FIFA

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  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 12,692
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Plenty of rumours out that the sponsors were complicit in the corruption in order to ensure favourable outcomes for them.
    Rick is the new Manc, yay!

    May I draw your attention m'lud to the World Cup (TM) final 1998 in Paris and the strangeness of having a clearly unwell Ronaldo (the real one) forced onto the pitch. Mr Nike, looking at you.
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    Ai_1 wrote:
    VTech wrote:
    ...The organisation allows gifts, in some walks of life this isn't allowed because it is seen as morally wrong so the fact that they allowed candidates and members to receive gifts means no wrong was done.
    As an organisation they are free to set their own rules....
    Organisations can set their own rules provided they also comply with the laws/regulations in the regions where they do business. It's up to FIFA to enforce their own internal rules but state regulatory/legal authorities are entitled to respond if local or international laws are breached regardless of the organisations own rules.
    I don't know if local or international laws were broken but if the FBI is involving itself then presumably they believe they were. I'm sure the FBI doesn't particularly care if FIFA breaks it's own rules, only if it breaks the law.


    Im with you, I'm just getting the point across that there are no laws broken for taking gifts "bribes"
    The only laws I can see broken are corruption due to the fact that other countries tried to win something that wasn't winnable.
    This is illegal as a competition by its nature must be open for scrutiny.
    Also, lets not forget that the FA will have made favourable "contributions" to vote casters during the run up.
    Living MY dream.
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    If I recall there was something in the news at the time about the English bid team giving delegates gifts and fancy lunches/expenses when they came to check out the English bid. Gifts were not illegal as you said but in the UK IIRC it made the news as if English FA was sailing close to the wind a bit. Perhaps the FA is not clean neither, who knows??
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I guess the UK is doing what it can. I recall the ethics report said that the UK were the worst by taking a couple of people for dinner and allow foreign teams to train here at our expensive facilities.

    Other countries were found to be squeaky clean as they had destroyed all their computers, receipts and documents, so nothing could be proven.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,734
    orraloon wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Plenty of rumours out that the sponsors were complicit in the corruption in order to ensure favourable outcomes for them.
    Rick is the new Manc, yay!
    .


    Ah come on, this is well documented in legit sources. Nike in Brazil.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 82242.html

    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/06d28cd0-055b ... z3bzp9bu36

    prosecutors alleged in an indictment that an intermediary, a company controlled by Brazilian businessman José Hawilla, helped secure a landmark $160m, 10-year sponsorship deal in 1996 between an unnamed sportswear company and the country’s football federation, or CBF, by paying bribes.

    Prosecutors did not name Nike in their indictment, which was filed to a US district court, referring to it as “sportswear company A” or “E” in two separate documents. They have not accused it of any crime.

    But the deal by the unnamed company described in the two indictments appears identical to the one signed by Nike and CBF in 1996.

    http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/28/news/co ... orruption/
    _
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    edited June 2015
    VTech wrote:
    I'm with you, I'm just getting the point across that there are no laws broken for taking gifts
    I'd be a bit surprised if any country doesn't have laws against "gifts" given to try to influence a commercial, legal or government decision. Otherwise known as bribery.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,799
    bompington wrote:
    [quote="VTech"Im with you, I'm just getting the point across that there are no laws broken for taking gifts
    I'd be a bit surprised if any country doesn't have laws against "gifts" given to try to influence a commercial, legal or government decision. Otherwise known as bribery.[/quote]
    Bernie Ecclestone knows how to deal with that minor inconvenience.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    bompington wrote:
    VTech wrote:
    Im with you, I'm just getting the point across that there are no laws broken for taking gifts
    I'd be a bit surprised if any country doesn't have laws against "gifts" given to try to influence a commercial, legal or government decision. Otherwise known as bribery.
    Ditto, "gifts" is synonymous with "bribes" in this context. Some "gifts" may be permissible under certain circumstances but I'm pretty sure many types of "gifts" are illegal.
  • harry-s
    harry-s Posts: 295
    It goes further than bribes though, - I think we'll find out that FIFA has laundered a lot of cash to enhance the personal fortunes of it's delegates, and I wouldn't mind betting that it's this aspect that the FBI sees as the big fish.

    It's definitely going to be entertaining watching corrupt officials trying to account for their behaviour, but I also think that football itself will be a casualty along the way, and that won't be so much fun to watch. Grass roots football is struggling enough as it is without all the fallout this will generate.
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    Harry-S wrote:
    It goes further than bribes though, - I think we'll find out that FIFA has laundered a lot of cash to enhance the personal fortunes of it's delegates, and I wouldn't mind betting that it's this aspect that the FBI sees as the big fish.

