FIFA hit with new bribery scandal

[jose melendez]

Soccer's governing body was hit with new corruption allegations Tuesday when six FIFA executive committee members were accused of receiving or demanding bribes during bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and Jacques Anouma of Ivory Coast were allegedly paid $1.5 million to vote for Qatar, according to evidence submitted to a British parliamentary inquiry by the Sunday Times newspaper.

Well, this explains a lot.

 

[Zomp]

...people didn't know this? The Qatar football federation walked around the site of the World Cup announcement like they owned the place.




They did.

 

[Toe Nash]

No one is surprised. Unfortunately, even if the allegations are proven true, it doesn't seem like the 2018 site could change at this point.

 

[Vinho Tinto]

No one is surprised. Unfortunately, even if the allegations are proven true, it doesn't seem like the 2018 site could change at this point.

Zero chance of that happening.

FIFA reaps what it sews. It has been viewed as bought and paid for decades. Not enough light can be shined on this IMO.

 

[JayMags71]

 

[jose melendez]

The best part is the Qatari chief is up to be the next FIFA head. I'd like to be on a high horse but, you know, Atlanta 96 and so on.

 

[trekfan55]

No one is surprised. Unfortunately, even if the allegations are proven true, it doesn't seem like the 2018 site could change at this point.

Well 2018 is Russia, not sure if that one was tainted as well.

2022 is in Qatar. I agree that there is zero chance of it changing, but the more controversy the better, IMO. I think it was one of the stupidest decisions ever to hold the WC in Qatar.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

The best part is the Qatari chief is up to be the next FIFA head. I'd like to be on a high horse but, you know, Atlanta 96 and so on.

This is great, I can't decide between hoping Blatter gets reelected (the devil you know), hoping the Qatari guy gets it (things can't get any worse, right?), and assuming it doesn't matter since corruption is corruption and these guys are buddies anyway. I guess I just have to hope for Seal Team 6.

 

[triniSox]

Corruption in FIFA is nothing new - it's been going on for 20+ years. Everyone in power or almost everyone has gotten there by accepting bribes, bribing people, cutting deals. They all take turns taking the heat and maybe someone will get pinched here and there, but by and large the entire body is corrupt and without massive overhaul will never be clean.

The US has just been exposed to it with the 2022 fiasco. I'm from Trinidad, where CONCACAF head Jack Warner is from, and I've witnessed many of his FIFA scams and scandals for 20 years now.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

Yeah I didn't realize that criminal was just reelected after running unopposed. Great system for sure.

 

[filthywater49]

Grant Wahl's article about his experience running for FIFA President. Gives an interesting look into the internal politics of FIFA. No bombshells or anything, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[jose melendez]

Grant Wahl's article about his experience running for FIFA President. Gives an interesting look into the internal politics of FIFA. No bombshells or anything, but interesting nonetheless.

That's a fantastic story. Entertaining while really illustrating the corruption in the system.

 

[Spacemans Bong]

Nothing will really change as long as running a football federation is basically a patronage/way to steal public money job in a lot of countries and FIFA has one country, one vote.

The USA and UEFA are relatively clean institutions (certainly not perfect, but noticeably less corrupt than, say, South America or Africa) and maybe they try to pull rank and say we are the source of lots of your money, we want a bigger say, but even then Asia and Argentina/Brazil are as corrupt as the rest of the lot, so what's the point?

Edit: Also difficult to mesh with the butthurtness England feels over losing the 2018 bid. The FA were totally up for playing the game until they lost, then it became "those corrupt bastards!".

 

[Vinho Tinto]

Interesting

Sepp Blatter has refused to rule out rerunning the vote for the right to host the 2022 World Cup amid allegations of bribery against the Qatar bid.

Of course, more than anything, this is a political game between Blatter and Mohamed bin Hammam. Still interested to see if it picks up some steam.

 

[tulse_luper]

Edit: Also difficult to mesh with the butthurtness England feels over losing the 2018 bid. The FA were totally up for playing the game until they lost, then it became "those corrupt bastards!".

Exactly. It's embarrassing to watch. Anson was dismissing it all prior to the vote, saying he wouldn't be watching the Panorama documentary as it was all baseless and he had "better things to do", good old Sepp was his bestest mate etc. Yet now they're all running for the moral highground. Arseholes.

