FIFA corrupt? Who knew? Anybody else disappointed when it turned out that Sepp hadn’t been arrested, still hopefully there’s still time!
It doesn’t Blatter anymore
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Figo Your Own Way
FIFA corrupt?
When I heard the news, I just thought of that Far Side cartoon with the line “IS it true? Does a bear…., well I know you do, Angelo…”
Mr Teflon won’t be implicated, he’s far too clever for that
I’m afraid you are totally right, I mean he only in charge isn’t he?
Call me cynical, but I wouldn’t be 100% surprised if he has orchestrated the whole thing to get a few presidential rivals out of the way…
I’ll post it yet again, but only because it’s worth remembering.
I wonder if this is what it takes to provoke the feds into action…
I can’t remember where I copied this from, but whoever wrote it got it spot on!
I feel a bit sorry for the guys at FIFA. It’s really unfair the way that folk are criticising them because of the slightly chaotic situation surrounding the World Cup, which may (or may not) be played in Qatar in the summer (or winter) of 2022, or maybe even the tail end of 2021. When the tournament was first awarded to Qatar, nobody knew that in June and July, when the World Cup is usually (i.e. always) played, that that small country in the Persian Gulf gets very, very hot. The information about soaring temperatures was only made available once a crack team of scientists had looked it up on the internet. Once these scientists had produced a confidential report revealing that human beings can get ‘really quite uncomfortable’ at temperatures of 50 degrees centigrade, the guys at FIFA sprang into action and started floating the idea of a winter World Cup.
Another trifling point of criticism raised by some folk is that Qatar has no significant football culture, no previous experience of hosting big sporting events and, with a population of less than two million, is way too small to host a World Cup. But it is by no means unusual for FIFA to award the World Cup to tiny countries with no significant football culture and no previous experience of hosting big sporting events. France, Italy, Brazil and Germany are just a few examples that spring to mind.
Some conspiracy theorists have disgracefully tried to suggest that FIFA may have had ulterior motives for taking the World Cup to Qatar, the country with the highest per-capita GDP in the world. What these cynics don’t seem to understand is that FIFA is committed to spreading the gospel of the beautiful game around the globe, because football, as we all know, is a liberating agent of change. History has provided us with numerous examples of nations with slightly unsavoury regimes being transformed by having some millionaire footballers drop in to kick a ball around their country for a couple of weeks. One has to suspect that anyone who criticises FIFA for taking this tournament to the middle east is probably a racist or an Islamophobe, or both. The more decent and optimistic among us will hope that some kind of political and cultural transformation will take place in Qatar once it hosts the 2022 tournament. Sources close to FIFA have privately expressed the view that, within a few years of hosting the World Cup, the country may well elect its first gay or female prime-minister. Well … maybe not a gay one. Or a female. Or an elected one. But the hope is in our hearts.
Amidst all of these nit-picking criticisms, the conspiracy theorists have overlooked perhaps the most important factor of all. What they just don’t seem to get is that, when the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup started, the competing bids from Australia, USA and Japan had already put themselves at a severe disadvantage. In their misguided enthusiasm, they had foolishly pinned their hopes on having ‘tournament-ready’ infrastructures, incorporating completed stadia, roads, trains, hotels, communication centres etc. It was arrogant of them, or at least incredibly naïve, to go against one of FIFA’s core objectives: namely, to generate as many opportunities as possible to negotiate lucrative contracts for building stadia, hotels, rail-links, roads and communication centres. This is clearly the basis on which tournaments are awarded by the entirely above-board-and-in-no-way corrupt FIFA delegates. When the tournament is awarded to a country that has to invest billions in infrastructure, the beautiful game benefits through all of the lucrative contracts that have to be negotiated with the huge companies that build stadia, hotels, rail-links, roads and communication centres. We are lucky that this process is always entirely transparent and completely above board; there is absolutely no chance that any unscrupulous contractor could tempt any FIFA delegate with kick-backs, bribes or large sums of money deposited in offshore bank accounts. Ten minutes worth of research on the internet will assure you that FIFA has a squeaky-clean track record in this department.
So please, let’s give FIFA a break. It has a proud and unblemished track record of looking after the interests of the beautiful game. Anyone who suggests that any of its delegates were driven by self-interest is a deluded conspiracy theorist or (see above) a racist. When the World Cup goes to Qatar, the country with the highest per-capita GDP in the world, it may just find its spiritual home.
I would be really interested to know whether there is a single non-FIFA affiliated person on this planet who genuinely believes that FIFA is not utterly corrupt. I certainly don’t think I’ve ever met one.
So that 30.8% either do have confidence or don’t know!
Bloody hell! Where was that poll taken?
In the interests of balance, I would LOVE to hear from someone (anyone) who has confidence in FIFA.
Bear in mind that there’s a huge gulf between no confidence and full confidence. I’m confident that, if they put their minds to it (which they will), they will organise another multi-million pound, (OK.. dollar!) multi lingual extravaganza with competitors, businesses and visitors from many countries. It’s quite a feat. I have zero confidence in them achieving that without oiling a few palms and it probably takes a thief to bribe a thief!
In that hotel in Switzerland!
Here is a comment on FIFA’s website
“We are pleased to see that the investigation is being energetically pursued for the good of football and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken.”
