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Offline WestCoast

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TV-Rights Thread
« on: July 30, 2008, 10:13:25 AM »
Fifa 'misled' detectives on trail of missing £45m paid for World Cup TV rights

A Swiss court has ruled that football’s world governing body, Fifa, misled detectives investigating the disappearance of £45 million paid for World Cup television rights.
By Andrew Jennings


Last Updated: 9:36AM BST 30 Jul 2008


Questions on the horizon: Sepp Blatter's organisation must pay out £57,000 in court costs Photo: AP
The disturbing revelations highlight the dilemma confronting the Football Association as they seek an honest way to persuade Fifa to award them the right to stage the World Cup in 2018.
In an extraordinary decision, three judges in Zug hearing a fraud trial into the collapse of Fifa’s former marketing partner, ISL, ruled earlier this month that football’s governing body “knew more than they told investigators”, that their behaviour “was not always in good faith”, and some of their claims “were not credible”.
Fifa were even ordered to pay £57,000 in costs, despite claiming they had not misled the authorities. The Daily Telegraph has seen the written submission from Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s lawyer, Peter Nobel, claiming that Fifa did act in good faith. “All the facts show and prove that Fifa did not act frivolously,” he said. The court rejected this, ordering Fifa to pay up.
Fifa have declined to comment on the court’s costs decision, saying only that they have “taken note of the verdict” and adding that they will appeal against the ruling.
During the case earlier this year it was also disclosed that Fifa officials pocketed kickbacks from the agency they employed to sell billion-dollar World Cup television and marketing contracts.
With the FA fine-tuning preparations for the bid company who will run the £15 million 2018 campaign, details from the Zug court case may alarm senior figures at Soho Square who are plotting what is likely to be a fiercely contested World Cup contest.
The latest controversy to rock Fifa is rooted in the collapse of the Swiss-based ISL company, Fifa’s marketing agency of two decades, in the spring of 2001. After a seven-year investigation, six directors came to trial in March this year, accused of embezzling £45 million that should have been paid to Fifa. But the case collapsed on the final day when a defence lawyer flourished a secret memo purporting to reveal that Fifa leaders always knew the money was missing.
The memo, written by Fifa’s former finance director, Urs Linsi, claimed: “It was a higher-level decision within Fifa not to put too much pressure on ISL.” There was only one level higher than Linsi – president Blatter.
The 228-page criminal indictment revealed that ISL paid £9 million in secret kickbacks in the company’s final 18 months. Two in 2000, totalling $130,000 – then worth £89,000 – allegedly went to Nicolas Leoz, the 79-year-old Paraguayan president of South American football and a member of Fifa’s ruling executive, who awarded the contracts to ISL. He denies wrongdoing.
Five of the defendants claimed they had no idea who got bribes. They claimed fellow director Jean-Marie Weber, a close friend of Blatter, organised the payments. He allegedly laundered them through the 'Nunca’ foundation (Spanish for never) in Liechtenstein and onwards to a British Virgin Islands company, which distributed the money to front companies and individuals.
A total of £3 million was diverted to the 'Sicuretta’ account managed by Swiss lawyer Guido Renggli, who allowed Weber to remove large sums in cash to distribute to officials. Weber admitted to investigators the money was for “the acquisition of rights”. Weber refused to identify recipients, repeatedly telling the court “these payments were confidential and I must respect that confidentiality”.
Judge Marc Siegwart appeared irritated by Weber’s stonewalling and in the most electrifying moment of the trial said, out of the blue, there was evidence that between 1991 and 1999 ISL paid an additional, staggering £60 million in bribes. He asked the defendants if that was true. One by one, they admitted it was.
One defendant gave devastating testimony. Former chief executive Christoph Malms said that after joining ISL in the 1990s he was shocked to discover the business was built on bribes. “I was told the company would not have existed if it had not made such payments,” Malms testified. “I was always told they went to well-known decision-makers in the world of sports politics.”
Malms said kickbacks were usual in the sports marketing and sports political business worldwide. It was the style of the business. Former ISL finance head Hans-Juerg Schmid backed Malms, telling the court: “If we hadn’t made the payments, the other parties wouldn’t have signed the contracts. The other side don’t want to be named, that is the very sensitive aspect of this business.”
Two more officials were named. Malms’ lawyer, Werner Wurgler, claimed Blatter had approached his client and told him that if ISL wanted to keep Fifa’s business, Weber had to keep his job at the company. If not, “it would be bad for ISL”. Wurgler also claimed that during the World Cup in France in 1998, then Fifa president Joao Havelange made the same demand.
Anybody at Fifa who knew about the bribes – and who was getting them – could exercise great power over fellow officials, Wurgler said. ISL became a private source of money for Fifa, virtually their private bank.
Weber was fined £41,000 for embezzling cash that he refused to account for. Two others were given small fines for false accounting. Three more men were cleared.
Dangers for bid
Scandals may shape England’s campaign
How did Fifa end up being dragged into the ISL collapse?
ISL were the governing body’s marketing and commercial partners, with exclusive rights to negotiate their multi-million pound, worldwide TV deals. When they went bust in May 2001 liquidators began to investigate what had happened to the money.
How did £45m go missing?
The money was given to ISL by Brazilian TV company Globo in part-payment for future World Cup rights. ISL were supposed to pass it to Fifa but, needing the cash to keep the company afloat, executives withheld it. When ISL went broke, the money was lost.
When did Fifa know about the payment being withheld?
Fifa president Sepp Blatter claims he first knew about it on April 21, 2001, just before ISL collapsed a month later. Confidential letters seen by The Daily Telegraph purport to show that Blatter had known for three years. Michel Zen-Ruffinen, the former Fifa general-secretary, has claimed Blatter was aware of a letter he sent to ISL’s Jean-Marie Weber mentioning the Globo deal and an expected $22m payment for World Cup rights. Two years later Fifa’s lawyers wrote to them calling ISL’s behaviour “totally unacceptable”. Even when they wrote again, in September 2000, flagging up the missing £45m, Fifa’s executives did not act. ISL then went bust.
Why does any of this matter to England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup?
As ISL liquidator Thomas Bauer delved into the company finances, he discovered evidence of kickbacks being paid to senior Fifa executives, including Nicolas Leoz (below), by ISL in return for their exclusive contract to sell TV rights for Fifa. One Zug defendant claimed the payments were so regular they were “like salaries”. In 2003 Bauer went to court to force ISL executives to repay them.
Separate to that inquiry, magistrate Thomas Hildbrand began an investigation to try to unearth who got the ISL bribes. That investigation is ongoing. And should any more powerful Fifa figures be linked to the scandal over the next two years, it will undoubtedly impact on England’s campaign.