    It's definitely going to be entertaining watching corrupt officials trying to account for their behaviour, but I also think that football itself will be a casualty along the way, and that won't be so much fun to watch. Grass roots football is struggling enough as it is without all the fallout this will generate.
    Does "grass roots football" really have much to do with FIFA?
    Legitimate question - I don't know.
    Or do you just mean bad press for FIFA will stain all aspects of soccer?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,268
    Ai_1 wrote:
    Or do you just mean bad press for FIFA will stain all aspects of soccer?

    Football has survived unscaved all sorts of scandals: match-fixing, tax evasion, doping... this is just the latest and maybe a higher profile one, but the real heroes are not involved... it's just a bunch of wrinkly old men doing dodgy deals... it's got nothing to do with the sport.
    left the forum March 2023
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 12,692
    Ai_1 wrote:
    Does "grass roots football" really have much to do with FIFA?
    Far cry from football in the park, jumpers for goalposts, isn't it?

    As self appointed "world governing body for football" FIFA only exerts authority through the World Cup TM. You want to take part? Then you affiliate to us and you do what we say. And btw backhanders always welcome.

    FIFA have naff all to do with me playing 9 a side football with my mates after work. If that isn't stretching the grassroots a bit too far, we play on astroturf :)
  • harry-s
    harry-s Posts: 295
    Ai_1 wrote:
    Or do you just mean bad press for FIFA will stain all aspects of soccer?

    I hope not, but it's not exactly going to enhance footballs image. Maybe youngsters will just shrug their shoulders and continue to have a kickabout, maybe not. Schools struggle enough allocating budgets, and this is definitely going to be high profile. People not interested in the game, may I think, view the sport itself with less credibility. As I say, I hope not.

    Would competitive cycling be more popular at a grass roots level if non cycling people didn't immediately think 'drugs' as soon as the sport is mentioned? I wouldn't like to make a call on that one.

    I've seen deserted high quality pitches and floodlit stadia built in the middle of the jungle with FIFA money, supposedly for local teams (that don't exist), and can only assume that this is one particular way of money laundering. Accused officials are going to try to spread the blame, it's not unlikely that they might try and filter this down the chain.

    With the FBI involved, I'm guessing it's also going to be high profile in the US, - there's a lot of investment going into trying to get more US kids interested in the game, and this isn't going to help.

    Let's hope it stays with the wrinkly old men.
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    I thought Soccer was already highly popular with US kids. It is the adult sector that is not doing too well. The schools and kids soccer is really popular. I think I once heard that is was actually one of the most popular school age sports in terms of people taking part. The only issue is it is a long way behind other more mainstream US sports like Basketball, football and baseball.

    In case you hadn't realized I wrote this with a north american slant to the language. That is football is soccer and American football is just football. The one thing that you will get from the FBI investigation is a much higher use of Soccer instead of football and it's foreign language versions (futbal, etc.). I still can't follow how a game involving a funny shape ball played with it mostly to hand can be called football but hey, that's America for you). :D
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,734
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    I thought Soccer was already highly popular with US kids. It is the adult sector that is not doing too well. The schools and kids soccer is really popular. I think I once heard that is was actually one of the most popular school age sports in terms of people taking part. The only issue is it is a long way behind other more mainstream US sports like Basketball, football and baseball.

    In case you hadn't realized I wrote this with a north american slant to the language. That is football is soccer and American football is just football. The one thing that you will get from the FBI investigation is a much higher use of Soccer instead of football and it's foreign language versions (futbal, etc.). I still can't follow how a game involving a funny shape ball played with it mostly to hand can be called football but hey, that's America for you). :D

    Err, rugby (football?)
    _
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    Very few people actually use the term rugby football it is usually called rugby union or rugby league. Even Aussie rules football includes more foot action.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,268
    Harry-S wrote:
    .

