FIFA News Thread.

[asylumseeker]

"Hello? Interpol? ... A little birdie here ... Hear nah, is de chineeman embezzle de tings."

[Sando prince]

FIFA-Gate: Costa Rica football federation says US 'mistaken' in Eduardo Li wire fraud allegation
Zach Dyer (Tico Times News)

The leadership of Costa Rican football has circled the wagons around their embattled president, Eduardo Li, after Li was arrested in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering.

Jorge Hidalgo, acting president of the Costa Rican Football Federation, FEDEFÚTBOL, told the website Amelia Rueda that U.S. prosecutors are “mistaken,” and that there was nothing inappropriate about a $27,500 wire transfer cited in the indictment as proof of wrongdoing.

The indictment unsealed in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday alleged that Li and the sports marketing company Traffic Sports USA conspired in a scheme that involved offering and accepting bribes, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering to grant exclusive commercial rights to World Cup qualifying games for the Costa Rican national football team, la Sele. Li allegedly asked for a six-figure bribe as part of the negotiations with Traffic Sports USA.

Hidalgo said that the $27,500 was part of a regular payment made by Traffic Sports USA to FEDEFÚTBOL according to the contract negotiated by Li granting the company exclusive broadcast rights to Sele games leading up to the 2018 World Cup.

“This is neither a bribe nor has the Federation issued a check to Eduardo,” Hidalgo told AmeliaRueda.com

The acting FEDEFÚTBOL president said they have requested receipts of the transfers from Costa Rica’s Banco Lafise. On Thursday, officers from the Judicial Investigation Police arrived at the San Rafael Proyecto Gol, the FEDEFÚTBOL headquarters and training facility, where they were shown a copy of the Traffic Sports USA contract signed by Li.

“It’s obvious that the American authorities were mistaken,” Hidalgo said.

Costa Rica’s Acting Deputy Prosecutor Celso Gamboa announced Wednesday that the Prosecutor’s Office would open a criminal probe into possible money laundering related to the alleged bribery scheme.

But security analyst Paul Chaves had harsh words for any money laundering investigation in Costa Rica related to the FIFA scandal.

“It’s useless; a waste of time,” Chaves told The Tico Times.

The analyst said that successful money laundering prosecutions are rare in Costa Rica, and furthermore, the country’s penal code is outdated at providing tools to prosecute illicit money flows.

“The largest money laundering operation in the world was operating out of here and investigators had no clue,” Chaves said, referring to the $6 billion Liberty Reserve case in May 2013.

Costa Rica cleared the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development tax haven blacklist in 2011. OECD reported at the time that Costa Rica’s fiscal transparency practices met international standards. Following the Liberty Reserve case, however, the country was once again listed as a tax haven by the French government in 2013.

Sponsors so far have not abandoned FEDEFÚTBOL, according [to] the newspaper La República, in a story on Thursday. Among the federation’s sponsors are Plycem Cement, Coca-Cola FEMSA, and Hyundai.

So the US Justice Department did not do their homework

[Deeks]

Let's hope that with all this talk about impending changes that everybody want, they don't take away the small countries vote. A lot of the big countries, the Euros in particular would like to limited other small countries voting power.

[Flex]

Fifa president deserves credit.
By Alvin Corneal (Guardian).

The past week in the Fifa house in Zurich was filled with cheers, tears and ton loads of opinions from those who represented their countries at the Fifa congress.

Sometimes, I wonder whether or not these persons understood the importance of evaluating the nominees for the presidency of the greatest sporting body in the world.

Honestly, this was easily the simplest occasion for the countries to make a choice.

The person opposing Prince Ali Hussein, is just 39 years old and his claim to recognition is that he is a prince of Jordan whose wealth speaks louder than his words. Not even his four years on the seat of a vice president of Fifa would have brought the type of experience and information needed to run football in the world.

Despite the support from UEFA on the eve of the voting process, where the European president Michel Platini expressed his wish that all the countries in his confederation should vote against Sepp Blatter, clearly his bark did not bring him the respect which would have provoked and changed the minds of the other confederations.

