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Offline pull stones

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #540 on: December 21, 2015, 02:43:31 PM »
jennings must be laughing his fat ugly ass off. on the same note jack warner in my foolish opinion was the one who brought the heat on these men by over extending his hand. jack should have ate as little as he could have shoveled in his greedy mouth and humbled himself and come to an amicable agreement with the 06 players instead of heaping all this heat on his back.

and blatter himself should have took control of the situation and called off jack and guide him to resolve his issues and stop bringing so much attention to the federation.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #542 on: December 25, 2015, 09:55:47 AM »


FIFA ex-vice president Eugenio Figueredo jailed pending Uruguay trial
The Economic Times


MONTEVIDEO: Fallen FIFA vice president Eugenio Figueredo was jailed pending trial in his native Uruguay Thursday after being extradited from Switzerland to answer charges in the massive corruption scandal roiling international football.

Figueredo, the former president of South American confederation CONMEBOL, arrived Thursday morning and was taken directly to an initial court appearance, where he was remanded in custody, court sources told AFP.

But Judge Adriana de los Santos may still grant him house arrest, as his lawyer has requested, the sources said.

Figueredo faces two to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The 83-year-old ex-football boss was one of seven top FIFA officials arrested at a Zurich luxury hotel in May, a raid that kicked off an unprecedented crisis at world football's governing body.

The United States, which led the investigation, is also seeking to extradite Figueredo on charges of soliciting multi-million-dollar bribes from sports marketing firms.

Figueredo had agreed to be sent to Uruguay but is fighting extradition to the United States. The Swiss justice ministry (FOJ) had approved his extradition to both countries, and said in November it would be up to the United States to decide whether to let Uruguay have priority.

"If the US authorities do not agree, the issue will be decided by the FOJ," it said at the time.

Figueredo's lawyer has said her client is in poor health and should be granted house arrest because of his age.

Figueredo was head of the Uruguayan Football Association from 1997 to 2006 and became CONMEBOL president in 2013.

CONMEBOL's last three presidents have all been arrested in the scandal, plunging the South American confederation into crisis. At FIFA, the spiralling scandal took a dramatic new turn last week when the organization banned disgraced president Sepp Blatter from football for eight years over ethics violations.
« Last Edit: December 25, 2015, 09:58:13 AM by asylumseeker »

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #543 on: January 06, 2016, 04:04:33 AM »
Jerome Valcke, Sepp Blatter's former right-hand man, faces 9-year ban
CBC


Chairman of FIFA ethics committee makes recommendation for punishment

Sepp Blatter's former right-hand man is facing a nine-year ban from soccer.

The chairman of the FIFA ethics committee, Cornel Borbely, recommended the ban for Jerome Valcke on Tuesday after concluding his investigation. In his final report, Borbely also asked that Valcke be fined 100,000 Swiss francs ($100,000 US) and that his 90-day suspension be extended for another 45 days.

Valcke, a Frenchman who served alongside Blatter for nearly a decade, was accused of violating six articles of the FIFA code of ethics, including confidentiality and conflict of interest.

The former television journalist and sports marketing executive was originally banned for 90 days in October, a month after being put on leave by FIFA. The ban will expire at the end of day on Tuesday.

Last year, Valcke was implicated by a FIFA ticketing partner for using work and private email accounts to discuss a World Cup black market ticket deal. Valcke has denied that he sought cash from sales of top-category tickets for matches at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil he knew were being offered at several times face value.

The FIFA code of ethics allows for charges of breach of confidentiality and loyalty, which could be levelled simply for doing official business through private email accounts.

A final decision on banning Valcke will come from ethics committee chairman Hans-Joachim Eckert, the judge who last month banned both Blatter and Michel Platini for eight years each.

Valcke, whose main duty at FIFA was overseeing organization of the World Cup, rose to the top administrative job at FIFA soon after being fired in 2006 during a scandal.

As marketing director, he was implicated in misleading World Cup sponsor MasterCard during contract renewal talks. FIFA and Blatter eventually signed with Visa, provoking a legal suit from MasterCard which was settled for $90 million US.

Valcke's conduct and business ethics were severely criticized by a federal judge in New York who heard the case.

FIFA fired Valcke and other marketing officials involved in the deal, then re-hired him several months later as secretary general after Blatter was re-elected president.

FIFA has been in crisis since the federal investigations of bribery and corruption implicating senior soccer officials were revealed in May.

Valcke was identified as having processed transfers of $10 million US from FIFA accounts which were alleged by the U.S. Department of Justice to be bribes for CONCACAF officials to support South Africa's successful bid to host the 2010 World Cup.

FIFA and Valcke said the payments were authorized by then-finance committee chairman Julio Grondona, after being requested by South African officials to be paid from their tournament organization funds.

Still, Blatter announced his planned resignation on June 2, the day after FIFA and Valcke's role in the affair was revealed.

Blatter has said FIFA's troubles stem from the December 2010 decision to award Russia and Qatar hosting rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively. Valcke has been blamed for urging FIFA in 2008 to run a dual bidding contest, in order to secure long-term commercial security amid the economic downturn.


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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #544 on: January 06, 2016, 04:00:04 PM »
According to Blatter's spokesperson, Klaus Stoehlker, Blatter is upset that he "can't" attend the upcoming Ballon d'Or awards.

Perhaps, he could try pulling a Platini (showed up at the recent Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, disregarding the FIFA edict).

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #545 on: January 07, 2016, 07:18:09 PM »
Michel Platini Ends Bid for FIFA Presidency
By Andrew Das, The New York Times.


Michel Platini said Thursday that he was ending his bid to become FIFA president, dropping out of a race that technically did not include him and one that he is officially barred from winning.

In a series of interviews, Mr. Platini said he would continue his fight to overturn his eight-year suspension from world soccer, imposed last month by FIFA’s ethics committee. But he said pursuing that cause and the presidency before the Feb. 27 FIFA election was unworkable.

“I don’t have the means to fight on equal terms with the other candidates,” Mr. Platini told The Associated Press. “I have not been given the chance to play the game.”

