Numerous FIFA officials arrested

[Zoraptor]

Glad Platini got banned as well. Gutless wonder wouldn't even stand until he was sure he'd win and left Prince Hussein to take the bullet in the last election. Plus of course anyone who knows much at all about European football knows that they aren't exactly squeaky clean when it comes to corruption despite their protestations.

[BruceVC]

Glad Platini got banned as well. Gutless wonder wouldn't even stand until he was sure he'd win and left Prince Hussein to take the bullet in the last election. Plus of course anyone who knows much at all about European football knows that they aren't exactly squeaky clean when it comes to corruption despite their protestations.

Zora please dont tell me you were one of those people who believed " these accusations are just a Western plot to replace the hard-working, ethical and diligent Blatter ??  " 

 

 

I would think you would bury your Western-bias for this and not support Blatter and his horrendous behavior that has really brought FIFA into disrepute 

[Varana]

Blatter is from Switzerland which is pretty West-ish itself.

 

Although these accusations back when the FIFA officials were arrested in Zürich were quite hilarious. "The evil USA wants to take the World Cup from Russia and host them themselves!" Yeah. As if Americans would give a **** about football (the real one, not the hand-egg variety ).

[Malcador]

Zora please dont tell me you were one of those people who believed " these accusations are just a Western plot to replace the hard-working, ethical and diligent Blatter ??  " 

 

 

I would think you would bury your Western-bias for this and not support Blatter and his horrendous behavior that has really brought FIFA into disrepute

Yeah, despite the fact UEFA is as crooked as the rest and when you speak to Euro football fans they (as Euros do) possess a poorly cloaked arrogance on how they need to control the sport, not the tiny insignificant federations. Hopefully they leave it in Russia at least.

[Zoraptor]

They haven't got a chance of taking it off Russia, there wasn't enough time six months ago and there isn't enough time now. There won't be any open and frank examination of the bidding processes because Europe used exactly the same tactics to diddle RSA out in favour of Germany in 2006. Plus, while there's general political butthurt about Russia there aren't knives out football wise, Qatar on the other hand has caused some of the most spectacular butthurt ever seen. Though not without reason.

 

I have to admit being highly amused by the former England FA boss they had on the BBC who was talking about how open and transparent UEFA- so transparent they act like their leader will inevitably be acquitted of his corruption accusations- and European administration was and how everyone else had to reform, so a nice 'non corrupt' administration should be appointed. Presumably from those nice, non corrupt Europeans...

 

"The evil USA wants to take the World Cup from Russia and host them themselves!" Yeah. As if Americans would give a **** about football (the real one, not the hand-egg variety ).

 

That's the wrong way around, USA bid for the Qatar won cup (came 2nd so would have the best claim if the bids were not rerun); the Russia accusation was that England- who came stone cold last in the 2016 bidding process behind two other Euro bids as well as Russia- was using the accusations to try and steal the cup from Russia. Given England's born to the purple attitude being awarded the cup hosting rights by fiat is probably the only way England will ever get it.

 

I don't doubt they'd like to, personally, but Spain/ Portugal and the Low Countries bids got more votes, there isn't enough time to deal with the inevitable investigation let alone any following litigation if they try to and at its heart near nobody apart from England really wants England to host. Plus, there's no doubt at all that Blatter actually is corrupt, there's no need for a conspiracy theory to explain his downfall and if the main reason was to flip won bids doing it earlier would have been better.

 

I will say this for Blatter though, on his watch they had the first two Asian, first African and first East European world cup allocations, prior to him Western Europe had more than 50% of cups- on his watch only one was awarded there. We even got 3 (!) age group world cups here in New Zealand over his tenure. It's not hard to see why Europeans hate him but most of the other confeds like him.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Zoraptor

[BruceVC]

 

I don't doubt they'd like to, personally, but Spain/ Portugal and the Low Countries bids got more votes, there isn't enough time to deal with the inevitable investigation let alone any following litigation if they try to and at its heart near nobody apart from England really wants England to host. Plus, there's no doubt at all that Blatter actually is corrupt, there's no need for a conspiracy theory to explain his downfall and if the main reason was to flip won bids doing it earlier would have been better.

 

I will say this for Blatter though, on his watch they had the first two Asian, first African and first East European world cup allocations, prior to him Western Europe had more than 50% of cups- on his watch only one was awarded there. We even got 3 (!) age group world cups here in New Zealand over his tenure. It's not hard to see why Europeans hate him but most of the other confeds like him.

Well good work on accepting that Blatter is corrupt, I would have been very surprised if you had still defended him

 

And he did bring football to to all those places and he deserves credit but his achievement  makes this whole thing more difficult 

 

The reality in South Africa was the majority of Black South Africans immediately believed him ...they had been manipulated into believing that " how could this avuncular man who bought the WC to the African continent run such a corrupt organisation "....

 

I dont like to see Black  Africans being manipulated, unless its for there own good which is rare but necessary at times

[Malcador]

http://www.dfb.de/en/news/detail/statement-from-the-german-football-association-on-16th-october-2015-132957/

 

Thought everyone knew 2006 WC was crooked.

[HoonDing]

That was a great WC with Italy trolling everyone.

[Leferd]

That Zidane headbutt gif was classic.

[Zoraptor]

Various Zidane headbutt gifs were classic- the Mortal Kombat one and the death star destruction ones I remember in particular.

 

I suspect there isn't a person who has played Italy who hasn't wanted to flatten one of the Italians in similar style (and what style) at some point during the match.

[Leferd]

[Leferd]

Another raid and more arrests of senior FIFA officials.