Blatter accepted the fact that Fifa can be more efficiently run and he promised that the mistakes made in the past will be corrected with the assistance of the affiliated countries attached to Fifa.

This change which was bandied about across the European countries, and the support which was showed by the USA to lend support to Prince Ali Hussein, could not have been directed by Blatter alone.

Please bear in mind that the president of Fifa does not represent a country, or better still, he represents 209 countries who voted him into office.

None of his decisions can be implemented without the approval of the executive members of Fifa and even before that final vote, his regular habit was to have some dialogue with the confederations.

So the true decision makers are really the executive members, all of whom have been representing the same confederations.

There is no criteria in terms of qualification for membership in the executive of Fifa, and many times, the public is able to openly and fairly criticise some of the decisions taken.

In many cases, the proverbial business man who is attached to some area relating to sport, such as marketing, accounting, club ownership or just plain affluence, position themselves to be considered for a seat in the decision chamber.

They all want to make their opinions count and because of the opportunity to rub shoulders with agencies, clubs, and business associates, it is natural that business within and without Fifa is discussed.

Where is the president in all this? If he had been dancing in their party, then the USA investigators and FBI may have approached his room last Tuesday night in Zurich.

If the world truly believes that the president of Fifa can rule the game from his seat in Zurich, then the picture in unclear.

Confederations deal with their business relations autonomously, which I honestly believe is the biggest mistake which Fifa must address.

The second change in the Fifa structure must be in the business of removing from the umbrella called (non profit organisation) and let the executive committee be a board of directors in a fully registered limited liability company.

Every cent spent by each confederation must be reported by way of balance sheets and audited statements, all subjected to the scrutiny by some of the best accounting firms in the world.

There are also some areas which were well done by Blatter which has bypassed the interest of the big wigs of Europe and the conglomerates of the USA, Mexico, Australia and matured countries which have histories of good management skills.

The president has devoted his time with the development of grassroots football, beach football, futsal, and all age groups of men and women's football.

They have all been adequately handled through to their world cup final events.

Will someone care to give some credit to the president, seeing that he was able to delegate the responsibility to other qualified personnel in the lesser developed countries to achieve his goal.

Maybe in another article I shall love to explain the reasons why UEFA could have had problems with the president. Yes? The president, the one who just won the hearts and votes of a democratic majority.

[dreamer]

Nothing surprising. Staunch defenders of the status quo. One by one they reveal themselves and how they sing for their supper.

[elan]

So I was listening to Free Speech radio and they were talking about the FIFA Indictments. They came around to talking about WC bids. The question was raised, "If the USA had won the 2018/2022 bid, would we have seen this investigation or indictments?". The answer they came up with was "no".

[elan]

What's the difference between "lobbying" politicians in the US, and countries offering "gifts" to FIFA Reps?

[E-man]

John Oliver, FIFA II

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/qr6ar3xJL_Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/qr6ar3xJL_Q</a>

[Bakes]

What's the difference between "lobbying" politicians in the US, and countries offering "gifts" to FIFA Reps?

You clearly don't know what "lobbying" means, if you're asking that question.  Here's a hint, look up "Jack Abramoff."

[soccerman]

Jack make the John Oliver Show, we reach.

[elan]

What's the difference between "lobbying" politicians in the US, and countries offering "gifts" to FIFA Reps?

You clearly don't know what "lobbying" means, if you're asking that question.  Here's a hint, look up "Jack Abramoff."

So this is lobbying right and it is legal because of how the regulations are set up. I know it's different.

Then FIFA just need to regulate the go-between and let's have at it. Then everything will be kosher.

[Bakes]

So this is lobbying right and it is legal because of how the regulations are set up. I know it's different.

Then FIFA just need to regulate the go-between and let's have at it. Then everything will be kosher.

