Fifa officials arrested

Menas

Great to see the US and Swiss authorities finally looking in to the ongoing corruption at FIFA and doing something about it.
From five star hotels to Orange Jump suits....big change in environment for these lads.

Perhaps this will finally get Fifa cleaned up. If only Blatter was amongst those arrested.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32895048

irishgeo

Whisky Mac wrote: »

Great to see the US and Swiss authorities finally looking in to the ongoing corruption at FIFA and doing something about it.
From five star hotels to Orange Jump suits....big change in environment for these lads.

Perhaps this will finally get Fifa cleaned up. If only Blatter was amongst those arrested.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32895048

The USA as well a country not afraid to prosecute and jail white collar crime criminals. If it was Ireland prosecuting it would be a slap on the wrist.

jungleman

Problem is, it's too near the vote to have any real impact. Blatter has the African and Caribbean votes in his pocket.

All above board and completely transparent, I'm sure...:rolleyes:

Banjo String

Never liked them since that prick blatter mocked us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHUiEUa0weY

RobbingBandit

Blatter getting rid of the guys that won't give him their vote perhaps.

Streetwalker

Blatter has brought so much good to the game of football really hope he's not involved in this IF it's true. FIFA as an organisation has upset a lot of powerful nations by passing them over for world cups in favour of spreading the game to other less fortunate parts of the world (the UK in particular have a bee in their bonnet over getting humiliated last time out) and one wonders if it's payback time.

whiskeyman

Streetwalker wrote: »

Blatter has brought so much good to the game of football really hope he's not involved in this IF it's true. FIFA as an organisation has upset a lot of powerful nations by passing them over for world cups in favour of spreading the game to other less fortunate parts of the world (the UK in particular have a bee in their bonnet over getting humiliated last time out) and one wonders if it's payback time.

Hi Sepp

Streetwalker

Banjo String wrote: »

Never liked them since that prick blatter mocked us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHUiEUa0weY

He was right to mock us in fairness.

The King of Moo

Streetwalker wrote: »

Blatter has brought so much good to the game of football really hope he's not involved in this IF it's true. FIFA as an organisation has upset a lot of powerful nations by passing them over for world cups in favour of spreading the game to other less fortunate parts of the world (the UK in particular have a bee in their bonnet over getting humiliated last time out) and one wonders if it's payback time.

All those slaves working on the stadiums in Qatar must be delighted for the work.

Until they're killed in an accident.

The_Valeyard

FIFA is probably one of the most corrupt organisations on the planet.

jungleman

Streetwalker wrote: »

Blatter has brought so much good to the game of football really hope he's not involved in this IF it's true. FIFA as an organisation has upset a lot of powerful nations by passing them over for world cups in favour of spreading the game to other less fortunate parts of the world (the UK in particular have a bee in their bonnet over getting humiliated last time out) and one wonders if it's payback time.

Yeah it's great that he handed the World Cup on a plate to Qatar for 2022. Nice to see him helping out such an impoverished country with such a fantastic footballing heritage. I'm really looking forward to seeing the famous Ahmed Abdul Maqsoud and Ismaeel Mohammad strut their stuff on the world stage.

darkpagandeath

The_Valeyard wrote: »

FIFA is probably one of the most corrupt organisations on the planet.

What about F1 ?

The_Valeyard

darkpagandeath wrote: »

What about F1 ?

They are number three on my list.

Nodin

The_Valeyard wrote: »

FIFA is probably one of the most corrupt organisations on the planet.

Apparently the ex-head of the North American association has been working with the FBI for years now....wore a wire etc.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/27/fifa-corruption-arrests-key-questions-answered

Fratton Fred

What a surprise, Jack Warner is one of those arrested.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/fifa-executive-in-world-cup-ticket-scandal-523359.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10704290/Qatar-World-Cup-2022-investigation-former-Fifa-vice-president-Jack-Warner-and-family-paid-millions.html

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2010/sep/19/unpaid-trinidadian-world-cup-fifa

Frynge

The_Valeyard wrote: »

They are number three on my list.