 

[triniSox]

Another good article painting a rough picture of the world of FIFA politics: http://www.guardian....pp-blatter-fifa

Whatever his part in Fifa's undeniable business success, Blatter's own rise has seemed inexorable. Having started out as its general secretary in 1981, he became chief executive in 1990 before his elevation to president in 1998. Over this time he has been able to take personal credit for an extraordinary uplift in Fifa's revenues. In 2005 Fifa declared total income of $664.7m (£406m). By 2009, the equivalent stage of the next quadrennial World Cup cycle, that figure had climbed to more than $1bn. The practical effect of this wealth creation has been for Fifa to dispense $794m in "development-related expenses" in the four-year period between the 2006 Germany and 2010 South Africa World Cups.

This has created a lot of grateful football associations around the world, all of whom have the opportunity to express their gratitude with votes in presidential elections. Some have more cause to be grateful than others. Fifa's light-touch monitoring of how associations spend the riches it generates is another area that serves an ambitious football politician well, for there are few oversight procedures for how the development funds are spent by the ultimate recipients.

 

[RedSoxandBlueStripes]

Edit: Also difficult to mesh with the butthurtness England feels over losing the 2018 bid. The FA were totally up for playing the game until they lost, then it became "those corrupt bastards!".

'The FA' rather than 'England.' The reaction of most English people was 'meh.' Russia was at least a defensible choice. Most people's incredulity was directed at Qatar over the US/Australia.

 

[Spacemans Bong]

'The FA' rather than 'England.' The reaction of most English people was 'meh.' Russia was at least a defensible choice. Most people's incredulity was directed at Qatar over the US/Australia.

I think a lot of people in England and not just those in Soho Square or the media thought England was an obvious World Cup choice. I guess most people had it in the back of their minds that the FA would find a way to fuck it up somehow, but the FA/media's line of "We're England, we really like football (in fact, we invented it!), give us a World Cup" is parroted by a lot of people.

 

[DLew On Roids]

It's worth noting that there's a difference between playing politics, which England was clearly in for, and outright buying of votes.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Mohamed Bin Hammam of Qatar withdrew his candidacy for the post of FIFA president on Saturday, one day before he is due to face an Ethics Committee hearing into bribery allegations.
...
"I set out my goals and ambitions clearly -- to further the cause of democracy within FIFA -- through a commitment to transparency and accountability; through a commitment to expand the number of officials and nations involved in decision-making processes.

"In addition to this, I wanted to spark a debate about change in FIFA. For the good of football, I wanted the future to be bright for our world's governing body and for it to adapt to the ever-changing world we live in today.

"However, recent events have left me hurt and disappointed -- on a professional and personal level.

"It saddens me that standing up for the causes that I believed in has come at a great price -- the degradation of FIFA's reputation. This is not what I had in mind for FIFA and this is unacceptable.

"I cannot allow the name that I loved to be dragged more and more in the mud because of competition between two individuals.

"The game itself and the people who love it around the world must come first.

"It is for this reason that I announce my withdrawal from the presidential election.
...
"I pray that my withdrawal will not be tied to the investigation held by the FIFA Ethics Committee as I will appear before the Ethics Committee to clear my name from the baseless allegations that have been made against me."

He continued: "I promise those who stood by me that I will walk with my head held high and will continue to fight for the good of the game.

"I would like to offer my thanks and appreciation to all Member Associations and individuals who supported me. I hope that they will not receive my decision with disappointment and frustration.

"I have a special thank you to my friend and colleague Jack Warner for his unlimited support. I am sorry to see that he has to suffer because of me, but I am promising him that I will be with him all the way through thick and thin.

LINK

 

[Infield Infidel]

nm, harry beat me too it.

It's doubtful, but if there is fire in the Blatter investigation smoke, maybe another election in the near future?

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Great, so instead of a choice between 2 corrupt guys, it's now a walkover for 1 corrupt guy.

FIFA is a joke.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Warner and bin Hammam both get whacked:

FIFA suspended two executive committee members Sunday amid allegations they bribed voters in the presidential election campaign. Soccer's governing body also cleared FIFA President Sepp Blatter of ignoring the alleged bribes.

The decisions pave the way for Blatter to be re-elected unopposed to a fourth term Wednesday despite the gravest corruption crisis in FIFA history.

Mohamed bin Hammam, a Qatari who leads Asia's soccer confederation, and Jack Warner, a FIFA vice president from Trinidad, will now face a full FIFA inquiry, the soccer body said. If found guilty, they could be expelled from FIFA and banned from all soccer activity. Bin Hammam withdrew as a candidate earlier Sunday.