There are lobbyists who break the rules... that is, they bribe politicians, no different from what went on in FIFA.  There are also lobbyists who skirt the rules, writing their own legislation and giving it to the lawmakers to pass.  That's what's going on in that video.  That's not how the system is supposed to work, the legislators and their staff are supposed to then review the proposed legislation, and either draft it themselves or at least double-check.  This system, as corruptible as it might be, due to the influence of money and the reliance on self-policing by the politicians, is way different from what's happening in FIFA.  I don't know why you continue to go to these lengths to try and discredit the DOJ investigation and charges as being something sneaky, underhanded or at worst, illegal.  It's like you have a bug up your ass about the US, if any other country (but the US and England) had brought the charges, you'd probably be waving flag up front.

[E-man]

Top FIFA deputy Jerome Valcke behind $10 million in payments - report
ESPN

U.S. authorities say FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke allegedly made $10 million in payments at the centre of the scandal sweeping through world football's governing body, according to the New York Times.

Valcke, who denied culpability to the Times and has not been charged, is FIFA's highest non-elected official and would be the top figure yet targeted in an investigation that has already seen two sitting vice presidents and a dozen others connected to the game indicted on federal charges including bribery, racketeering and money laundering.

In announcing the indictments, prosecutors mentioned an unidentified "high-ranking FIFA official" who "caused" $10 million to be transferred from FIFA to former vice president Jack Warner in 2008. Law enforcement officials told the New York Times they believe that official to be Valcke.

FIFA spokesperson spokeswoman Delia Fischer told the Times that the chairman of the finance committee at the time, the late Julio Grondona, authorised Warner's payment, but that the payment was "executed in accordance with the Organisation Regulations," which Valcke follows as part of his duties in charge of FIFA's finances.

The indictment said the payments to Warner were in exchange for votes for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup. But when South Africa's football federation were unable to pay the bribe, FIFA delivered the amount to Warner instead. South African officials have denied these claims.

When asked last week whether he was the unidentified official behind Warner's payment, newly re-elected FIFA pres Sepp Blatter said: "Definitely that is not me. I have no $10 million."

Valcke is a long-time ally of Blatter's, and the pair celebrated together after the Swiss won re-election at the FIFA Congress on Friday.

In 2006, Valcke was fired as FIFA's marketing director after an American judge ruled that he lied in negotiations with credit card companies on a sponsorship deal. But after FIFA settled with MasterCard, Blatter appointed Valcke as secretary general.

Earlier on Monday, Valcke cancelled his planned trip to represent FIFA at the Women's World Cup in Canada, which begins this weekend.

"It is important that he attend to matters at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich," Fischer said.

[asylumseeker]

A private conversation overheard years ago in a hall of power somewhere ...
 
Sepp: World Cup in the US in 2018? Nah! Never! That would mean I couldn't attend. Vladimir, ah feel dey might hold meh there yuh know. Long time now frigging Sunil moving left with constant criticism of how things are done.

Vladimir: Ah showing yuh that LONG! time. Gih dem Yanks an inch, dey want a mile; dey always talking reform. Come by me instead. Dey fight me on de Winter Olympics in Sochi; but dey was loving de Bird's Ne$t in Beijing.

Vladimir (breaking out into song): Hypocrites and parasites ... Who the cap fit, let dem ...

Sepp: Frauds and counter-revolutionaries.

Sepp: Sing Vladimir, like Jack introduce yuh to Bob Marley? He love him too bad. Always singing Three Little Birds ... telling me doh worry about a ting.

Vladimir: He taught me Marley, I taught him Sting. Jack understands that Russians love their children too.

Vladimir: Yuh know who really likes to sing? That frigging Chuck. Try to keep him out of this. He came to Moscow one year asking about our tax system, blazing a trail and singing for his supper. The size of him ...

Sepp: De way he does talk, Jack is de right one to speak with a forked tongue with the English and the Australians.

Vladimir (still thinking about Sepp's reference to frauds and counter-revolutionaries): As yuh mention frauds ...Link yuh lieutenant in Trinidad (what we in de Kremlin refer to as Trickydadstan. So much promise there. Those bastards know how to pull a fast one) ...

Link yuh lieutenant and see wha he could arrange to frustrate dem ppl Down Under and in London to pave de way for 2018. Ever since frigging Litvinenko, Downing Street has been trying to poison de scenes for any initiative we try. One day, they'll piss me off and I'll invade Ukraine!

