The Fifa Superthread; Corruption, Arrests and Sepp Blatter's Resignation!

BrookieD

BrookieD wrote: »

VISA Statement - between the lines i ead this as "Seep out or we leave...." First of the big sponsors to step up and the rest will follow


Visa’s Updated Statement on FIFA

May 27, 2015

Our disappointment and concern with FIFA in light of today’s developments is profound. As a sponsor, we expect FIFA to take swift and immediate steps to address these issues within its organization. This starts with rebuilding a culture with strong ethical practices in order to restore the reputation of the games for fans everywhere.

Visa became a sponsor of FIFA because the World Cup is one of the few truly global sporting events with the power to unite people from around the world through a common love of football. Our sponsorship has always focused on supporting the teams, enabling a great fan experience, and inspiring communities to come together and celebrate the spirit of competition and personal achievement – and it is important that FIFA makes changes now, so that the focus remain on these going forward. Should FIFA fail to do so, we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship.

- See more at: http://visacorporate.tumblr.com/post/120062181438/visas-updated-statement-on-fifa#sthash.Xx67XahE.dpuf

I'd read it as more "Sepp, do some big window dressing for us, look we have to be seen to say something, bang some tables and it'll be grand".

They stuck with him through bribery and corruption and slavery when it was actually happening and the dogs on the street knew about it. That's the value of the deal to them. They won't part just because there's been a few arrests and some will get their wrists slapped, as long as the optics are made okay again.

weisses

Only one place for that man

inforfun

I guess Qatar has taken the check book out of the back pocket again as the AFC confirmed they will keep supporting Blatter.

As for the big sponsors, they are probably not too bothered.
Fans dont mind it too much there has been bribes to get tournaments (apart from Qatar).
Football fans just want to see matches and dont really care where they are.
If the scandal was about match fixing, VISA, McD and the likes would have pulled the plug yesterday already

DVDM93

MightyMandarin wrote: »

Whatever about the FIFA delegates and their bribes, this lad from the Qatar2022 comittee looks like such a dodgy character.

He should throw all his dirty money (if any) at a dentist, his teeth are more yellow than the World Cup.

Luckycharms_74

Good programme about Blatter last night on 5 live. This was scheduled to be broadcast prior to the arrests.

"A special programme on Sepp Blatter, looking at the man who has been FIFA President for 17 years as he looks to be re-elected head of the World football organisation for a fifth time. Mark Pougatch is joined by Richard Conway and football writer and broadcaster Gabriele Marcotti to paint a picture of the man that runs "the beautiful game". We hear from those closest to Sepp Blatter ahead of FIFA's presidential election and, in her first ever broadcast interview, we also speak to Blatter's daughter Corrine"


They also talk about how Blatter started off as a wedding singer and a master of ceremonies. He is probably the only guy in the world that could fly to any country and roll up to meet the head of state without prior appointment , he is that popular.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05w8ftq

intellectual dosser

Corporate Sponsors dont particularly care about the allegations, but they care about the image of their association with FIFA, this scandal doesnt go away if Sepp keeps the Presidency, they should recognize this and be telling FIFA so.

Corporations only care for themselves, therefore they'll want Sepp out just like the rest of us.

NeVeR

Blatter has to go... he should be shot with balls of his own sh!te...

The world cup should be taken away from Qutar and given to England.

intellectual dosser

intellectual dosser wrote: »

Corporate Sponsors dont particularly care about the allegations, but they care about the image of their association with FIFA, this scandal doesnt go away if Sepp keeps the Presidency, they should recognize this and be telling FIFA so.

Corporations only care for themselves, therefore they'll want Sepp out just like the rest of us.

Corporate sponsors know that the link with football is a global issue, reaching billions across Asia, the Americas and so on. And Blatter has driven the game into so many countries. The fact that he has presided over a corrupt regime has never bothered them to date, and the possibility that a few million people will read about this stuff and tut tut in places like the UK and Ireland will give them little concern. They stick with the Olympics despite past scandals, most stuck with cycling, they'll stick with football and they have derived enormous benefit from Blatter pushing the game. I'm not sure we have come near the tipping point where they will say the damage is not worth it. I'd like to think so, but I am deeply sceptical.

inforfun

NeVeR wrote: »

Blatter has to go... he should be shot with balls of his own sh!te...