The ethics commission said there was sufficient evidence to further investigate allegations that bin Hammam and Warner offered $40,000 bribes to delegates at a Caribbean soccer association meeting May 10-11 in Trinidad.

The payments were allegedly made to secure votes for bin Hammam in his campaign to unseat Blatter as the head of FIFA. The evidence was submitted to the governing body by American executive committee member Chuck Blazer.

"We are satisfied that there is a case to be answered," Petrus Damaseb, deputy chairman of the ethics committee, said at a news conference.

LINK

 

[triniSox]

Jack (Warner) will be back. He always seems to slip away from any real punishment. I'd be pretty surprised if he is actually expelled from FIFA - he has too much dirt on everyone else to get whacked for real.

 

[CaptainLaddie]

Man, I'd love to see them re-run the vote for 2022. I don't know enough about this though -- is there a real chance?

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Short of someone coming forward with video of Qatari representatives handing sacks with dollar signs printed on them to FIFA voters on the day of the election, I don't see any way they re-vote.

 

[Infield Infidel]

Jack (Warner) will be back. He always seems to slip away from any real punishment. I'd be pretty surprised if he is actually expelled from FIFA - he has too much dirt on everyone else to get whacked for real.

It's only a temporary suspension, but Warner's already letting the dirt fly

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has confirmed he sent suspended vice-president Jack Warner an email stating the 2022 World Cup in Qatar had been "bought".

The email read: "For MBH [Bin Hammam], I never understood why he was running. If really he thought he had a chance or just being an extreme way to express how much he does not like anymore JSB [Blatter]. Or he thought you can buy FIFA as they bought the WC."

Valcke, speaking from Zurich, has now confirmed that the email was genuine but said that its contents were private.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/924566/fifa-secretary-general-jerome-valcke-confirms-jack-warner-email?cc=4716

I am loving this.

 

[JayMags71]

Sepp "Nothing to see here! Please disperse!"

 

[Vinho Tinto]

Coca-Cola joins Adidas in voicing concerns in sponsoring FIFA

 

[Infield Infidel]

PIC!!! (This is getting sooooooo good)

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/924662/pictorial-evidence-of-fifa-%27bribe-money%27-emerges?cc=4716

This is a picture of the money that a Caribbean football official says he was offered following a presentation by FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam. The money, as the picture clearly shows, was delivered in a brown envelope with the name of the Bahamas FA on it. Inside the envelope was US $40,000 in crisp, new $100 bills - four packs each of $10,000.

For many officials from the Caribbean's smaller islands, this would be the equivalent of several years' salary.

The date was May 10, the place the Hyatt Regency hotel in Trinidad where the members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) had been invited to a special meeting to listen to FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam present his manifesto.

Afterwards, the 25 associations - whose flights and hotel costs for two officials each were being covered by Bin Hammam - were asked to attend a conference room to pick up "a gift", according to an affidavit sent to FIFA's ethics committee.

Fred Lunn, the vice-president of the Bahamas FA, was one of the first to go up to the room where he was handed a large brown envelope. When he opened it "stacks of $100 fell out and on to the table. I was stunned to see this cash", he said in an affidavit which was presented to FIFA's ethics committee on Sunday.

Copies of these text messages were also sent to the ethics committee which suspended Bin Hammam and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner on Sunday pending a full inquiry. CFU officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester have also been suspended.

Sealey then called Lunn and told him "under no circumstances would the Bahamas FA accept such a cash gift" and that he should return the $40,000.

Lunn took a picture of the money before he replaced it in the envelope, and when he returned to the conference room to hand it back he had to wait while other officials queued to go in.

He texted Sealey saying "a lot of the boys taking the cash, this is sad given the breaking news on the TV CNN ... I'm truly surprise its happening at this conference" [sic].

In London that day, allegations that Qatar's bid team for the 2022 World Cup had paid bribes for votes had been made in Parliament.

Sealey replied by text saying: "I'm disappointed but not surprised. It is important that [we] maintain our integrity when the story is told. That money will not make or break our association. You can leave with your head high."

 

[Infield Infidel]

just a bit more from the same piece

The travel expenses for the Caribbean officials came to $360,000, according to a statement from Bin Hammam. A separate affidavit sent to FIFA's ethics committee said the travel and hotel accommodation was arranged through Simpaul Travel, a firm previously linked to the family of FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.