Sepp: We could learn from them Vladimir, please keep calm and carry on.

Vladimir (half listening): ... and dem Aussies? Dem Aussies jes hadda get in line behind Mother Russia. Who are they anyway? They're jes Brits masquerading as a separate country. Have you seen their flag? Big, big Union Jack on it.

Vladimir (refocusing at the mention of Jack): Yeah, so Jack ...

Sepp: Consider it done. One ting doh ...

Vladimir: What is it? Ah hadda go ... Condoleeza waiting to introduce me to Susan Rice.

Sepp (smiling broadly): You devil you, that's right, say no to racism ...heheh. Anyhow, lehme focus, I am Swiss and neutral.

Sepp: Look, Vladi ... the lieutenant have ah kinda independent, liberal streak. A mind of his own nah. What if things go sideways? If things go sideways, yuh could arrange ah lil asylum?

Vladimir: Failure is not an option. Tell Jack hang on to his passport, the doors of my embassies and consulates are always wide open.

Sepp (speaking French): That's my putain!

Vladimir: Wha yuh say dey??? Show some respect.

Sepp: Sorry, doh geh vex nah. Ah meant, "that's my Putin"!

Sepp (mumbling): Lost in translation ... One for all, and all for me.

Vladimir: Condi ... Sepp, we go link.

[elan]

Top FIFA deputy Jerome Valcke behind $10 million in payments - report
ESPN


FIFA spokesperson spokeswoman Delia Fischer told the Times that the chairman of the finance committee at the time, the late Julio Grondona, authorised Warner's payment, but that the payment was "executed in accordance with the Organisation Regulations," which Valcke follows as part of his duties in charge of FIFA's finances.

The indictment said the payments to Warner were in exchange for votes for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup. But when South Africa's football federation were unable to pay the bribe, FIFA delivered the amount to Warner instead. South African officials have denied these claims.

Hey you can't pay your bribe, don' worry we will casually pay $10 millions dollars out of our account for you. 


So if they are so sure about this why not indict Valcke too? No US soil connection? Chuck Blazer could not recall this transaction?

[elan]

So this is lobbying right and it is legal because of how the regulations are set up. I know it's different.

Then FIFA just need to regulate the go-between and let's have at it. Then everything will be kosher.

There are lobbyists who break the rules... that is, they bribe politicians, no different from what went on in FIFA.  There are also lobbyists who skirt the rules, writing their own legislation and giving it to the lawmakers to pass.  That's what's going on in that video.  That's not how the system is supposed to work, the legislators and their staff are supposed to then review the proposed legislation, and either draft it themselves or at least double-check.  This system, as corruptible as it might be, due to the influence of money and the reliance on self-policing by the politicians, is way different from what's happening in FIFA.  I don't know why you continue to go to these lengths to try and discredit the DOJ investigation and charges as being something sneaky, underhanded or at worst, illegal.  It's like you have a bug up your ass about the US, if any other country (but the US and England) had brought the charges, you'd probably be waving flag up front.

Again, calling out is not hating.

You fail to address my post before this one though.

If the US had gotten 2018/2022 this investigation would not have seen the light of day......at least not in this century.

[Sando prince]

Jack we want the whole truth so we can compare your current treatment to the treatment that was given to Ish and Steve 

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20150602/news/rowley-warner-must-tell-the-whole-truth

“Two other financiers got themselves virtually freed from judicial action because the Cabinet took actions in the Parliament, at the level of the Cabinet, at the Office of the President with an outcome in the court under the infamous Section 34 action of this Government to ensure that those financiers did not have their day in court as they should have had, and if he is handled differently now and he wants to complain about his treatment he must tell us the whole story so we can compare apples with the oranges that he talking about," he said.

[Flex]

Fifa: Sepp Blatter to travel to Women's World Cup final.
BBC Sports.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter still intends to travel to Canada for the final of the Women's World Cup this month despite the crisis engulfing world football's governing body.

General secretary Jerome Valcke announced on Monday that he will not be making the trip.

He was due to attend the opening of the tournament, which begins on 6 June.

"It is important that he attends to matters at Fifa's headquarters in Zurich," read a statement.

BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent Richard Conway called Valcke's decision a "highly unusual move".

Fifa in crisis

Fifa has been dogged by corruption allegations but became embroiled in fresh controversy last week when seven officials were arrested on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering.

The arrests - a result of a United States prosecution - took place in Zurich last Wednesday as Fifa officials from around the globe gathered in the Swiss city for their latest congress.

On the same day, Fifa was also rocked by the news that Swiss authorities had begun a separate criminal investigation into how the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were allocated.

Blatter was encouraged to quit in the wake of the arrests but was re-elected as Fifa president for a fifth term of office on Friday, claiming he was the man to lead reform of the organisation.

Sanz banned

Fifa has provisionally suspended Concacaf general secretary Enrique Sanz from all football-related activities.

The Colombian was banned following investigations carried out by Fifa's ethics committee and the latest facts presented by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Concacaf, which has its headquarters in Miami, governs the game in North and Central America as well as the Caribbean.

Congolese Football Association vice-president Jean Guy Blaise Mayolas and general secretary Badji Mombo Wantete have also been suspended for apparent "breaches of the Fifa code of ethics".

Teixeira investigated

Brazilian authorities are investigating Ricardo Teixeira, the former head of their national football federation, for alleged money laundering and fraud.

Teixeira's successor as president, José Maria Marin, was one of seven Fifa officials arrested by Swiss police on charges of corruption.

A judge in Paraguay has also ordered the arrest of Nicolas Leoz, the former head of the South American Football Confederation.

Leoz is wanted by US authorities and will be put under house arrest.

[Bakes]

Again, calling out is not hating.

You fail to address my post before this one though.

If the US had gotten 2018/2022 this investigation would not have seen the light of day......at least not in this century.

What b.s. are you calling out though?  Everything you've been bitching about either doesn't make sense or doesn't apply.  There's nothing to "address"... if the US had gotten either of the WCs Blazer would have still run afoul of the IRS and the investigation into Russian organized crime would still have proceeded, therefore setting in motion this chain of events.  But of course all of that is just pretext to bring down FIFA, right?

[Tallman]

[asylumseeker]

Opinion editorial: FIFA’s corruption and compromise
Sheldon Waithe (Trinidad Express)

FIFA must be the only entity on the planet that can lose over half its board to corruption charges, yet still think that it should go ahead with its congress and election of its leader a mere three days later. It signifies the growing malaise with global politics that in the face of the public relations juggernaut, ethics and morals are eroded, replaced by denial and staunchness— “if I don't admit to anything then I cannot be wrong”.

There is also the fall-back option of sinking the whole ship— “if I go down then I'll take everyone with me” —reserved as a last option and probably the choice that the US prosecutors are relying upon to catch the bigger fish, by turning up the heat under the small fry. There is also the age-old strategy of deflection, in the face of evidence sufficient to see one prosecuted; play the cards that you think you have left, be they race, persecution or religion. Most of all, absolve yourself while simultaneously stating that in the unlikely chance you are guilty, you certainly did not do it alone—“Let's say I am guilty, I certainly was not the one in charge.”

Of course there is also plain denial and saviour's path. Undertaken by the incumbent Sepp Blatter, this tactic incorporates all of the above and adds disbelief to the mix— “I am shocked at these findings but vote for me and I will set things right.” No one is fooled but the problem is that FIFA does not care; their reappointment of Mr Blatter is evidence enough of that. FIFA has been corrupting the world's most popular sport for so long that any one that has even a fledging interest in football is not completely surprised at the findings. The arrests are what come as a surprise, for a body that exists in a bubble, because they have been so good at it for so long. Alas, it's our old friend greed, and his ability to create the downfall that has come knocking—like those nice Swiss policemen at the hotel on Wednesday morning—and dividing those that maintained the status quo. But what has really changed?

That the congress and election went ahead is farcical. What is most disappointing is that the regional bodies with the ability to stop the congress proceeding did not act. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) made noises about not attending the election then swiftly displayed that plague amongst corrupt entities—compromise. It compromised and now states that perhaps it will consider boycotting FIFA's crown jewel, the World Cup.