Mr. Platini, a member of FIFA’s governing executive committee since 2002 and the top official of European soccer since 2007, has harshly criticized his ban, which was imposed in December after the ethics committee deemed his actions in soliciting and accepting a $2 million payment from FIFA in 2011 “did not show commitment to an ethical attitude.” Suggesting a conspiracy to keep him out of the race to replace the similarly suspended Sepp Blatter as FIFA president, Mr. Platini has vowed to appeal the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“I can’t have any regret in that story because things fell upon my head while I haven’t done anything wrong,” Mr. Platini told The A.P. in an interview in Nyon, Switzerland. “I’m struggling to understand what happened, unless there was a will somewhere to prevent me from bidding.”

Once a favorite to win the election, Mr. Platini is barred not only from voting in it but even from attending it. And even if he succeeds in having his suspension overturned, it is unclear if Mr. Platini can pass the new integrity checks required by FIFA to enter the race. On Thursday, he acknowledged that even if he was successful, he would not have enough time to campaign for the support he would need to win.

Mr. Platini’s announcement and CAS’s recent rejection of appeals by two other disqualified candidates mean the field of approved challengers bidding to replace Mr. Blatter remains at five. They are: Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, who lost a challenge to Mr. Blatter at the FIFA congress last May; Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain, the powerful Asian Football Confederation president; the South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale; Jérôme Champagne, a former aide to Mr. Blatter; and the longtime European soccer official Gianni Infantino.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #546 on: January 19, 2016, 10:00:48 PM »
FIFA is still paying Sepp Blatter his estimated $6 million salary despite ban from football
By Cork Gaines, Business Insider


Despite being banned from the world of international football for eight years, Sepp Blatter will continue to receive his salary from FIFA until a new president is elected in late February, a FIFA spokesperson confirmed to Simon Evans of Reuters.

Blatter, along with Michel Platini, were kicked out of soccer in December when the FIFA ethics committee handed down 8-year suspensions for both over a $2 million conflict-of-interest payment FIFA made to Platini that was approved by Blatter and is part of a Swiss criminal investigation.

As Evans notes, Blatter was originally suspended for 90 days in early October which means Blatter will ultimately be paid five months of his salary during a period in which he was not serving as FIFA's president. Issa Hayatou, the president of the African Football, has been serving as the acting FIFA president and presumably is also being paid during Blatter's suspension.

While Blatter's salary is unknown, FIFA's financials do say that they paid out $39.7 million in salaries in 2014 to "key management personnel," which would include Blatter. Using that data and other pieces of evidence, Roger Piekle Jr. of Sporting Intelligence was able to make a strong argument that Blatter's salary is in the range of $6-16 million per year.

If we use the lower end of that range, that would mean Blatter will ultimately be paid at least $2.5 million during his suspension, which is more than the payment to Platini that led to the suspensions in the first place.

In 2011, Blatter claimed that his salary at the time was "$1 million, perhaps a bit more."

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #547 on: January 20, 2016, 06:33:09 PM »
German FA backs Gianni Infantino to replace Sepp Blatter
The Guardian


Infantino, the Swiss general secretary of Uefa, is one of five candidates for the election, which is due to take place on 26 February amid the worst crisis in Fifa’s troubled history.

There is no clear favourite but Infantino would have a head start if he were to capture the majority of the 53 European votes. Each of Fifa’s national associations holds one vote.

The German FA co-president, Reinhard Rauball, said: “Gianni Infantino is the Europeans’ candidate and the best one. Through his work as general secretary of Uefa he knows all aspects of the game, has outstanding international connections and speaks six languages.”

The Asian Football Confederation president, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, the former Fifa deputy general secretary Jérôme Champagne, the South African businessman and politician Tokyo Sexwale and the Jordanian former Fifa executive committee member Prince Ali bin al-Hussein are Infantino’s rivals.

Rauball added: “With his reputation and experience he meets the necessary conditions for structural changes and to take on the challenges ahead.”

Forty-one individuals and entities have been indicted in the US for corruption and money-laundering, and Fifa’s own ethics committee has banned leading officials – including Blatter, barred for eight years.

The German FA is the biggest federation in the world in terms of membership but it has been dealing with its own scandal related to the 2006 World Cup, which prompted the resignation of Rauball’s predecessor, Wolfgang Niersbach, last year.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #548 on: January 20, 2016, 06:37:16 PM »
Iraq to back Prince Ali in FIFA election
Rediff Sports


The Iraq Football Association (IFA) pledged their support for Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein in next month's FIFA presidential election, the Jordanian royal said on Wednesday.

Ali will stand against Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, former FIFA deputy general secretary Jerome Champagne of France, South African businessman and politician Tokyo Sexwale and UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino in the Febuary 26 vote.

"The FA has endorsed Prince Ali in a letter to FIFA," IFA president Abdul Khaliq Masood said in a statement published by Ali's bid team.

"We have decided that Iraq's vote will go to Prince Ali because Prince Ali has always supported the development of football in Iraq, Jordan and our region."

Ali hosted a delegation from Iraq including Masood and Iraq Minister of Sports and Youth Abdul Hussein Abtan on Monday as he attempts to drum up support ahead of the election to decide who will succeed Sepp Blatter as president of the scandal-hit body.

Blatter, who beat Ali in the most recent FIFA presidential election last May, and UEFA president Michel Platini were both handed eight-year bans from soccer last month for ethics violations.

Both deny any wrongdoing but their absence has left the global game leaderless as it tries to dig itself out of a slew of corruption cases, with criminal investigations under way in the United States and Switzerland.

Ali returned to Jordan at the start of the week to meet the Iraqi delegation after campaigning in Africa and the Caribbean, where his team said he "picked up private commitments of support from several other nations".

Rival Infantino said previously he had major support in the Caribbean region, which has 25 votes in the 209-member election being held in Zurich.

Salman is expected to win the bulk of support among the AFC's 46 members after the regional body's executive committee passed a resolution in November urging all Asian representatives to vote for the Bahraini.

Abtan, though, told Iraqi state television that his country would back Ali.

