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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 5:44:53 GMT
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Post by barmyarmy on May 27, 2015 6:41:40 GMT
Unfortunately the ring master isnt one of them but his side kick Jeffrey Webb is. FBI investigating more than $100 million of bribes.
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Post by oxrox on May 27, 2015 6:51:38 GMT
Got to say thanks to the Yanks. Fifa officials arrested in Zurich on corruption charges gu.com/p/499vz
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Post by foley on May 27, 2015 7:02:33 GMT
The timing is very interesting. It can't be a coincidence that it is in the week of the election which wouldn't go ahead with normal organisations (but with FIFA who knows)?
Also it is interesting why the US are taking this action (it appears that some of the finds went through US banks)
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Post by SteMerritt on May 27, 2015 7:39:43 GMT
Were the people arrested pro or anti Blatter?
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Post by malcolmnl on May 27, 2015 7:41:48 GMT
Good question ^
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Post by m on May 27, 2015 9:48:22 GMT
Were the people arrested pro or anti Blatter? Just been discussing this......should be fascinating to see how it all unfolds. Should be but won't of course. The same wheels will keep turning.
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Post by Eaststandboy on May 27, 2015 9:54:10 GMT
Still going to go ahead with the elections, it would be unbelievable if he gets in.
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Post by Jimmy P on May 27, 2015 10:44:33 GMT
He's a shoe-in for re election, 5 of the 6 confederations favour him.....
No surprise that Europe oppose him, he has presided over the most corrupt international body and shown absolute contempt for anyone that has spoken out (by and largely Europeans).
What Blatter does deserve some respect for is his ability to grow football in developing countries and to solidify the international appeal, unfortunately it appears that this is tainted by the sums of money being laundered, which if BBC is to be believed is over £100m in personal bribes......that is some level of corruption.
Would love to see national bodies in Europe, Americas and other like minded associations start up their own body and exit FIFAs remit.
If the Americans kick off, FIFA may lose Coca-Cola, McDonalds etc as sponsors which may see some move,net but with Gazprom and other Russian, Chinese and Indian companies starting to make international sponsorship a priority not sure how much of an impact this would really have
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Post by barmyarmy on May 27, 2015 12:18:21 GMT
Still going to go ahead with the elections, it would be unbelievable if he gets in. Not sure you have thought that through, the fact the election is going ahead tells me all I need to know about what the result will be!
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Post by Si Bradbury on May 27, 2015 12:22:28 GMT
Laughably senior officials being arrested on corruption and bribery charges relating to 'votes' and 'elections'. Yet the defiant Fifa committee with Sepp at the head of the table will push through this latest presidential election.
I bet this is the last straw for a number of the Big Businesses and Partners of Fifa. Blatter should fall on his sword, but he won't.
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Post by pooshooter on May 27, 2015 12:39:30 GMT
Not sure I really care...
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Post by Gary Baldi on May 27, 2015 12:55:17 GMT
Absolutely fantastic to see this. Once the FBI get their claws into you, they don't let go. They were just saying on the radio that FIFA made a big enemy of Henry Kissinger after embarrassing him in the last bidding process, and this is the start of the action against them. There is a lot more still to come. The press conference this morning was an absolute joke. Blatter could still be implicated in all this.
Some of the arrests are the equivalent of Platini and Greg Dyke. It's big stuff that will not just go away. The fact there seems to be a culture of bribes and corruption whichever way you look on it does not reflect well on whoever the leader is. Is this enough for the sponsors to say something??
Blatter continues to deny all knowledge. And watch the unicorns fly over the lakes of Switzerland. That man is a rotten joke.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 12:56:15 GMT
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Post by Gary Baldi on May 27, 2015 12:59:41 GMT
The fact that some of the people have already pleaded guilty and accepted a deal says that this is not going away.
Unless there is reform, I won't be watching another world cup in my lifetime.
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Post by holdsteady on May 27, 2015 13:02:57 GMT
I think Blatter is in charge at FIFA till he dies, neither he nor a lot of other people high up in football administration want anyone snooping around what has been going on over the last however many years, we will probably have to wait until the generation at the top are all gone to get the full picture but I am guessing its pretty bad.
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Post by mooro on May 27, 2015 13:22:37 GMT
I heard somewhere say that the timing was mainly to do with all of the suspects being in the same place at the same time, rather than trying to co-ordinate action across six or seven different countries/continents. FBI involvement is also at least partly to do with the fact that the events linked to the investigation were largely based in the Americas, including some companies and organisations in the US itself.
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Post by Gary Baldi on May 27, 2015 13:24:13 GMT
The problem now is the FBI. Their jurisdiction and remit is world wide based on stuff being paid in US dollars or going through the US (I believe). I'm not sure even Blatter can keep himself at arms length from this. He may well pass before things get to court, but as these arrests show, the cat is out of the bag.
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Post by Gary Baldi on May 27, 2015 13:27:18 GMT
I heard somewhere say that the timing was mainly to do with all of the suspects being in the same place at the same time, rather than trying to co-ordinate action across six or seven different countries/continents. FBI involvement is also at least partly to do with the fact that the events linked to the investigation were largely based in the Americas, including some companies and organisations in the US itself. The FIFA election is ironically convenient in some people's demise. As I've just said, the FBI can go after you where US currency is involved. Also, bribery in itself is not illegal in Switzerland.