A report to FIFA's ethics committee by American lawyer John Collins named Sonia Bien-Aime, the secretary general of the Turks and Caicos Islands FA, as having confirmed Simpaul organised the travel and accommodation.

The report states: "Ms. Bien-Aime stated that the airline ticket she received to attend the meeting had been sent by Simpaul Travel in Trinidad.''

Simpaul Travel was investigated by FIFA after it was revealed that 2006 World Cup tickets were channelled through the company.

 

[triniSox]

Simpaul Travel was investigated by FIFA after it was revealed that 2006 World Cup tickets were channelled through the company.

Just to add my perspective as a Trinidadian: it is well-known in Trinidad that Jack Warner's son owns Simpaul Travel regardless of whose name is officially listed as owner. Finally, the ethics committee has decided not to turn a blind eye to the 2006 travel scam.

Stuff is getting real pretty fast. At this rate, we're going to probably soon find out about widescale FIFA election corruption, ticket scams, awarding of hosting venues for youth World Cups and also possibly influencing of game results including WC qualifying and WC games.

 

[JayMags71]

PIC!!! (This is getting sooooooo good)

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/924662/pictorial-evidence-of-fifa-%27bribe-money%27-emerges?cc=4716

While this is certainly juicy and news-worthy, what is the likelihood this leads to real reform?

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

While this is certainly juicy and news-worthy, what is the likelihood this leads to real reform?

I guess that depends how deep the rabbit hole goes and how far the investigators are willing to follow the trail. Thus far it appears the crooks could learn a thing or two from David Stern. I'm excitedly skeptical.

 

[Seen The Light]

This might be my favorite part of one of the myriad articles on the FIFA corruption:

Meanwhile, Blazer has warned all Caribbean associations to pay back any cash they received during the controversial meeting in Trinidad, where Fifa Executive Committee members Mohamed Bin Hammam and Warner allegedly arranged for $1 million (£600,000) in bribes to be offered to 25 Caribbean associations.

Five such associations have revealed that they rejected the offers of individual payments, while 13 others have written statements supporting Warner’s denial that any such offers were made, according to The Telegraph.

So 5 admitted that an offer was made, and 13, along with the guy alleged to have made the offer, denied that an offer was made. I wonder which side is telling the truth.

And now, CONCACAF apparently wants to blame the messenger:

Link

 

[DLew On Roids]

This may become your new favorite: Jack Warner's open letter to the CFU.

Most entertaining is that it reads like a Nigerian email scam: "I, Jack Warner, a servant and believer in the principles of this beautiful game do humbly besiege you, my brothers and sisters from the Caribbean Football Union to desist from initiating any protest action at tomorrow's Fifa congress."

Not beseech..besiege.

 

[jose melendez]

So FIFA's position is that we have an epidemic of people providing evidence of corruption?

Jesus. I mean they literally have a photo of the money. That's got to amount to something doesn't it?

Of course, not in international sports world. I say this jokingly about the NBA, but I mean it here. This is literally only a step above wrestling.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

This one is pretty good, too: CONMEBOL president wanted FA Cup renamed in his honor.

So, in order to get South American support for the English 2018 World Cup bid, the FA was supposed to rename their national competition's trophy after a guy from Paraguay?

 

[DLew On Roids]

Nicolás Leoz came up on last weekend's World Football Phone-In. Tim Vickery described him as a very quiet man who stays out of the limelight. When he isn't asking for the FA Cup to be named for him, I guess.

This gets better and better. Now Warner's stand-in is trying to can Blazer.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Financial Times:

The biggest pressure was brought to bear from the World Cup sponsors. Four of the biggest sponsors – Coca-Cola, Adidas, Visa and Emirates Airlines – have now gone public, calling on Fifa to act swiftly to restore its damaged reputation in the face of the bribery allegations that have sparked an internecine struggle between the governing body’s most powerful figures.

Meanwhile, the English and Scottish Football Associations began lobbying others in Zurich to support their appeal for the presidential election, to be held on Wednesday, to be halted.

This position was also backed by Prince William, who is the president of the FA. A statement from St James’ Palace said the prince “is fully supportive of the chairman and the initiatives the FA has recommended. He considers the transparency of the international governing body to be integral to the good governance of the game.”