 

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/fifa/243/post/2737873/swiss-authorities-make-more-arrests-in-fifa-corruption-case

 

Racketeering, money laundering, and fraud. Tsk.

[BruceVC]

Another raid and more arrests of senior FIFA officials.

 

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/fifa/243/post/2737873/swiss-authorities-make-more-arrests-in-fifa-corruption-case

 

Racketeering, money laundering, and fraud. Tsk.

I saw this ..,...when will this end? Leferd ...do you feel guilty for supporting FIFA for so long and ignoring the corruption allegations

 

I do, I heard this during our WC....but I ignored them as I thought they weren't real  

[Gorth]

It's a sad time when a psychic octopus is the only creature you can trust to tell the truth in the world of football. RIP Paul.

[Leferd]

 

Another raid and more arrests of senior FIFA officials.

 

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/fifa/243/post/2737873/swiss-authorities-make-more-arrests-in-fifa-corruption-case

 

Racketeering, money laundering, and fraud. Tsk.

I saw this ..,...when will this end? Leferd ...do you feel guilty for supporting FIFA for so long and ignoring the corruption allegations

 

I do, I heard this during our WC....but I ignored them as I thought they weren't real  

 

 

That's  pretty bizarre. Why would I feel guilty?  I like the sport but what reason would I support the governing organization?

 

Similiarly, I like the Olympics but it's not like I"m a fan of USA Track & Field, the USOC, or the IOC as they're every bit as corrupt as FIFA.

[BruceVC]

 

 

Another raid and more arrests of senior FIFA officials.

 

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/fifa/243/post/2737873/swiss-authorities-make-more-arrests-in-fifa-corruption-case

 

Racketeering, money laundering, and fraud. Tsk.

I saw this ..,...when will this end? Leferd ...do you feel guilty for supporting FIFA for so long and ignoring the corruption allegations

 

I do, I heard this during our WC....but I ignored them as I thought they weren't real  

 

 

That's  pretty bizarre. Why would I feel guilty?  I like the sport but what reason would I support the governing organization?

 

Similiarly, I like the Olympics but it's not like I"m a fan of USA Track & Field, the USOC, or the IOC as they're every bit as corrupt as FIFA.

 

Oh...okay. I normally wquldn't support any organisation if I knew it was corrupt 

[Bartimaeus]

Kind of depends on what you define as "supporting", doesn't it? I think the NFL is a complete joke (as an organization): I don't buy any sorts of football gear, I don't buy tickets, I don't buy any sort of special NFL packages...does watching illegitimate streams online count as supporting it? I like the sport...I hate the organization providing it.

 

(edit): Shoot, I gave a serious reply to BruceVC. That avatar changing business really works, it seems.

Edited December 3, 2015 by Bartimaeus

[BruceVC]

Kind of depends on what you define as "supporting", doesn't it? I think the NFL is a complete joke (as an organization): I don't buy any sorts of football gear, I don't buy tickets, I don't buy any sort of special NFL packages...does watching illegitimate streams online count as supporting it? I like the sport...I hate the organization providing it.

 

(edit): Shoot, I gave a serious reply to BruceVC. That avatar changing business really works, it seems.

Yes you right about what  defines " supporting " ...for example in the WC in South Africa Blatter was treated like royalty. We all thought he was great.....even though FIFA had made us pay a 10$ million bribe.which we never knew about at the time 

[Leferd]

Blatter and Platini suspended for 8 years y the FIFA ethics committee. That's the nail in the coffin for Platini succeeding Blatter.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/dec/21/sepp-blatter-michel-platini-banned-from-football-fifa

 

Bookmaker odds for next President:

 

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of Bahrain -- 6 to 5

Prince Ali al Hussein of Jordan 13 to 8

Gianni Infantino of Switzerland 5 to 2

[Malcador]

Should have just given 2022 to the US, or at least not Qatar. See how much all the crusaders against corruption would care then

[Zoraptor]

The genuine crusaders against corruption would still care, and there are a few of them at least- they just don't have any power. But yeah, I don't think we'd have the US judicial system throwing a wobbly if they were hosting.

 

And to show that FIFA is still FIFA the favourite for Blatter's replacement is from a hereditary absolute monarchy and implicated in torturing protesters and (about the only thing that actually could be used against him at FIFA) football players who were protesting for democracy a few years back. Might as well kill two birds with one stone by seeing if Bashar Assad fancies a stint in FIFA instead of being President of Syria.

[kgambit]

Too funny even for FIFA ......

 

Seventy-five team directors had placed their votes in envelopes, and Argentine soccer was moments from electing its first new leader after 35 years under the rule of Julio Grondona, a strongman of Latin American soccer politics who died in 2014. But hope quickly turned to despair: The 75 votes somehow produced a 38-38 tie, a stunning rejection of basic mathematics.

 

 

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/23/sports/soccer/fifa-conmebol-corruption-argentina-federation-vote.html?_r=0

Edited December 23, 2015 by kgambit

[BruceVC]

Too funny even for FIFA ......

 

Seventy-five team directors had placed their votes in envelopes, and Argentine soccer was moments from electing its first new leader after 35 years under the rule of Julio Grondona, a strongman of Latin American soccer politics who died in 2014. But hope quickly turned to despair: The 75 votes somehow produced a 38-38 tie, a stunning rejection of basic mathematics.

 

 

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/23/sports/soccer/fifa-conmebol-corruption-argentina-federation-vote.html?_r=0

 

I was watching the Blatter interview and he uses the words" there is stink" around FIFA

 

But in his mind he is still the victim of a political conspiracy ...and he thinks its unfair he has been banned for 8 years from attending any game 

 

So he doesn't seem to have any compunction around his role in the rampant corruption at FIFA