The rest of the statement makes out that the Swiss Police action is happening as a mere continuation of a FIFA-led initiative. Yes, exactly the kind of weasely shit-my-pants, not-me-officer- kind of statement you’d expect. I’d be OK with England leaving FIFA. Fuck them.
The FA haven’t got the stones to pull out. They’d have done so long ago, otherwise.
Notable consequences in the event they grew a conscience would be as follows:
* No participation by the national side in World Cups and European Championships. Loss of most of the lucrative sponsorship deals which are increasingly the raison d’etre of FA.
* No champions league games for English club sides. Club revenues falling accordingly.
* Probable exodus of “talent” from the English game.
* Probable attempt by the Premier League clubs to break from the FA and go it alone without them.
The FA have shown repeatedly over the last 20-30 years that they are utterly bollockless when it comes to standing up to the rich and powerful, particularly the Premier League clubs. There is zero chance of them taking bold action here.
They’ll sit and wait to see how this plays out, and the end game could well be several years away. While they like to pretend otherwise, they’re on this particular gravy train too.
Can’t see why clubs should be affected. European competitions are run by UEFA, not FIFA, and UEFA hold FIFA in just as much contempt as the rest of us.
UEFA is one of the six continental federations of FIFA. It’s a regional branch, much like CONCACAF.
You can’t leave FIFA without also leaving UEFA, meaning no champs league participation.
Anything’s possible, Bingo.
True. The last 24 hours certainly support that statement!
The Olympic organisation is a similar law unto itself as FIFA. Another Augean Stable which needs sluicing out.
Build a permanent Olympic Winter and Summer venue somewhere in the world, and run them in such a way that doesn’t involve building white-elephant facilities all over the world. Use them as international training facilities, using revenue derived to boost athletics in countries involved.
To be fair they sorted themselves in the last few years, not perfect by any means but a lot better than FIFA.
I’ve dealt with the IOC professionally. They’re far, far, far better than FIFA. A lot of their historic issues seem to have been ironed out now.
Re: permanent Olympic Winter and Summer venues. I’ve been thinking the very same thing for years! Except for the winter bit. I forgot about the winter Olympics.
Surely it could be put to good use in the 3 and a bit years that it isn’t being used?
Well well. From what I heard briefly this morning, it seems that the arrests thus far have nothing to do with either Qatar or Russia, but to wider ranging issues to do with the sponsors and bribes. Even if Blatter is not directly incriminated I fail to see how he claim ignorance about this given his position. Much of what he has said in the past has been laughable and he has ridden out the storm but in this instance, how could he ? It would be a start to have a major clean up of this organisation which preaches about ethics, fair play, and anti racism but I’m not holding out too much hope. When I heard this, I thought about those poor benighted souls who are working out in Quatar and those who have died. Wouldn’t it be something to see the living be treated with basic decency and a little extra and for the families to be recompensed ?
It would be typical Blatter to be somewhere behind the arrests in order to weed out troublesome opposition for the FIFA Presidential ballot later this week.
Of course that could all be bollocks but it’s amazing how no shit ever sticks to him despite FIFA’s reputation.
Those arrested are amongst Blatter’s closest cronies. Unfortunately, the creep himself is as teflon as Ronald Reagan.
Has Harry Redknapp or his dog Rosie been implicated yet?
Just heard a spokesman say that the election will go ahead because these issues aren’t connected.
Modern day politics……deny absolutely everything.
I was half expecting him to put his fingers in his ears and say ‘La la la la can’t hear’.
Blatter is a wily old fox & he will not face anything that could prevent his imminent re – election.
The corrupt old bastard is made of fucking Teflon. When he is re – elected, he will be running the show to pick the 2026 hosts & the whole bunfight will start all over again.
Thanks, Neil – the thing you quoted above was from a blog I wrote a while ago. It was probably posted on the old site.
It will be interesting to see if this investigation makes any difference at all. I won’t be holding my breath.
It’s a brilliant response to the (then) situation @raymond, and it still says a lot about FIFA a couple of years on, sorry I forgot where it was from.
My only hope is that the U.S is behind all this, they tend to take things seriously and are a lot more rigorous in their evidence gathering & prosecutions (I base this on the way they have prosecuted and fined banks). Even allowing for FIFA’s utter shamelessness in making a press statement to the effect that they welcomed this, I think it would be utterly incredible for Blatter to remain. This is man who has operational control of FIFA and this is more than underlings fiddling expenses. He cannot credibly claim ignorance. At the very least he has allowed it go on even if he hasn’t profited directly (he doesn’t need to). There is also the chance that those arrested might just start talking; I’m thinking Gene Hackman making that comment about rattlesnakes in Missisippi Burning. FIFA has so corrupted the game for years that someone has to take the lead on this and get rid of or clean up this tawdry organisation.
Do not ever, ever, fuck about with the U.S. on corruption. Especially if you aren’t an American company.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act will ruin your day.
I’m hoping this all ends in the headline ‘Blatter battered’.
Followed by a report of his drinking spree – “Blatter Bladdered”
Followed by a reminder of footballing first principles – “Bladder Battered”
Platini has told Blatter “as a friend” that he needs to go.
If elected, UEFA plan to hold an extraordinary general meeting on the night of the Champions League final. Someone asks: “to withdraw from FIFA?” Platini responds “all possibilities will be discussed”.