    I've seen deserted high quality pitches and floodlit stadia built in the middle of the jungle with FIFA money, supposedly for local teams (that don't exist), and can only assume that this is one particular way of money laundering. Accused officials are going to try to spread the blame, it's not unlikely that they might try and filter this down the chain.

    without going that far... the 1990 World cup in Italy yielded some "cathedrals" that were only full for one match in their 25 years history. San Nicola stadium in Bari is a 60,000 seater for a team that has never played a UEFA competition and it's often relegated to serie B.
    left the forum March 2023
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    Jack Warner has now decided to come clean - the house of cards is tumbling
    M.Rushton
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 12,692
    mrushton wrote:
    Jack Warner has now decided to come clean - the house of cards is tumbling

    Coming clean, he says in a paid for broadcast. Can't help himself can he?
  • laurentian
    laurentian Posts: 2,388
    It's pretty interesting (or telling) that Blatter didn't actually walk when making his "resignation" speech. I know he mentioned some FIFA constitutional reasons why this was not possible but I'm pretty sure if he'd wanted out he could have gone there and then. (Am I right in thinking he hasn't actually resigned just that he's promised to do so following an EGM scheduled for the back end of the year? . . . He also promised he wouldn't stand for this term)

    This leaves me thinking about a couple of scenarios:

    1) He has opted to stay in charge for as long as possible in order to conduct a significant covering of tracks that lead to him within FIFA (I wouldn't mind opening a document shredder supply business in Zurich right now)

    2) Given the 10 minute standing ovation he received whilst addressing FIFA staff yesterday, is there the possibility of a Faragesque turn around and that he will, after all this, remain as President for another term?

    3) He is using the time to study works on "How to Fake Senility" in readiness for the inevitable call to the dock
    Wilier Izoard XP
  • laurentian
    laurentian Posts: 2,388
    Edit for double post
    Wilier Izoard XP
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    laurentian wrote:
    I wouldn't mind opening a document shredder supply business in Zurich right now

    Just an idea but why don't the FBi get into it. That way they can shred the documents for them and take a copy. You know, one of those "secure" companies that will come to your site and shred you stuff there and then or take it away to shred. There's one round here which my old employer was considering at one point. They come round with a van containing a large scale industrial shredder and they do the shredding in front of you and then take the shredded files away for disposal. The employer chose to use a petrol can and a metal cage to burn the documents, saving money in the process.
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    The employer chose to use a petrol can and a metal cage to burn the documents, saving money in the process.
    Even better - save on the heating bill by doing it inside the office
  • gweeds
    gweeds Posts: 2,565
    John Delaney [Chief Executive of the Football Association of Ireland] confirms that FIFA paid FAI €5 million in 2009 after the Thierry Henry handball so they wouldn't proceed with a legal case.
    Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    More important than wringing out all the dodgy geezers, and finding out why the French and Spanish still voted for Blatter is...

    Scotland v Qatar tomorrow and I'm not sure who I want to win :)
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Gweeds wrote:
    John Delaney [Chief Executive of the Football Association of Ireland] confirms that FIFA paid FAI €5 million in 2009 after the Thierry Henry handball so they wouldn't proceed with a legal case.

    ...confirms that FIFA paid something, he hasn't confirmed the amount as he is under a non-disclosure agreement.
  • gweeds
    gweeds Posts: 2,565
    I'm guessing the chances of FIFA enforcing that NDA are pretty slim.
    Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,799
    Gweeds wrote:
    John Delaney [Chief Executive of the Football Association of Ireland] confirms that FIFA paid FAI €5 million in 2009 after the Thierry Henry handball so they wouldn't proceed with a legal case.
    I imagine that the Irish fans must hate FIFA, and be even angrier at FAI.
    The squad players must be livid.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,923
    Cornerblock wrote:
    briantrumpet wrote:
    Who's going to play Slap Better in the film?

    Already been made, Tim Roth. Although being a FIFA funded movie it was not an accurate portrayal. Surprise surprise!

    BARRY1-blog427.jpg
    I hope they paid well ;) - doesn't look like it's going to do his reputation much good...

    http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/ju ... -depardieu

    "So where did Fifa’s money go ? Considering that the film United Passions was principally bankrolled by the now-shamed sports organizsation, it isn’t unfair to say some of the dough must have ended up in the pockets of Tim Roth, Gérard Depardieu, Sam Neill and Fischer Stevens.

    "You could argue and say they’re only actors, and actors like to work, but they surely read the screenplay before they signed on. Even without the current headlines, United Passions is a disgrace. It’s less a movie than preposterous self-hagiography, more appropriate for Scientology or the Rev Sun Myung Moon. As cinema it is excrement. As proof of corporate insanity it is a valuable case study."
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    Can't see the difference between cyclists 'selling' a race and this. Cycling really is a microcosm for a lot of sport. Well they can reap the whirlwind, football/athletics whatever
    M.Rushton

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