Although it has little chance of success, it could at the very least offer some associations a way of expressing their dissatisfaction at the turn of events and the president’s handling of them.

The European Commission, which has a say in how Fifa’s European TV rights are awarded, also made clear its displeasure in a thinly veiled attack on Mr Blatter.

Androulla Vassiliou, the commissioner responsible for sport, said: “The situation at Fifa is a concern for many of us and I have confidence that the current issues will be thoroughly investigated and resolved as soon as possible.

“Football and sport in general need good leadership and governance, above suspicion and firmly rooted in accountability and transparency.”

Mr Blatter, in a sombre address to the 208-member Congress, said: “”I thought that we were living in a world of fair play, respect and discipline ... I must unfortunately say this is not the case.

“Because our pyramid, our famous Fifa pyramid, is unsure of its base and there is a danger. So tomorrow at the congress, I will speak of this danger that is there lurking and how we can react against this threat of danger so that our sport can play its role in bringing people together.”

 

[johnmd20]

Yahoo! Could US be back in running for 2022

The United States put up a strong challenge to host the 2022 tournament, reaching the final round of voting before Qatar prevailed 14-8. If a revote was ordered, the American federation would be a strong favorite, with Australia its primary challenger. The political shenanigans have naturally gained far greater media coverage in countries other than the United States, where soccer is more ingrained in the public psyche. But if the sport's hour of darkness shakes out into a satisfactory conclusion, there may be no bigger winner than the United States.

 

[Seen The Light]

You couldn't even write this story if you tried. The acting CONCACAF President who tried to fire the Whistleblower whose actions led to the banning of the prior CONCACAF President gets himself fired by the Executive Committee. And now Sepp Blatter wants Placido Freaking Domingo to sit on a reform committee with Cruyff and Henry Kissinger. International bureaucracy at its finest.

 

[mgoblue2]

Sepp Blatter has refused to rule out rerunning the vote for the right to host the 2022 World Cup amid allegations of bribery against the Qatar bid.

Who wins if they rerun the vote without (read: no change) the bribes? The US was second.

However,

Re-elected Fifa president Sepp Blatter will not initiate an investigation into Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

This throws a wrench into that.

So now we're in never-never land.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Jack Warner has resigned, and FIFA has dropped the bribery investigation against him.

Looks like he decided to try and salvage his political career in T&T by making sure nothing was exposed in this investigation.

 

[jose melendez]

Nice run down on the history of FIFA corruption in grantland.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Someone hacked Sepp's and the FIFA World Cup twitter feeds, sending out a bunch of tweets as if they were admitting the Qataris bought the World Cup.
 
http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/april/someone-beautifully-hacked-sepp-blatter-and-fifa-s-world-cup-twitter-pages.html
 
I bet Sepp's password was "password".

 

[mascho]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6iW-8xPw3k

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Jack Warner has resigned, and FIFA has dropped the bribery investigation against him.

Looks like he decided to try and salvage his political career in T&T by making sure nothing was exposed in this investigation.

FBI now on the case?
 

A senior Fifa official and his family were paid almost $2 million (£1.2m) from a Qatari firm linked to the country’s successful bid for the 2022 World Cup, The Telegraph can disclose.
 Jack Warner, the former vice-president of Fifa, appears to have been personally paid $1.2 million (£720,000) from a company controlled by a former Qatari football official shortly after the decision to award the country the tournament.
 
Payments totalling almost $750,000 (£450,000) were made to Mr Warner’s sons, documents show. A further $400,000 (£240,000) was paid to one of his employees.

It is understood that the FBI is now investigating Trinidad-based Mr Warner and his alleged links to the Qatari bid, and that the former Fifa official’s eldest son, who lives in Miami, has been helping the inquiry as a co-operating witness.
 
The awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was one of the most controversial decisions in sporting history. The intense summer heat in the desert nation has raised the prospect of the tournament being moved to the winter for the first time.

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

Bill Archer makes a fairly convincing argument that this payoff to Warner was in return for his support for Bin Hammam's bid for the presidency of FIFA.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Bill Archer makes a fairly convincing argument that this payoff to Warner was in return for his support for Bin Hammam's bid for the presidency of FIFA.

 
I love that the corruption is not in doubt, its just the question of what influence was bought and sold.
 
If it is indeed the Bin Hammam bid for the FIFA presidency that is being investigated then dollars to donuts one of the FBI's key informants is an elderly gentleman from Switzerland.