please see article here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/2470897/Fifa-misled-detectives-on-trail-of-missing-%C2%A345m-paid-for-World-Cup-TV-rights.html

« Last Edit: February 13, 2020, 06:58:08 AM by Flex »
Whatever you do, do it to the purpose; do it thoroughly, not superficially. Go to the bottom of things. Any thing half done, or half known, is in my mind, neither done nor known at all. Nay, worse, for it often misleads.
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(1694 - 1773)

Offline WestCoast

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Lord David Triesman vows FA will fight clean to win 2018 World Cup bid
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2008, 10:29:21 AM »
Lord David Triesman vows FA will fight clean to win 2018 World Cup bid
The World Cup 2018 bid has changed direction significantly since the autumn, when the Football Association hired Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s former special adviser, Peter Hargitay, to draw up the campaign strategy.
 
By Andrew Jennings
Last Updated: 10:56PM BST 29 Jul 2008


Hands-on role: Lord Triesman is determined to fight a transparent World Cup bidding campaign Photo: Stephen Lock

FA officials had calculated that Hargitay, with his years of experience working closely with senior Fifa figures, was best placed to mastermind England’s lobbying.

But that plan was drawn up before the new FA chairman, Lord David Triesman of Tottenham, started taking an increasingly hands-on role with the bid. With Fifa attracting controversy in recent years over the conduct of some members of the 24-man executive committee who will eventually choose the 2018 host, Triesman is determined to fight an open and transparent campaign.

Costly efforts were made during England’s doomed bid for the 2006 World Cup to woo Nicolas Leoz, the man who has presided over Latin American football since 1986. Sir Bobby Charlton was dispatched twice to Paraguay to court him, the second time in February 2000, just days after Leoz had secretly trousered a $100,000 kickback from the ISL company. A month later, Leoz was hosted by the FA. He lunched at the House of Commons, dined at Lancaster House and shortly afterwards collected a further $30,000 from ISL.

Despite being disgraced in the Zug trial, Leoz has shown no inclination to resign, and none of the committee’s other 23 members, including the president, Sepp Blatter, and England’s Fifa vice-president, Geoff Thompson, has made any public comment about his undesirability. How do the English bid team plan to secure Leoz’s vote?

Similar quandaries arise with Brazil’s member of the executive committee, Ricardo Teixeira, the son-in-law of former Fifa president Joao Havelange, himself no stranger to allegations of pocketing bribes. Teixeira presides over Brazilian football and was investigated by a government committee in 2001. They concluded his federation was “a den of crime, revealing disorganisation, anarchy, incompetence and dishonesty”.

The FA have already begun wooing Fifa vice-president Jack Warner. When England flew to Trinidad for a friendly in June, fans found piles of $100 tickets for the supposedly sold-out stadium available for cash at the watersports shop owned by his son, Daryan.