"We are very pleased to support Prince Ali. He is the best man for the job. We greatly appreciate everything Jordan has done to support Iraqi sports and youth over the years," he told Iraq state television.

Ali said he had held discussions with Abtan and Masood over the lifting of a ban that prevents Iraq from hosting home international matches.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #549 on: January 20, 2016, 06:50:37 PM »
Regarding the candidacy of Tokyo Sexwale (South Africa).

"Sleeping in the same prison room with Nelson Mandela is not enough to win the FIFA presidency. ... We have listened to all the candidates and we know what each of them is bringing on board and who shares in our vision. ... You can read from them that some are very serious about their bid and others are just walking through ... just like Tokyo Sexwale.

For Sexwale, he came to one of our executive committee meetings at CAF and all his campaign messages were that: I was the rugby secretary at Robin Island, I was the chairman of the football team at Robin Island, I slept in the same hotel room with (Nelson) Mandela at the Robin Island and so on.

But it is funny because those things are not enough to win you the FIFA presidency. ... As for Sexwale, I can say I’m even [more] experienced and competent than him."


--- Kwesi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana Football Association
« Last Edit: January 27, 2016, 08:42:38 PM by asylumseeker »

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #550 on: January 30, 2016, 02:47:00 AM »
French football federation to vote for Gianni Infantino in Fifa election
The Guardian


The French football federation will support Gianni Infantino in next month’s Fifa presidential election, its president, Noël Le Graët, has announced.

Infantino, Uefa’s general secretary, is one of five candidates to succeed Sepp Blatter as the head of world football when the election is held on 26 February.

He has the unanimous backing of Uefa’s executive committee – with one member, the Football Association’s vice-chairman, David Gill, describing him as “the stand-out candidate”.

And the French federation has opted to support the Swiss in preference to the French national Jérôme Champagne, who spent 11 years working at Fifa, including a spell as deputy secretary general.

A statement from Le Graët on fff.fr read: “In agreement with its executive committee (11 of 12 members in favour), the French football federation has decided to support the candidature of Gianni Infantino in the election for the presidency of Fifa.

“Gianni has all the qualities required to succeed. He has the experience, the talent, a work ethic and his convictions, which he has demonstrated as general secretary of Uefa alongside Michel Platini.

“He has laid out an ambitious programme which is good for football and our federations, focusing on a necessary restoration of the image of Fifa but also the economic development and educational values of our sport throughout the world.

“Gianni wishes to preserve democracy and equality between the 209 federations. This is another major focus of his commitments and his plan for the future of Fifa and football, to which French football is also committed.”

The Asian football president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain, Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan and the South African politician and businessman Tokyo Sexwale are the other candidates for the Fifa presidency.

The Uefa president, Platini, withdrew from the race after being banned from footballing activity for eight years following an investigation into a £1.3m payment received from Fifa in 2011.

Platini has appealed against his ban while a separate appeal from Fifa’s ethics committee seeks to increase it. The French sport newspaper L’Equipe reported on Friday that Platini’s appeal as well as that of the ethics committee will be heard at Fifa’s headquarters in Zurich on 15 February. Blatter’s appeal will be heard the following day.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #551 on: January 30, 2016, 03:07:15 AM »
Sepp Blatter’s appeal against eight-year ban to be heard on 16 February
The Guardian


The disgraced Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, will return to the headquarters of the world governing body on 16 February when his appeal against his ban from the sport will be heard, according to his adviser.

Blatter, head of Fifa since 1998, was banned in December from all football-related activity for eight years by the body’s ethics committee.

“Mr Blatter will attend an appeal hearing on 16 February, at the home of Fifa, and we expect the decision as soon as possible,” Thomas Renggli said.

Blatter’s case will initially be dealt with by Fifa’s own appeal committee. Renggli said that, if he is unsuccessful, he will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.

Blatter, 79, who has denied wrongdoing, was banned for ethics violations over a £1.35m payment Fifa made to the Uefa president, Michel Platini, with Blatter’s approval in 2011.

Platini, who had been the favourite to succeed Blatter, was also banned for eight years. The election for the new Fifa president will take place in Zurich on 26 February.

A total of 41 individuals and entities, including many former Fifa officials, have been charged with corruption-related offences in the United States as part of the wider scandal.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #552 on: January 30, 2016, 03:14:15 AM »
Paraguayan Dominguez takes the hottest seat in football as president of CONMEBOL
By Mark Baber, InsideWorldFootball.


Alejandro Dominguez of Paraguay was elected unopposed as president of CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, after Wilmar Valdez of Uruguay withdrew his candidacy.

Dominguez also becomes a FIFA vice president and member of the FIFA executive committee until May 2019 and steps into the shoes of three former CONMEBOL presidents, all of whom have been arrested as part of the US-led anti-corruption campaign.

Unsurprisingly, in his first speech as president of CONMEBOL, Alejandro Dominguez stressed the importance of recovering the credibility of CONMEBOL, saying: "We cannot fail to recognize that we are in a time of crisis and we know the responsibility of what it means taking over the Presidency of CONMEBOL, but we are confident that together we will be able to restore the credibility of the Confederation, with the emphasis on transparency in our management."

Dominguez, a close friend of previous president, Juan Angel Napout of Paraguay, who is currently on bail in the USA, continued: "CONMEBOL is currently enduring a bad institutional period, we are sure of this, but we are starting a new era in which everything will be done with transparency and clarity. Establish control systems that helps our accounts to be up to date and which will prevent any individual or private entity to profit over the interests of football."

The new president also emphasised the importance of supporting South American clubs and retaining local talent saying: "As far as the game itself is concern, we will seek to empower our South American clubs with a frank and open relationship which will allow us to retain most of our South American players for our tournaments. Help them to stay and demonstrate their full potential here at home. Hopefully we can retain our best."

"Fair play, fair play, on and off the field will be the flag ship of this new stage we begin today with the support of all the South American leadership."

During the Extraordinary Congress in Asuncion, CONMEBOL members also voted for Argentina association president Luis Segura for a second vacancy on the FIFA executive committee.