Ah go on! What's number two?

BBDBB

Finally!

The sad thing is that it's taken so long to take action and it's unlikely to ever really see adequate punishment.

Either way it will take ages, the lawyers will get richer and the game will suffer most

mickydoomsux

Lol at a ****ing game being taken so seriously.

We live in a weird world.

awec

FIFA is one of the most corrupt organisations on the planet. About time something was done about it.

Cienciano

Banjo String wrote: »

Never liked them since that prick blatter mocked us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHUiEUa0weY

He didn't mock us. He mocked that embarrassment of a man, John Delaney who deserved every second of it.

mickydoomsux

awec wrote: »

FIFA is one of the most corrupt organisations on the planet. About time something was done about it.

Corruption?

Want to talk about corruption?

You wouldn't believe the things that go on in the backrooms of the International Tiddly-Winks Association.

Frynge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlJEt2KU33I

The_Valeyard

Frynge wrote: »

Ah go on! What's number two?

Cycling.


Boxing is in fourth.

wilhelm roentgen

jungleman wrote: »

Yeah it's great that he handed the World Cup on a plate to Qatar for 2022. Nice to see him helping out such an impoverished country with such a fantastic footballing heritage. I'm really looking forward to seeing the famous Ahmed Abdul Maqsoud and Ismaeel Mohammad strut their stuff on the world stage.

'So Sepp, who is your favourite Qatar player?'


'Errrrrrrr...........................Eric Clapton'

Streetwalker

jungleman wrote: »

Yeah it's great that he handed the World Cup on a plate to Qatar for 2022. Nice to see him helping out such an impoverished country with such a fantastic footballing heritage. I'm really looking forward to seeing the famous Ahmed Abdul Maqsoud and Ismaeel Mohammad strut their stuff on the world stage.

It's about growing the game internationally. Some people believe the world cup should revolve around England, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Germany etc.. but Blatter has attempted to bring the game to an international audience, he should be applauded for this imo. A true visionary.

awec

Streetwalker wrote: »

It's about growing the game internationally. Some people believe the world cup should revolve around England, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Germany etc.. but Blatter has attempted to bring the game to an international audience, he should be applauded for this imo. A true visionary.

You can't be that naive surely. :pac:

Gyalist

Fratton Fred wrote: »

What a surprise, Jack Warner is one of those arrested.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/fifa-executive-in-world-cup-ticket-scandal-523359.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10704290/Qatar-World-Cup-2022-investigation-former-Fifa-vice-president-Jack-Warner-and-family-paid-millions.html

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2010/sep/19/unpaid-trinidadian-world-cup-fifa

Untrue, unless he has suddenly developed the ability to be in two places at the same time. Here he is in Port-of-Spain yesterday.

It seems that he has been indicted not arrested.

foxtrot101

FIFA's response on their website.

FIFA welcomes actions that can help contribute to rooting out any wrongdoing in football. We understand that today’s actions by the Swiss Federal Office of Justice on behalf of the US authorities and the Swiss Office of the Attorney General (initiated by FIFA through the submission of the file on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process) relate to different matters.

Firstly, the arrest of six individuals this morning in Zurich concerns investigations by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of the State of New York. The Swiss authorities, acting on behalf of their US counterparts, arrested the individuals for activities carried out in relation with CONCACAF and CONMEBOL business.

The second instance follows FIFA’s initiative of presenting the file on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™ bidding process to the Swiss Office of the Attorney General in November 2014. The authorities are taking the opportunity of the FIFA Congress to interview those FIFA Executive Committee members who are not Swiss residents who voted back in 2010 and are still in office.

Today, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General announced that it has opened criminal proceedings against persons unknown in relation to the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™ bidding process. FIFA is fully cooperating with the investigation and is supporting the collection of evidence in this regard. As noted by the Swiss authorities, this collection of evidence is being carried out on a cooperative basis.