Fifa refuse to say whether this profiteering breaches their ethics code. In 2006 Warner and son were allowed by Fifa to buy more than 5,000 tickets for the World Cup and are estimated to have made up to $3 million.

Conscious of the potential for scandal, Triesman wants to ensure the FA do everything by the book, even if it potentially undermines England’s chances of victory.

Conscious of the potential for scandal, Triesman wants to ensure the FA do everything by the book, even if it potentially undermines England's chances of victory.

please see article here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/england/2471171/Lord-David-Triesman-vows-FA-will-fight-clean-to-win-2018-World-Cup-bid.html
« Last Edit: July 30, 2008, 10:31:12 AM by WestCoast »
Whatever you do, do it to the purpose; do it thoroughly, not superficially. Go to the bottom of things. Any thing half done, or half known, is in my mind, neither done nor known at all. Nay, worse, for it often misleads.
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Offline superoli

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all slurs !   FIFA corrupt ?? are these people mad ?
Superoli for President of TTFF
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Offline WestCoast

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hear nuh Oli
de bess part is that the bobbol was £45 million and the fine was only £57,000 ::)

can anyone here say.............."A drop in the bucket"
dais only a 0.00127 % fine :devil:

addendum: as a very Sheepish Blatter would say.............."That is a very small cost of doing business"  :D :D
« Last Edit: July 30, 2008, 07:52:42 PM by WestCoast »
Whatever you do, do it to the purpose; do it thoroughly, not superficially. Go to the bottom of things. Any thing half done, or half known, is in my mind, neither done nor known at all. Nay, worse, for it often misleads.
Lord Chesterfield
(1694 - 1773)

Offline ZANDOLIE

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all slurs ! FIFA corrupt ?? are these people mad ?
I concur! Onerous slander!

"In an extraordinary decision, three judges in Zug hearing a fraud trial into the collapse of Fifa’s former marketing partner, ISL, ruled earlier this month that football’s governing body “knew more than they told investigators”, that their behaviour “was not always in good faith”, and some of their claims “were not credible"

"One defendant gave devastating testimony. Former chief executive Christoph Malms said that after joining ISL in the 1990s he was shocked to discover the business was built on bribes. “I was told the company would not have existed if it had not made such payments,” Malms testified. “I was always told they went to well-known decision-makers in the world of sports politics.”
Malms said kickbacks were usual in the sports marketing and sports political business worldwide. It was the style of the business. Former ISL finance head Hans-Juerg Schmid backed Malms, telling the court: “If we hadn’t made the payments, the other parties wouldn’t have signed the contracts"

These "judges" are clearly politically motivated.
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Offline Observer

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hear nuh Oli
de bess part is that the bobbol was £45 million and the fine was only £57,000 ::)

can anyone here say.............."A drop in the bucket"
dais only a 0.00127 % fine :devil:


Ent!  ???
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Offline kiffysmooth

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45 million?....wheeeeeyyyyyy.....wid dat kinda money I only need a salary of "$1 per month" :-X

Offline maxg

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wha ever happen to dat BBC TV rights for the Eng.vTT game that the England FA say they didn't get, and Jack say he give them.

Offline WestCoast

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wha ever happen to dat BBC TV rights for the Eng.vTT game that the England FA say they didn't get, and Jack say he give them.
:whistling:

maybe somebody needs to contact Andrew Jennings and tell him that. Contact him here  http://www.transparencyinsport.org/
« Last Edit: July 30, 2008, 07:41:16 PM by WestCoast »
Whatever you do, do it to the purpose; do it thoroughly, not superficially. Go to the bottom of things. Any thing half done, or half known, is in my mind, neither done nor known at all. Nay, worse, for it often misleads.
Lord Chesterfield
(1694 - 1773)

Offline Brownsugar

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45 million?....wheeeeeyyyyyy.....wid dat kinda money I only need a salary of "$1 per month" :-X

*chuckles*....heh heh...good one Kiffy!!
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Or yuh shoes burst off,
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Old lady, young baby, everybody could dingolay...
Dingolay, ay, ay, ay ay,
Dingolay ay, ay, ay..."

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Offline Flex

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Re: TV-Rights Thread
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2020, 06:59:17 AM »
Selby’s ship comes in; ex-TTFA Board member acquires W/Cup TV rights.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).


The abysmal performances of the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team under the David John-Williams-led football body saw the Soca Warriors demoted from the Concacaf Nations League top tier and miss out on the Hex for the 2022 World Cup qualifying series.

However, former Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) board member Selby Browne is set to cash in on both competitions, after being awarded the media rights for the Nations League and Fifa World Cup qualifiers for 2020-22.

Global sports agency, IMG, confirmed last month that the rights for both companies were formally awarded to CSTN, which is run by Browne. The deal means CSTN is authorised to re-sell both tournaments—comprising at least 180 games—to 27 Caribbean nations, including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, Guyana and the Bahamas.