The Congress was also attended by Gianni Infantino and Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan who are looking to pick up support in the FIFA presidential election, with Dominguez undoubtedly due to play a key role in deciding which candidate will benefit from a potential CONMEBOL bloc vote. CONMEBOL's indication was that they were getting behind Infantino.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #553 on: January 30, 2016, 03:26:14 AM »
CONMEBOL pledges bloc vote to Europe's Infantino
By Andrew Warshaw, InsideWorldFootball.




Gianni Infantino appears to have stolen a march on his rival candidates for the FIFA presidency by gaining the support of South American federations who comprise 10 of the 209 voting countries.

CONMEBOL said in a statement that its executive committee had agreed to give the UEFA general secretary unanimous backing in the February 26 election.

That doesn't necessary mean the federations will follow suit because the exco has no vote but it seems highly likely Infantino did enough at the CONMEBOL congress in Paraguay to wrest support away from his rivals, especially Prince Ali bin al-Hussein.

CONMEBOL said it "unanimously agreed to vote as a bloc for Mr Gianni Infantino" next month. The confederation's past three presidents have been indicted in the United States in the corruption scandal that has brought FIFA to its knees but newly elected CONMEBOL chief Alejandro Dominguez of Paraguay has vowed to turn the page.

With the likelihood of gaining a big majority of his 53 members in Europe, Infantino could already have more than 70 votes in the bag. Africa's strategy, potentially key to the outcome of next month's ballot with its 54 votes, will become known after the Confederation of African Football's executive committee meeting on February 5 in Rwanda.

CAF signed a working agreement this month with the Asian Football Confederation, whose president, Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, appears to be the leading contender in the five-candidate race.

CONMEBOL's endorsement of Infantino came two days after it elected Dominguez who succeeded another Paraguayan, Juan Angel Napout.

Napout had previously pledged support to UEFA President Michel Platini but both have since been suspended for different alleged offences while Platini has withdrawn from the election.

Infantino has yet to be endorsed by the English Football Association, though he is scheduled to meet the media on Monday at Wembley Stadium to outline his plans.

"I am honoured to have the unanimous support of my colleagues at CONMEBOL and I'd like to thank them, along with colleagues from UNCAF, UEFA and the many other Football Associations that have declared their support for my candidacy and my vision to take FIFA and Football vision to take FIFA and Football Forward," Infantino responded.

"I have met and discussed the future of FIFA and the global game with many Football heads all over the world in recent weeks and months and these conversations, based on placing Football back on the centre stage, have reaffirmed my view we are at the dawn of a new era. We must seize this opportunity and introduce a new order of responsible leadership at FIFA.

"Associations are the bedrock of our game and I look forward to meeting with more colleagues between now and 26 February to discuss how together we can deliver change and rebuild trust in FIFA. I will work tirelessly to restore FIFA's reputation and give back to the game the credible, trustworthy governing body it deserves. Together we can take FIFA Forward."
« Last Edit: January 30, 2016, 04:56:58 AM by asylumseeker »

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #554 on: February 02, 2016, 11:14:49 AM »
FIFA pulls plug on CONMEBOL and CONCACAF funding
By Andrew Warshaw, InsideWorldFootball


In an unprecedented move that will heap even more hardship and anguish on to both scandal-hit confederations, FIFA has blocked a reported $20 million in funding to CONMEBOL and CONCACAF - just when they are trying to put their respective houses in order.

The two bodies, covering the whole of the Americas, have been at the centre of the ongoing crisis that has engulfed world football and so far seen 41 individuals and sports marketing companies charged in the United States.

"We can confirm that in light of current proceedings involving individuals related to CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, FIFA has put contributions towards these two Confederations on hold until further notice," said a FIFA statement.

"We are currently assessing further steps to be taken to increase the level of assurance which may again enable FIFA to release such funds in the future."

The FIFA move will take a huge financial toll on both confederations. Reuters quoted a source close to CONCACAF as saying it had not received $10 million in payments, including funds from FIFA's Financial Assistance Programme.

CONCACAF has seen its last three presidents indicted by the Department of Justice with Jack Warner, FIFA's former senior vice-president now banned for life, Jeffrey Webb - not so long ago touted as the saviour of world football's governing body - and Alfredo Hawit all facing charges.

Last week, in an effort to clean up its act, the confederation, currently operating without a president, unveiled details of reform measures due to be voted in at its Extraordinary Congress in Zurich one day before the FIFA presidential election.

"CONCACAF has fulfilled all of FIFA's requests for documents and information regarding the new administrative, compliance, and procurement processes that have been implemented at the Confederation to ensure the issue is resolved in a timely manner," said an email sent to Bloomberg News .

CONMEBOL, plagued by bribery and corruption more than any other region, has lost virtually an entire generation of federation leaders but is also striving desperately to turn over a new leaf amid the ongoing US investigation. Last week Alejandro Dominguez of Paraguay was elected unopposed as president and stressed the importance of recovering the region's credibility "in a time of crisis."

"Fair play, fair play, on and off the field will be the flag ship of this new stage we begin today with the support of all the South American leadership," he said.

It is unclear to what extent the FIFA move could hit this coming summer's Copa America tournament in the United States which CONMEBOL and CONCACAF are jointly staging.

And there is another twist. CONMEBOL has just endorsed Gianni Infantino's bid to become FIFA president but the decision to cut off funding hardly enhances the confederation's reputation. Nor does it tally with Infantino's intention to massively increase development funding to all six confederations if he wins on February 26.

FIFA Blocks $20 Million in Payments to Scandal-Ridden Groups
By Tariq Panja, Bloomberg Business


FIFA has blocked $20 million in funding to the organizations that oversee soccer in the Americas, dealing yet another blow to the confederations at the center of a sprawling U.S. corruption case.

"In light of current proceedings involving individuals related to Conmebol and Concacaf, FIFA has put contributions towards these two confederations on hold until further notice," the global soccer regulator said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg News. "We are currently assessing further steps to be taken to increase the level of assurance which may again enable FIFA to release such funds in the future."

