for both Blatter and Platini over an allegation that a 2011 payment of £1.35m to Platini was corrupt. Both have denied any wrongdoing, and a final decision is expected to be made later in the month by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert following a personal hearing.

In September, Swiss authorities opened proceedings against Blatter “on suspicion of criminal mismanagement” in a parallel investigation to the US-run inquiry. Neither Blatter nor Valcke were among those arrested on Thursday morning.

The Swiss inquiry initially focused on the process that led to the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively, but has since broadened to include alleged money laundering and fraud.

On Wednesday, Fifa announced a £67m financial loss, its first since 2001, after a year of sponsorship losses and heavy legal bills. On Tuesday, five major sponsors – Adidas, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Visa and Anheuser-Busch – had written to Fifa demanding independent oversight of the reform process.

 

[Lineker]

The US Department of Justice unsealed a 92-count indictment in federal court on Thursday against 16 new defendants as part of its broadening Fifa corruption investigation.

The defendants are all current or former members of Concacaf and Conmebol and include top officials in both regional soccer federations. All are charged with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering all in a scheme to enrich themselves.

“The betrayal of trust set forth here is outrageous,” US attorney general Loretta Lynch said on Thursday. “The scale of corruption alleged herein is unconscionable. And the message from this announcement should be clear to every culpable individual who remains in the shadows, hoping to evade our investigation: you will not wait us out. You will not escape our focus.”

The justice department also announced that eight defendants arrested in May have entered guilty pleas including Jeffrey Webb, Alejandro Burzaco and Jose Marguiles.

The officials named in the indictment include Concacaf executives Alfredo Hawitt, Ariel Alvarado, Rafael Callejas, Bryan Jimenez, Rafael Salguero, Hector Trujillo and Reynaldo Vasquez. From Conmebol, Fifa vice president Juan Angel Napout was arrested along with Manuel Burga, Carlos Chavez, Luis Chiriboga, Marco Polo del Negro, Eduardo Deluca, Jose Luis Meiszner, Romer Osuna and Ricardo Teixeira.

Hawitt became president of Concacaf when Webb, his predecessor, was accused of corruption in May, when “it is alleged he assumed the mantle of the same corrupt practices”, Lynch said.

Napout is the president of Conmebol.

Burzaco pled guilty to racketerring, wire fraud and money laundering charges and will forfeit $21m. Webb will give up $6.7m and Margulies gives up $9.2m.

[DavidMarrio]

At this rate even Maureen the tea lady at FIFA is going to be arrested for corruption.  

[MDK]

4 minutes ago, David Marrio said:

At this rate even Maureen the tea lady at FIFA is going to be arrested for corruption.  

Not Maureen! This has gone too far.

[DavidMarrio]

2 minutes ago, MDK said:

Not Maureen! This has gone too far.

You can only get away with offering people two sugars and a brown envelope with their tea before it catches up on you. 

 

[Gazz]

28 minutes ago, David Marrio said:

At this rate even Maureen the tea lady at FIFA is going to be arrested for corruption.  

To be fair, Maureen's teapot and cups are made of solid gold and she drives a Bugatti Veyron. All on 15 grand a year.