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Post by Gary Baldi on May 27, 2015 15:00:40 GMT
There are allegations of corruption and bribery around both the 2010 WC and 2011 president election at FIFA. Sorry Sepp, 3 out of 4 world cup awards that are dirty. You have to go.
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Post by whingit on May 27, 2015 15:09:44 GMT
Sky interviewed a Sepp fan and member of FIFA yesterday, who just happens to be a banker in the Cayman islands - one of the places just named by the US as being used for money laundering.
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Post by m on May 27, 2015 15:11:01 GMT
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Post by nige01ox on May 27, 2015 15:11:07 GMT
I just don't see how Blatter and the rest of his FIFA cronies can have any kind of credibility from now on in. I mean we all know corruption is rife in the organisation, but whenever we dared suggest that it just gets brushed off as England having sour grapes for not winning the 2018 world cup bid, now for it to have come out like this surely everyone has to take note?
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Post by whingit on May 27, 2015 15:19:31 GMT
They stressed also that it is an ongoing investigation. The fact they have evidence regarding bribery for the 2011 presidential election surely means Sepp is not safe (it's been widely documented that he himself is avoiding travelling to the US.)
One thing that concerns me is that is Sepp has the support of many organisations, who will all probably be complicit in this corruption, meaning they will all be corrupt. Therefore having a clean governing body is unlikely to possible.
Unfortunately, I feel the option of breaking away from FIFA with Sepp opposing nations and forming a separate body is something that seriously needs to be looked in to.
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Post by chuckbert on May 27, 2015 16:19:23 GMT
This:(BBC)
Former England striker Gary Lineker told BBC 5 Live he wants a strong international response to allegations.
"The major federations of world football need to get together, boycott Fifa - the English, the Germans, the Spanish, the Italians, the Americans, Brazilians, major forces in world football, (should) come together and say 'listen, we've had enough of this. It's time we did something differently, more transparent, more honest that the game deserves'."
Regardless of the criminal side, we just move on, marginalise FIFA and do it properly. Fuckem and don't look back.
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Post by whingit on May 27, 2015 17:45:19 GMT
Our lord and saviour Sepp, as well as any other Swiss national FIFA employees are now NOT allowed to leave the country. This is going to get very interesting.
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Post by ox9hp18 on May 27, 2015 19:55:13 GMT
now that the IRS & FBI are involved they will not stop until they get an answer/result , my question IS how can sepp blatter still remain in control of FIFA , there is a vote in 2 days regarding the leadership of FIFA , are those arrested pro or anti blatter ? either way he WILL get re-elected & football will not be any the BETTER ! until he (blatter) dies then football will be an everlasting corrupt business at the top level !
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Post by holdsteady on May 27, 2015 20:21:15 GMT
UEFA are meeting tomorrow and are pretty much suggesting that their members dont attend the vote/conference on friday while also calling for the election to be postponed by 6 months.
If that happens and Blatter still goes ahead then that would split the football world, with perhaps a breakaway by uefa, the us etc. Blatter would be mad to do it but then he has nothing to lose now, as soon as he is deposed he is even more vunerable to prosecution.
If the whole story ever comes out it will make interesting reading, I get the feeling that its a lot worse than most of us think as in this situation you normally get people jumping ship and trying to cut a deal to save themselves.
FIFA could well go under, quite where that leaves international football is hard to tell.
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Post by mooro on May 27, 2015 20:24:47 GMT
I understand that the 7 arrested all voted for Blatter, Russia and Qatar - make of that what you will. Also, the story of all FIFA employees not being allowed to leave Switzerland is not true. It is likely that there are some delegates who will take against the US sticking their nose in and will vote Blatter despite the allegations. Will Blatter have an IOC moment and give in, or will he carry on brazening it out until he dies - either are very possible..
To me, the vote should not happen on Friday - not because of what 'we' think of Blatter, but because the previous election was included in the allegations announced today. Nothing as yet has been proven (officially) therefore he cannot be barred from standing and likewise the seven arrested cannot be barred from voting (however strong the allegations are against them).
Regarding 2018 and 2022, of course a lot rests on what that investigation throws up, but there has to be a point in time at which a decision to re-vote or not has to be taken, in order to allow full preparations to take place. As above, it has not yet been proved that either Russia or Qatar have directly been involved in fixing the vote - it may be the case that it was done independently by others with vested interests in getting contracts in those regions!??
Anyway, today is just Day One, there is a long way to go before anything concrete can be known or decided.
Incidentally, I would suggest the Swiss suicide watch bring in some reinforcements - as I suspect not every person involved will be alive when the trial begins....
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Post by mooro on May 27, 2015 20:28:08 GMT
UEFA are meeting tomorrow and are pretty much suggesting that their members dont attend the vote/conference on friday while also calling for the election to be postponed by 6 months. If that happens and Blatter still goes ahead then that would split the football world, with perhaps a breakaway by uefa, the us etc. Blatter would be mad to do it but then he has nothing to lose now, as soon as he is deposed he is even more vunerable to prosecution. If the whole story ever comes out it will make interesting reading, I get the feeling that its a lot worse than most of us think as in this situation you normally get people jumping ship and trying to cut a deal to save themselves. FIFA could well go under, quite where that leaves international football is hard to tell. Postponing the vote with blatter still in charge may suit both sides - he'll continue to feel untouchable, while the investigators will have him just where they want him. Some people have jumped ship already - Chuck Blazer was apparently involved in staging bugged meetings in london earlier this year on behalf of the investigators...
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