Browne inked the deal with IMG vice-president James Tree and Caribbean Football Union (CFU) general secretary Camara David. David was TTFA general secretary under John-Williams at the same time that Browne served on the football body’s emergency committee, which was accused of illegally—or at least immorally—circumventing the board.

It is uncertain what deal was struck for Trinidad and Tobago’s matches in either competition, which would have occurred during the John-Williams-led administration.

Current TTFA president William Wallace could not be reached for comment.

Browne, who is also interim president of the Veteran Footballers Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (VFFOTT), won and then lost the World Cup rights for the 2002 World Cup, which was then picked up by controversial ex-FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.

Browne insisted he was swindled, although some sources claimed that he forfeited the rights after failing to make scheduled payments.

It is uncertain how active CSTN has been since. His company does not have a website.

Browne was one of John-Williams’ most vociferous critics. In July 2017, he published 42 financial questions to the then TTFA president. And, in May 2018, he again put pen to paper in a stinging critique of John-Williams, who he accused of: ‘poor administration, poor management, no accountability or transparency, generating enormous debt, and outright incompetent lawlessness’.

John-Williams never officially responded to Browne. By January 2019, Browne became a TTFA board member and went on to be one of the president’s most outspoken supporters.

And, when John-Williams stood for re-election on 24 November 2019, Browne was at his side as first vice-president. Both men lost at the polls, as they were replaced by Wallace’s slate.

But CSTN did emerge with a significant victory.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline lefty

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Re: TV-Rights Thread
« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2020, 09:24:44 AM »
Always figured this character was a selfish c**t simply seeking his own selfish interest.....that is all he concerned himself about during his run for prez, dat and taking d football back to the future as his mind has apparently never left 1973
 as the peak of our football
I pity the fool....

Offline Flex

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Re: TV-Rights Thread
« Reply #12 on: February 20, 2020, 02:16:38 PM »
PSG president Al-Khelaifi charged with criminal offences after being accused of giving ‘undue advantages’ to former FIFA general secretary Valcke.
GOAL.COM.


Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been charged with criminal offences in Switzerland over his alleged role in the manipulation of World Cup broadcasting rights by FIFA’s former general secretary Jerome Valcke.

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has taken action against those caught up in the scandal.

Valcke stands accused of having accepted bribes when it comes to the distribution of media rights for World Cup and Confederations Cup events.

Al-Khelaifi, who is also head of the beIN Media Group, and a third party are alleged to have incited Valcke to commit “aggravated criminal mismanagement”.

A statement released by the OAG read: “The investigations revealed that Valcke had received undue advantages from both co-accused. Valcke was refunded the down payment of around EUR 500,000 that he had made to a third party on the purchase of a villa in Sardinia, after Al-Khelaifi had purchased the villa through a company instead of Valcke. Valcke then received from Al-Khelaifi the exclusive right to use the villa for a period of 18 months – until he was suspended by FIFA – without having to pay an estimated rent in between about EUR 900,000 and about EUR 1.8m. From the third accused Valcke received three payments totalling about EUR 1.25m to his company Sportunited LLC.

“The charge of criminal mismanagement relates to the fact that Valcke had not reported the mentioned advantages that he received to FIFA, as he was required to do as its Secretary General, thus unlawfully enriching himself. In this context, Al-Khelaifi and the third accused are charged with corresponding incitement.

“In relation to the falsification of documents, Valcke is charged with causing the issuance of untruthful balance sheets for Sportunited LLC in 2013 and 2014, in that he had the three payments from the third accused entered as loans.

“The charges of paying and accepting bribes are based on the allegation that between 2013 and 2015 Valcke exploited his position as Secretary General of FIFA to influence the award of media rights for Italy and Greece for various World Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments in the period between 2018 and 2030 in order to favour media partners that he preferred. In return, the third accused promised and indeed made the aforementioned three payments to Valcke totalling EUR 1.25m.

“On the other hand, the suspicion that Valcke accepted a luxury watch that Al-Khelaifi offered him in return for exerting his influence as Secretary General of FIFA was not found to be substantiated. As a result, an abandonment of proceedings order in relation to this matter was issued in February 2020.”

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: TV-Rights Thread
« Reply #13 on: February 20, 2020, 08:31:00 PM »
To be precise, Valcke was "secretary general" of FIFA as opposed to being "general secretary" of FIFA as described in the article. The role of "general secretary" is a role designated within the member associations. Fatma  Samoura is FIFA Secretary General  but Ramesh Ramdan is TTFA General Secretary.

Anyway ... watches and the Swiss ... It wasn't long ago that Blatter made a big stink about getting watches he had left on FIFA premises. Seems like Al-Khelaifi knows which carrots to dangle. Not surprising.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2020, 08:35:54 PM by asylumseeker »

 

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