The world cup should be taken away from Qutar and given to England.

Will not happen.

If it is taken away from Qatar it will go to any other continent but Europe unless Russia is losing their tournament too.
WC is never held 2x in a row on the same continent (or held in the same confederation)

NeVeR

inforfun wrote: »

Will not happen.

If it is taken away from Qatar it will go to any other continent but Europe unless Russia is losing their tournament too.
WC is never held 2x in a row on the same continent (or held in the same confederation)

Ya i see your point... Qutar should lose it just to save the lives of 1000's of workers.. over 2000 have died so far building the stadiums.

Fr Tod Umptious

Deleted User wrote: »

Corporate sponsors know that the link with football is a global issue, reaching billions across Asia, the Americas and so on. And Blatter has driven the game into so many countries. The fact that he has presided over a corrupt regime has never bothered them to date, and the possibility that a few million people will read about this stuff and tut tut in places like the UK and Ireland will give them little concern. They stick with the Olympics despite past scandals, most stuck with cycling, they'll stick with football and they have derived enormous benefit from Blatter pushing the game. I'm not sure we have come near the tipping point where they will say the damage is not worth it. I'd like to think so, but I am deeply sceptical.

Very true.
For every outraged fan in Europe that may not buy a bottle of coke at a game there are 100 new fans in Asia that will not care as much.

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Blatter is the ultimate example of how being charismatic and being able to "talk the talk" will get you very very far in life. He is clearly totally corrupt and doesn't give a toss who knows it. He's made it now and he's going to cream it for all its worth.

Fr Tod Umptious

inforfun wrote: »

I guess Qatar has taken the check book out of the back pocket again as the AFC confirmed they will keep supporting Blatter.

As for the big sponsors, they are probably not too bothered.
Fans dont mind it too much there has been bribes to get tournaments (apart from Qatar).
Football fans just want to see matches and dont really care where they are.
If the scandal was about match fixing, VISA, McD and the likes would have pulled the plug yesterday already

Exactly
And the only reason fans did not like Qatar from the start is because it is not a "fan friendly" sort of place, i.e expensive, alcohol restrictions etc.

No one would care if England, Aus or the US bribed their way to host a World Cup.

Mitch Connor

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Exactly
And the only reason fans did not like Qatar from the start is because it is not a "fan friendly" sort of place, i.e expensive, alcohol restrictions etc.

No one would care if England, Aus or the US bribed their way to host a World Cup.

England tried didn't they? Didn't The Times report they had done some shady deals to get votes themselves, but were double crossed so to speak. I would say Australia and the US were the same. I don't think you could get to final voting without bribing, such is the way of Fifa imo.

Also, the crap from the sponsors rings very hollow.

So Fifa basically run their TV auctions and games auctions based on a bribing culture, but they aware sponsorship deals completely on the up and up? Visa, Adidas, Coke ect offered no kickbacks or inducements to award sponsorship contracts? I don't believe that for a moment.

inforfun

Of course it takes bribing to get tournaments.

The ones who think they dont need it will never organise a thing. You need votes from African countries.
Good luck getting anything done there (in most countries) without taking the check book out. Will not be different in a lot of Asian countries either.

Tomagotchye

Think it says it all that everyone expects bribery to take place and seemingly feels like nothing will really change. If there's bribery involved in it then I'd want no part of it regardless if Qatar or England, Australia or Russia. Belief in Fifa will take ages to be restored.

This Price Ali fellow that's running, who the hell is he? I know he's being backed by Delaney but why, what are his credentials for running this organization?

inforfun

Tomagotchye wrote: »

Think it says it all that everyone expects bribery to take place and seemingly feels like nothing will really change. If there's bribery involved in it then I'd want no part of it regardless if Qatar or England, Australia or Russia. Belief in Fifa will take ages to be restored.

This Price Ali fellow that's running, who the hell is he? I know he's being backed by Delaney but why, what are his credentials for running this organization?