The time to act was within this past week; if Messrs Platini and company were serious about forcing change and backing up their gentle request to Mr Blatter to step down, then the ideology must should have been to target the source, not the end product. In the old boys club within the FIFA corridors, UEFA relinquished its power for the sake of remaining part of the cash cow. Similarly, the global sponsors followed the same methodology—“have the PR department issue a statement that the company is concerned and will monitor the situation but remember we're all in this thing together and will mutually benefit. After all, by the time the world excitedly tunes in for that first match of Russia 2018, who will remember the happenings of May 2015. Meanwhile our logo shines in the background?” Perhaps there really is no such thing as bad publicity.

We were promised “tsunamis” of damning information when our own high ranking representative in this global white collar crime drama was implicated on bribery charges. Hours later, the deflection tactic obviously leading to compromise, the Jack was hung and all was well again in FIFA.

This time it's bigger, much bigger and we should expect far reaching repercussions that will change the infrastructure of the game's governing body. The problem is that as you read this, Mr Blatter is still in charge, having been given another five years from an election that went ahead despite unprecedented revelations. The chance has come and gone and FIFA has survived. In the coming months the extraditions will begin and those flown to the USA will be branded “individuals that tried to corrupt FIFA”, and not “FIFA executives that were part of the dishonest organisational culture”.

With a shake of hands in Switzerland, a few empty promises and a smile, it's all about corruption compromise. “Whew, that was a close one. Now on to the Copa America.”

[grimm01]

Breaking News: Sepp Blatter announces retirement and special congress to elect new leader!

[FF]

SEPP BLATTER TO RESIGN - BREAKING NEWS

Story to be updated. Live press conference

http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/jun/02/fifa-calls-press-conference-amid-latest-corruption-claims-live

Sepp Blatter moments ago: “I will organise extraordinary congress for a replacement for me as president. I will not stand. I am now free from the constraints of an election. I will be in a position to focus on profound reforms. For many years we have called for reforms. But these are not sufficient.”

“We need a limitation on mandates and terms of office. I have fought for these changes but my efforts have been counteracted.” (Five terms in office)


New election to be sometime between December 2015 and March 2016

[de_redman]

buh wha de france is dis?? 

[grimm01]

Brazil also plan to charge Ricardo Teixeira with corruption crimes. He is the former president of the Brazilian FA, former head of the 2014 WC organizing committee and former son-in-law of Joao Havelange.

http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup/story/2476409/brazil-police-seek-to-charge-ex-football-chief-teixeira

[E-man]

woohoo!

SEPP BLATTER TO RESIGN - BREAKING NEWS

Story to be updated. Live press conference

http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/jun/02/fifa-calls-press-conference-amid-latest-corruption-claims-live

Sepp Blatter moments ago: “I will organise extraordinary congress for a replacement for me as president. I will not stand. I am now free from the constraints of an election. I will be in a position to focus on profound reforms. For many years we have called for reforms. But these are not sufficient.”

“We need a limitation on mandates and terms of office. I have fought for these changes but my efforts have been counteracted.” (Five terms in office)


New election to be sometime between December 2015 and March 2016

[Socapro]

woohoo!

SEPP BLATTER TO RESIGN - BREAKING NEWS

Story to be updated. Live press conference

http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/jun/02/fifa-calls-press-conference-amid-latest-corruption-claims-live

Sepp Blatter moments ago: “I will organise extraordinary congress for a replacement for me as president. I will not stand. I am now free from the constraints of an election. I will be in a position to focus on profound reforms. For many years we have called for reforms. But these are not sufficient.”

“We need a limitation on mandates and terms of office. I have fought for these changes but my efforts have been counteracted.” (Five terms in office)


New election to be sometime between December 2015 and March 2016

TO RESIGN means that he hasn't resigned yet and is still FIFA President. All he has done so far is promise to resign with new elections to be sometime between December 2015 and March 2016.

[de_redman]

Football
Is
Falling
Apart
 

[E-man]

Shaka on ESPN now

[elan]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/35pfllMiLag" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/35pfllMiLag</a>