A U.S. Department of Justice probe into decades of corruption in global soccer has led to charges against 39 people for crimes including racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud. Most of them are officials or sports marketing executives connected to Conmebol, the body responsible for soccer in South America, and to Concacaf, its equivalent in Central America, the Caribbean, and North America. The charges have created havoc in both organizations, which have seen operations badly disturbed by the probes.

"Concacaf has fulfilled all of FIFA’s requests for documents and information regarding the new administrative, compliance, and procurement processes that have been implemented at the Confederation to ensure the issue is resolved in a timely manner," Concacaf said in an e-mail. Conmebol’s director general Gorka Villar didn’t reply to an e-mail seeking comment.

Police in Paraguay raided the offices of Conmebol on Jan. 8 to search for documents on behalf of U.S. authorities. For their parts, FIFA and the two regional organizations are conducting internal investigations that may reveal more evidence of wrongdoing.

The scandal has taken a financial toll. In a letter to members on Jan. 5, Concacaf said it hadn’t received $10 million in FIFA funds and was trying to straighten out the group’s finances. After former president Jeffrey Webb and other officials were arrested in May, the group wasn’t able to access $9 million in a Cayman Islands bank account for several months and struggled to find a new bank. The crisis has led to the group stopping annual stipends to its 41 member nations and canceling all of its committee meetings until further notice.


"The confederation was operating with approximately $2 million in available cash - an extremely precarious situation," Concacaf wrote in the letter, which was reviewed by Bloomberg News. "While our internal investigation is ongoing much of the financial situation was the result of poor budgeting and excessive spending by the prior administration."

The group is currently being managed by Alvarez & Marsal, an international bankruptcy consultancy which took over management of Lehman Brothers following the investment bank’s 2008 collapse. According to the letter, Concacaf was expected to have operating reserves of $28 million for the year ended Dec. 31 2015.

Details of Conmebol’s finances are less clear. Following his election last week, the confederation’s new president Alejandro Dominguez announced plans for an immediate audit of the organization’s account, something his predecessor Juan Angel Napout also committed to before his arrest in December.

"I agree we cannot be in a worse situation," said Dominguez, a friend and former associate of Napout’s, after his election. "I believe that anything that can happen from now has to be good."

« Last Edit: February 02, 2016, 11:20:32 AM by asylumseeker »

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #555 on: February 02, 2016, 11:33:14 AM »
Mourinho, Capello, Figo and Roberto Carlos support Infantino. It seems that a consensus winner is emerging.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #557 on: February 03, 2016, 11:38:18 PM »
Prince Ali Blasts 'Collective Punishment' of CONCACAF & CONMEBOL
By Matthew Rogerson, Goal.com


Presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein believes Fifa has questions to answer after the suspension of payments to Concacaf and Conmebol amid the corruption scandal involving world football's governing body.

In a statement this week, Fifa confirmed it had put financial contributions to both Concacaf and Conmebol - governing bodies for North, Central American and Caribbean and South American football respectively - on hold and that it would seek to "increase the level of assurance" before releasing further funds.

Officials from Concacaf and Conmebol were among those indicted by the U.S department of Justice on charges of racketeering conspiracy and corruption.

The federations are set to jointly put on the Copa America Centenario in the United States this year and Prince Ali - who will seek to succeed Sepp Blatter at Fifa's Extraordinary Congress this month - described the decision as "collective punishment".

"I have read reports that a FIFA spokesperson has announced that funding to Concacaf and Conmebol has been suspended with immediate effect," he said.

"Who is the spokesman; which Fifa committee does he represent; who decided that 45 Member Associations should suffer collective punishment as a result of individuals' bad actions; who decided to hold these votes to ransom less than three weeks before the election and who exactly will decide when the funding will be reinstated."

The last three Concacaf presidents, Jack Warner, Jeffrey Webb and Alfredo Hawit, were among those indicted while former Conmebol presidents Nicolas Leoz and Angel Napout have both agreed to extradition over the past two months.

Prince Ali will go up against Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa and Tokyo Sexwale to be the next Fifa president, with elections set for February 26.

« Last Edit: February 03, 2016, 11:41:46 PM by asylumseeker »

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #558 on: February 04, 2016, 06:02:52 AM »
Salman expects "remarkable surprises" in FIFA vote.

Meanwhile, Infantino continues to register big name endorsements. Alex Ferguson is aboard with Infantino's candidacy ... as are the French and Russian federation's.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #559 on: February 07, 2016, 12:15:52 PM »
Background Watson was suspended from the FIFA watchdog in September 2014 pending the outcome of this case. He had also been treasurer of the Cayman Islands Football Association and was a vice-president of the Caribbean Football Union.

Watson guilty on five counts
Cayman News


(CNS): The former chair of the Health Services Authority, Canover Watson (45), has been found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to defraud, one count of conflict of interest, one count of fraud on government and one count of breach of trust in relation to the nine week corruption trial over the lucrative CarePay hospital payment and verification system. But he was found not guilty of money laundering before he was led out from the Grand Court and remanded in custody.

After deliberating for just over a day, the six women and one man on the jury revealed four unanimous guilty verdicts at 2:30 Thursday afternoon but returned to their deliberations following directions from the judge that they could reach a majority verdict if they were not unanimous on the remaining two counts. Watson placed his head in his hands as the first four verdicts were read out and then had a nerve-racking wait before the jury returned with their verdicts on the remaining counts.

After another hour and twenty minutes inside the privacy of the jury room, they returned at 3:50pm to deliver another guilty verdict for the breach of trust and an acquittal on the still serious charge, count five, the transfer of criminal property (money laundering).

The judge remanded Watson in custody in the wake of the verdicts and scheduled a sentencing hearing for 10:30 on Friday morning. Following the adjournment, the George Town man, a one time community leader and 2007 winner of the Young Caymanian Leadership Award, was handcuffed and taken by police to HMP Northward.

During the nine week corruption trial, the jury listened to live evidences from Watson, who gave evidence in his own defence, and more than a dozen witnesses and examined reams of incriminating documentary evidence, including email correspondence, bank account details, spreadsheets and contracts.