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.



http://www.fifa.com/governance/news/y=2015/m=5/news=fifa-is-fully-cooperating-as-injured-party-in-the-actions-by-swiss-aut-2609130.html

:rolleyes:

Egginacup

Whisky Mac wrote: »

Great to see the US and Swiss authorities finally looking in to the ongoing corruption at FIFA and doing something about it.
From five star hotels to Orange Jump suits....big change in environment for these lads.

Perhaps this will finally get Fifa cleaned up. If only Blatter was amongst those arrested.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32895048

Do you see any Wall Street hucksters in leg-irons? Course not. That's only for the gauche.

Menas

foxtrot101 wrote: »

FIFA's response on their website.

:rolleyes:

It is beyond laughable!
All those arrested are in the layer below Blatter and relate to corruption charges over the last 20 years. The period that Blatter has been in charge for.
But he will not resign and indeed, is up for re-election this friday...and likely to win by a landslide.
Boils my blood I tells ya!

Fratton Fred

Gyalist wrote: »

Untrue, unless he has suddenly developed the ability to be in two places at the same time. Here he is in Port-of-Spain yesterday.

It seems that he has been indicted not arrested.

I was only going on the report in the Guardian, New York Times, the BBC......

Egginacup

Streetwalker wrote: »

Blatter has brought so much good to the game of football really hope he's not involved in this IF it's true. FIFA as an organisation has upset a lot of powerful nations by passing them over for world cups in favour of spreading the game to other less fortunate parts of the world (the UK in particular have a bee in their bonnet over getting humiliated last time out) and one wonders if it's payback time.

Blatter's a crook. But I save my hatred for Jack Warner. He is a total scumbag.

irishgeo

That FIFA statement is hilarious.

Yeah its all down to our hard work , ignoring the huge elephant in the room.

jungleman

Streetwalker wrote: »

It's about growing the game internationally. Some people believe the world cup should revolve around England, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Germany etc.. but Blatter has attempted to bring the game to an international audience, he should be applauded for this imo. A true visionary.

An international audience apart from gay people then? Who he said should "refrain from any sexual activities" while in Qatar...

He also suggested that women footballers should wear tighter shorts. Apparently that would bring the game to an international audience.

Presumably human rights and an international audience were also on Blatter's thoughts when Russia won the right to host the 2018 World Cup. They are well known for their peaceful fans and humanitarian ways. Not at all racist or anything.

He's a stand up guy!

Alibaba

Well Done John Delaney and the FAI for refusing to back the election of Sepp Blatter.

Such an obnoxious horrible man. (Blatter that is)

InTheTrees

My hope is that the only reason the Swiss authorities agreed to cooperate with the US on making the arrests was if they let the Swiss guy go for now.

But I really hope blatter is circling the drain. Wishful thinking I know...

My name is URL

InTheTrees wrote: »

My hope is that the only reason the Swiss authorities agreed to cooperate with the US on making the arrests was if they let the Swiss guy go for now.

But I really hope blatter is circling the drain. Wishful thinking I know...

He's still favorite to be elected president on Friday.

Granted there's only one person standing against him. FIFA is fcuked up beyond all repair at this stage. There's a reason that nobody wants to oppose Blatter, and it's not just that they're afraid of being defeated. Nobody wants to upset the apple tart as Bertie would say.

It's the best old boys club on Earth. Even their boardroom looks like something out of a Super-villain comic

TheLastMohican

All very well, better late than never. But how come none of these FIFA antagonists didn't shout as loud before the Swiss arrests?
Piers Morgan goes in with both uzi's spraying:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3099167/PIERS-MORGAN-Blatter-Thanks-America-finally-taking-corrupt-poisonous-toad-FIFA-s-sucking-life-football-years.html

The Rape of Lucretia

Ask yourselves this folks : cui bono ? What are the sinister forces behind this orchestrated attempt to get at Sepp Blatter ? The timing is not by chance.