The crown’s case against Watson was that while he was chair of the HSA board, he created a company, AIS Cayman Ltd, of which he and his close friend and business partner, Jeffrey Webb, were the beneficial owners. AIS went on to win a contract, worth more than $11 million, with the HSA for a payment and verification system for patients insured with the government insurance company, CINICO.

Prosecutors claimed he had manipulated the procurement process and bumped up the transaction fees and the cost of implementing the system, which was being supplied by a partner company in the contract, AIS in Jamaica, owned by Doug Halsall.

Watson was also accused of doctoring the original contract to make it look as though the Cayman government was obligated to undertake a national roll-out of the payment system to the private health insurers and health care providers, and thereby conned the public purse out of more than $1.2 million.

His former personal assistant, Miriam Rodrigues, who stood trial with him, was acquitted last month for lack of evidence.

Jeffrey Webb, Watson’s absent co-defendant, has also been charged with corruption in this case but he has not yet been tried. Following his conviction in the massive FIFA corruption probe in the US, the former local football hero remains under house arrest at his home in Atlanta, Georgia, which, according to evidence in this trial, appears to have been paid with the ill-gotten gains from the hospital CarePay contract.

As the judge thanked the jury for their hard work, he said it had been a long and complicated case in which the anti-corruption team and crown prosecutors had also worked very hard.

In the wake of the verdicts, the Anti-Corruption Commission said the investigation was “a protracted and complicated one, during which the officers worked methodically and tirelessly, interviewing witnesses, analysing, assessing and recording data in order to progress the investigation to the point where Watson, and others, could be charged and prosecuted.”

The ACC stated, “The concerns which resulted in the investigation of Mr Watson, and others, were brought to the Commission’s attention by individuals who took an active stand against corruption in the Cayman Islands. The Commission has continually reiterated the importance of the role of public officials and the positions of trust assigned to those roles. The Commission will continue to do its part to hold accountable those public officials who do not perform their duties honestly or with integrity and subsequently break the Law.”

Thanking those who helped and assisted the investigators, the ACC also recognised the hard work and efforts of Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Patrick Moran and his team, which included local crown counsel, Toyin Saliko, and visiting counsel from the UK, Neil Ross.

Canover Watson was represented by Ben Tonner from Samson & McGrath, led by visiting QC, Trevor Burke.

Check back to CNS tomorrow for full coverage from the sentencing hearing.


Watson handed seven-year term
Cayman News




(CNS): Canover Watson, who was convicted yesterday in the hospital CarePay corruption case, has begun serving a seven-year sentence in HMP Northward after Justice Michael Mettyear delivered his sentencing ruling Friday morning. Based on UK guidelines, the judge handed out concurrent seven-year terms for the conspiracy convictions and three-year terms for the counts of conflict of interest and breach of trust. The judge said that, as a non-violent or sexual offence, the sentence should not be so long as “to crush” the man’s spirit but he said the 45-year-old George Town man had acted out of greed.

Watson, whose lawyer described him as “ruined” by his fall from grace, faced condemnation from the judge. Justice Mettyear said the evidence against him was overwhelming but instead of pleading guilty, he twisted and turned and invented a detailed and complicated web of lies. “You have not shown a jot of remorse,” he noted.

Justice Mettyear said Watson was able to succeed because of position of power and trust as chair of the Health Services Authority Board and had little regard for the people he was working for. He was “supremely confident” of his ability and used his position and reputation to ensure that senior officials accepted his word and not question his conduct.

“You are a certified accountant and you behaved shamelessly,” the judge said, as he pointed to the many falsified documents. “You fooled a number of senior civil servants and possibly a minister and tried to fool the jury, but there you failed,” he said. “You were already a wealthy man when you started. This was sheer greed and contempt for your fellow Caymanians.”

The judge said he was prepared to accept that Jeffrey Webb, a convicted racketeer, was the senior partner controlling the bank accounts, but he said Watson played his part in full. “I am satisfied that, of the two, you are the cleverer,” he said.

The judge also set a timetable for a confiscation hearing regarding the kickbacks and payments Watson creamed off in conspiracy with Webb. In relation to the original contract, the two men took over $2 million for themselves, he said, but if the launch of the CarePay system gone as planned, they would have taken more than $3 million. Although the potential kickbacks from the national rollout are not exactly known, the crown claims that if things had gone according to plan, they could have enriched themselves by more than $8 million from the public purse.

The judge said he had asked Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Patrick Moran, who led the crown’s case, if there was a legal way to bar Watson from serving as a director in any company in the future but he was advised that no such legislation exists in Cayman. However, he then made a recommendation to the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and other relevant entities that Watson not be allowed to hold a licence and he directed that the accounting body under which Watson is certified was notified of his conviction.

Following his ruling, the judge sent Watson down to the cells to begin serving his seven-year term. He then commended the two RCIPS Anti-corruption Unit officers, Richard Oliver and Anthony Hill, for what he described as their “magnificent detective work” on the case.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2016, 12:25:31 PM by asylumseeker »

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #560 on: February 09, 2016, 10:12:57 PM »


Bail hearing set for FIFA corruption scandal suspect
Daily Mail


Li was one of seven top football officials arrested in a raid on a Zurich luxury hotel in May. That kicked off an unprecedented crisis at FIFA, world football's governing body.

Li's arrest came two days before he was to have been elected to the FIFA executive committee in representation of CONCACAF, football's governing body in North and Central America as well as the Caribbean.

Switzerland extradited Li to the United States in December to face charges that include fraud and money laundering. Li says he is innocent.

After Honduran Alfredo Hawit, the suspended president of CONCACAF, was moved to house arrest last week, Li is the only suspect left behind bars in the United States.

The spiraling scandal at world football's governing body FIFA has led to the suspension of its president Sepp Blatter from any activity related to football.

Li was one of seven top football officials arrested in a raid on a Zurich luxury hotel in May. That kicked off an unprecedented crisis at FIFA, world football's governing body.

Li's arrest came two days before he was to have been elected to the FIFA executive committee in representation of CONCACAF, football's governing body in North and Central America as well as the Caribbean.

Switzerland extradited Li to the United States in December to face charges that include fraud and money laundering. Li says he is innocent.

After Honduran Alfredo Hawit, the suspended president of CONCACAF, was moved to house arrest last week, Li is the only suspect left behind bars in the United States.

The spiraling scandal at world football's governing body FIFA has led to the suspension of its president Sepp Blatter from any activity related to football.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2016, 07:05:36 AM by asylumseeker »


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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #562 on: February 18, 2016, 02:47:08 PM »
Mobiles banned from FIFA voting booths to ensure secrecy
Reuters


Mobile phones and cameras will be banned from polling booths at next week's FIFA presidential election to ensure each vote remains secret, one of the candidates said on Wednesday.

Frenchman Jerome Champagne said he raised the issue with the electoral committee because he was concerned some voters had come under pressure to photograph their ballot papers to prove they had taken part.

FIFA's 209 member national associations (FAs) each hold one vote. Five candidates are standing to replace outgoing president Sepp Blatter, banned for eight years amid a widening graft scandal that has shaken world football's ruling body.

The six continental confederations do not vote but four of them have nominated their preferred candidates.

Champagne said he wrote to Domenico Scala, head of the electoral committee, on Monday to say that "FIFA member associations and their leaders are under intense pressure to determine their vote on Feb. 26.

"Past experience, as well as the information currently circulating, is showing that in order to assure compliance with directives, voting members are being required to take pictures of their voting form with a mobile phone," he added.

In the reply seen by Reuters, Scala said all delegates would be reminded "the use of mobile phones, cameras or other electronic equipment suited to record the voting process are not permitted in the voting booths".

It added that "ballot papers will only be handed out to delegates once they are in the voting booths".
 
Champagne told Reuters he was "satisfied with the answer by the electoral committee. It is a concern, it is important I know and I'm sure I'm not the only candidate who has raised this issue".

European football's governing body UEFA and South American counterpart CONMEBOL have backed Gianni Infantino as president while Asia's AFC and Africa's CAF have put their weight behind Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.


POLITICAL LOYALTY

However, as long as voting is secret, member FAs can ignore their continental body's recommendations without being found out.
 
Last week another candidate, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, spoke of reprisals being meted out to FAs that did not toe the political line.

"Development projects mysteriously stall; tournament hosting bids are suddenly compromised or withdrawn; national teams start to mysteriously face less favourable fixtures or and even referees," he said.

"All of these are effective ways to punish member associations that fail to demonstrate political loyalty."

The other presidential candidate next week is South African Tokyo Sexwale.
 
Last week CAF issued a statement that included a comment from the head of the South Sudan FA, Chabur Goc Alei, where he apologised for expressing support for "another candidate" other than Salman.

"We would like to apologise to all member associations of CAF and our candidate for the FIFA presidency Sheikh Salman," he was quoted as saying.

Champagne said he had also heard some FAs had come under government pressure at home over their votes.

"I know cases of federations who, out of the blue, received a phone call from the ministry of foreign affairs of their own country," he said.

"It's one of the principles of the Olympic charter and the FIFA statutes to have the decision within football not influenced by external parties."

When contacted by Reuters, a spokesman for FIFA's electoral committee said they did not comment on remarks by candidates.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #563 on: February 18, 2016, 03:08:36 PM »
Blatter rules out endorsing any FIFA presidential candidate
By Graham Dunbar, Associated Press.


Geneva • Sepp Blatter insists he won't publicly support a candidate in the FIFA election, though he revealed Thursday that four of the five men have contacted him about the campaign.

The suspended FIFA president told French radio station RMC that he could not intervene in the Feb. 26 ballot to succeed him.

"I can't, it's not possible," Blatter said, after tantalizing his interviewers by saying that "four of the five candidates contacted me and spoke about it."

Blatter declined to identify the fifth candidate even when it was suggested to be Prince Ali of Jordan, who he beat to win re-election last May.
   
"You can deduce it was perhaps him that was against me. You are intelligent enough," Blatter said in an interview conducted at a favorite restaurant in Zurich attached to FIFA's former headquarters.

The other candidates are: Asian soccer leader Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino of Switzerland, former FIFA official Jerome Champagne of France and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale.

He also revealed that "several" of FIFA's 209 member federations have called asking him how they should vote.

"Vote with your conscience. Vote for who you find good," Blatter said he told them.

Blatter was giving his first interview since appearing before the FIFA appeal committee on Tuesday to challenge his eight-year ban from office for conflicts of interest.

He robustly defended his former secretary general, Jerome Valcke, who was banned for 12 years by FIFA's ethics committee last week.

"You can attack me, and I can defend myself, but you can't attack the secretary general Valcke," Blatter told his French interviewers.

Valcke was found guilty of seven charges of misconduct, which included using private jets for sightseeing trips.

"It's a question of financial controls at FIFA. It's not a question of ethics," Blatter insisted.

Blatter, who picked Valcke as his top administrator in 2007, said he knew of the private flights at FIFA's expense but that the Frenchman was a good worker.

"He managed FIFA well," Blatter said. "We made now an organization that has reserves of 1.3 or 1.4 billion (dollars)."

Blatter said the ethics committee also should not have taken action against the $2 million payment from FIFA to Michel Platini that led to both getting eight-year bans.

Repeating his insistence that both are innocent, Blatter suggested it was "an accounting matter" not ethics.

Blatter and former France great Platini, who also appealed at FIFA this week, should get verdicts next Monday or Tuesday.

In a live interview lasting almost one hour, Blatter repeated many of his claims and theories about why FIFA fell into a corruption crisis with dual American and Swiss federal investigations of corruption implicating top FIFA officials.

Blatter is the subject of criminal proceedings opened by Switzerland's attorney general and is a target of the U.S. Department of Justice, which has indicted 41 officials and businesses.

Blatter said the American authorities wanted to "take control of FIFA," and that a turning point was the U.S bid to host the 2022 World Cup losing to Qatar more than five years ago.

Platini was again blamed by Blatter for letting himself be pressured by then-France state president Nicolas Sarkozy to switch his and other European voters' support from the American side to the Qataris two weeks before the December 2010 vote.