The re-election of the man who has done so much for the good of the game, spread the joy of football to all corners of the world, broken the hegemony of the handful of old footballing nations who didn't want true democracy in the governance of the game at world level, brought the joy of football and sport in general to all social classes, made the World Cup the greatest spectacle and entertainment festival that the exists in the world and enriches all our lives every four years, taken the world cup to new areas of the world despite the howls of protest from the old guard, and personally led the crusade against racism like no other, is only hours away. And we have this underhanded side swipe designed to destabilise support for him.

I am disgusted. The unfounded rumours, innuendos, and hints of malpractice that have never been proven, are a shameful ever-present background noise to the running of the world's most altruistic sporting force. And now we have a very calculated strike, not at him personally, but nevertheless, the target is clear.

Who is pulling the strings in this obscene attack....... ? Cowards, unwilling to identify themselves openly.

silverfeather

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

.

LOVE that Opera...

Zebra3

Be interesting to see if anyone from the English FA ends up being wanted by the Feds.

jamesbere

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Ask yourselves this folks : cui bono ? What are the sinister forces behind this orchestrated attempt to get at Sepp Blatter ? The timing is not by chance.

The re-election of the man who has done so much for the good of the game, spread the joy of football to all corners of the world, broken the hegemony of the handful of old footballing nations who didn't want true democracy in the governance of the game at world level, brought the joy of football and sport in general to all social classes, made the World Cup the greatest spectacle and entertainment festival that the exists in the world and enriches all our lives every four years, taken the world cup to new areas of the world despite the howls of protest from the old guard, and personally led the crusade against racism like no other, is only hours away. And we have this underhanded side swipe designed to destabilise support for him.

I am disgusted. The unfounded rumours, innuendos, and hints of malpractice that have never been proven, are a shameful ever-present background noise to the running of the world's most altruistic sporting force. And now we have a very calculated strike, not at him personally, but nevertheless, the target is clear.

Who is pulling the strings in this obscene attack....... ? Cowards, unwilling to identify themselves openly.

Are you really this naive.

Read this and come back to me

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/statement-luis-figo-associated-press-160230890--sow.html

Allyall

As it happened - http://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-32897157

Did anyone catch newsline on BBC2 tonight? I just caught the end of an interview with an ex-panorama reporter. He was saying that he went to investigate blatter tons of times, but got nowhere.
He also said Blatter will definitely be arrested, he just hasn't been yet because he's still under investigation.

Menas

If Blatter is guilty of anything then I reckon it will take some work to prove it. He is a very shrewd operator who has been at the top levels of football for 40 odd years.
Perhaps some of those arrested yesterday know something and turn whistle blower....one can but hope.

darkpagandeath

Whisky Mac wrote: »

If Blatter is guilty of anything then I reckon it will take some work to prove it. He is a very shrewd operator who has been at the top levels of football for 40 odd years.
Perhaps some of those arrested yesterday know something and turn whistle blower....one can but hope.

All you need to do is Squeeze the underlings and threaten jail time, They will roll over pretty fast. They have lifestyles they are accustomed to.

Rosie Gardens

That money was just resting in my account...

Menas

Rosie Gardens wrote: »

That money was just resting in my account...

For twenty years.

Rosie Gardens

Whisky Mac wrote: »

For twenty years.

Meh... give or take

Call Me Jimmy

There is no omerta. Should be a whitewash

BBDBB

So why is Blatter not resigning?
Why is the "election" still going ahead? Surely that has to be "postponed" until matters are clarified
Blatter has had enough warning shots fired in recent years that this was coming
With arrests being made, paperwork seized. A second investigation being started by the Swiss, surely he has to see that this wont blow over
is Blatter that arrogant with his power that he thinks he is untouchable?
is he hoping to bluff this one out still? or is this now about the exit strategy of a 79 year old man? is it easier for him to exit if he remains el president?

fascinating to watch this unfold

darkpagandeath

Has he not disappeared maybe to a plane to a country with no extradition laws ?