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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #564 on: February 23, 2016, 03:13:30 PM »



Campaign promises and track record of FIFA candidate Salman

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160222/sports/campaign-promises-and-track-record-of-fifa-candidate-salman

GENEVA (AP) — Sheikh Salman has had a target on his back all through the FIFA presidential election campaign.

The Bahraini royal began the five-candidate contest knowing his home country's human rights record and treatment of national team players after Arab Spring protests in 2011 would be an issue.

Still, it didn't stop Sheikh Salman from winning two presidential elections at the Asian soccer confederation. Also, no decisive new evidence has emerged during FIFA campaigning about his role during a crackdown on pro-democracy protests by the government led by his family.

Sheikh Salman has been the presumed favorite for Friday's election because of endorsements from the executive committees of the Asian and African soccer confederations, which represent up to 100 of the 209 FIFA member federations.

Here are some things to know about his election promises and track record:

___

HUMAN RIGHTS

From the start of his campaign, Sheikh Salman denounced any claim that he — as Bahrain soccer federation president — helped identify players to be detained if they attended protests, calling the accusations "nasty lies." Some players said they were tortured by government forces.

The FIFA election committee approved the sheikh as a candidate. Two years ago, the FIFA ethics committee also rejected requests by activists to open a case.

Sheikh Salman told The Associated Press he is accountable only for decisions by soccer bodies: "Whatever is related to the political side and government side is not a concern of mine."

Election rival Prince Ali of Jordan aimed this barb: "How are you then going to earn the respect of the entire world and players across the world, as well as FAs (football associations), if you couldn't even take care of your own?"

___

CONTINUITY

Despite his ban, Sepp Blatter looms over an election decided by voters who repeatedly gave him power when FIFA was in reputational crisis. In 2002, 2011 and 2015.

Sheikh Salman strongly supported Blatter last May against Asia's then-FIFA vice president, Prince Ali.

Some voters see Gianni Infantino, the sheikh's biggest rival, as representing a wealthy and arrogant UEFA which fought with FIFA and Blatter for years.

The sheikh defends FIFA. His manifesto says FIFA "does not need a revolution, it just needs to be re-thought, re-positioned and re-energized."

___

CAUTIOUS LEADER

Sheikh Salman's manifesto hedges on expanding the 32-team World Cup — "(it) cannot be used as an election tool" — and spending more of FIFA's $1.4 billion reserves and $5 billion-plus income from each tournament.

Instead of across-the-board increases to all 209 members, he prefers "needs-based" development funds.

Sheikh Salman has been risk averse at the Asian soccer confederation. The soccer body's auditors advised reviewing a $1 billion, eight-year marketing deal with World Sport Group brokered by disgraced former president Mohamed bin Hammam.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers report said AFC's competition assets were undervalued by tens of millions of dollars. The deal remains in place.

"Even if the risks (to the AFC) are 20 percent or 50 percent I'm not ready to take it," the sheikh told the AP.

As FIFA president, Sheikh Salman would be hands-off, delegating to staffers in Zurich and taking no salary.

___

CLEAN-UP OPERATION

Sheikh Salman says he can restore FIFA after a corruption crisis because he already did that in Asia.

His challenges on being elected in 2013, after FIFA twice banned Bin Hammam for life, included ending factional disputes and clearing out corrupt officials.

"If you have a very fair leader ... who can bring people together in mutual consensus, it can be done," Sheikh Salman said.

Still, the AFC never appointed a planned ethics committee despite publishing on its website a Code of Ethics dated July 2013.

"The ethics code in Asia hasn't been approved but it has been approved as a concept to create it," the sheikh told the AP this month.

Instead, evidence was handed over to the FIFA ethics committee, which banned an AFC executive committee member from Laos in November for taking an irregular payment.

Officials implicated in wrongdoing, including by PricewaterhouseCoopers, also won AFC executive committee seats in elections last April.

"You cannot decide and reject someone if you don't have any proof or a decision against them," Sheikh Salman told the AP.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #565 on: February 24, 2016, 01:49:06 PM »
Fifa election: Prince Ali loses bid to suspend Friday's vote
BBC Sport


Friday's Fifa presidential election will go ahead as planned after candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein lost a bid to have it suspended.

Prince Ali, 40, is unhappy with voting arrangements but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) rejected his case.

The Jordanian wanted transparent voting booths to ensure the election, to find Sepp Blatter's successor, is fair.

"I have done all I can. I regret that the system let us down," he said.

"It is now imperative that voters abide by the ban on mobile phones and cameras in the voting booth.

"I look forward to Friday's vote and remain as committed as ever to the goal of reforming Fifa."

World football's election commission rejected Prince Ali's original request to suspend it if it could not "ensure that the vote is conducted in secret" and Cas ratified that decision on Wednesday.

Ali wants to ensure delegates do not photograph their ballot papers when they choose the next president, claiming they could be put under pressure to produce evidence of their vote to interested parties.

Prince Ali is one of five contenders looking to succeed the Swiss, who is stepping down at world football's governing body after 18 years.

He is up against:

* South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale
* Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa
* Former Fifa deputy general secretary Jerome Champagne
and
* Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #566 on: February 24, 2016, 01:51:48 PM »

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #567 on: February 24, 2016, 02:51:53 PM »
I think Fox Sports bring everything live starting at midnight Thur night/Fri morning.

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #568 on: February 25, 2016, 06:01:11 PM »
Deeks said after Jack Warner CFU, CONCACAF and FIFA eh go want nutten to do with a Trini, but here we are after Blatter (Swiss) and Infantino (also Swiss) is deep in the mix. Different folks, different strokes? Or it doh matter?

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Re: FIFA News Thread.
« Reply #569 on: February 25, 2016, 06:47:27 PM »
Deeks said after Jack Warner CFU, CONCACAF and FIFA eh go want nutten to do with a Trini, but here we are after Blatter (Swiss) and Infantino (also Swiss) is deep in the mix. Different folks, different strokes? Or it doh matter?

I meant to say that no Trini will ever get into position of power in FiFa ever again

 

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