He is the 5th son of the King of Jordan. More than likely the lesser of 2 evils, if he even is evil. Sounds dodgy, some Arab prince but he doesnt look half bad.

Dutch FA are backing him as well after their own candidate, Michael van Praag (former Ajax president) pulled out as he was getting no backing whatsoever in Africa en hardly any in South America.

Kirby

Tomagotchye wrote: »

This Price Ali fellow that's running, who the hell is he? I know he's being backed by Delaney but why, what are his credentials for running this organization?

The only credential that matters is the "Not blatter" one. He could be just as bad but the risk is worth taking to get rid of Blatter and thats why he's getting votes.

sjb25

Tomagotchye wrote: »

This Price Ali fellow that's running, who the hell is he? I know he's being backed by Delaney but why, what are his credentials for running this organization?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Ali_bin_Hussein

snaps

If blatter stays, what stops countries pulling away from fifa and starting their own cup competition?

Russia and qatar could keep their world cups then and the countries that want to stay with fifa Can compete there.

Lord TSC

snaps wrote: »

If blatter stays, what stops countries pulling away from fifa and starting their own cup competition?

I guess history; any new competition would have no lineage.

Also the problem of how many countries actually would step away; strikes me you'd have a fair chunk of Europeans and USA and that's it. Africa, Asia and S.America don't seem to have the big a problem with him.

keeponhurling

sjb25 wrote: »

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Ali_bin_Hussein

Interesting that he is the Vice President of FIFA for Asia.

But the Asian countries are not backing him in his run for President, instead backing Blatter the European man.

JohnDaniels

Fair play to him.

https://twitter.com/martynziegler/status/603897471362793472

Lovely Bloke

This Prince Ali guy seems to have told UEFA he has 60 votes outside of Europe, so with 50 odd coming from UEFA (they've said they aren't boycotting the vote) that would take him over 110, and a win maybe.

Headshot

Wow go wan Platini

Destroy Blatter

Washington Irving

Lovely Bloke

Russia obv won't vote for Ali, and for some reason Spain are pro-Blatter too.

Richard Hillman

Platini just said roughly 45-46 will vote for Hussein from UEFA

Lovely Bloke

If he has 60 then that's over a hundred

How many countries vote?

Lovely Bloke

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Platini just said roughly 45-46 will vote for Hussein from UEFA

with the caveat that everyone told him the truth.

There are obviously some pro-russian Eurasian states voting with them.

Kirby

The vote could be academic. People keep forgetting he could be in a cell this time next week.

Kirby

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

If he has 60 then that's over a hundred

How many countries vote?

You need 105 votes to win. If people are telling the truth, Blatter is going to lose. Thats a big if. No telling if the associations were telling Platini the truth.

Headshot

This is could be a new dawn for soccer world.

Its really turned the sport upside down

JohnDaniels

Who is this Prince Al fellow anyway? Is he seen as whiter than white or are we heading from the frying pan to the fire just because he is the only alternative in this crisis. Blatter will be removed in due course, surely the focus should be on rebuilding the organisation in a fair, transparent and proper way. This looks like a nice opportunistic power grab in a time of trouble which history has generally shown is a bad thing.

Knex*

Apparently Nike are involved in a 150m bribery now too

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/05/27/meet-the-unscrupulous-executives-who-conspired-with-fifa-officials-to-funnel-150-million-in-bribes/

Headshot

Im loving this Platini newsconference

UnitedIrishman

Sky Sports really are muppets.

Press conference with Platini in full swing and first they cut to ads, and then to Eddie Hearn and a fight this weekend 'Wow. Amazing fight. Great night.' Record it, play it later. Give us the full conference.

Lovely Bloke

He was speaking French for most of it, BBC5Live also cut away.

Kirby

But translated.

Lovely Bloke

yeah, those on the fly interpreters are difficult to listen to - better to get a proper translation later imo.

UnitedIrishman

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

yeah, those on the fly interpreters are difficult to listen to - better to get a proper translation later imo.

I don't mind them to be honest.

Would love to see UEFA including the FAI pull plant tomorrow if Blatter is re-elected. A lot of reasons involved but even though it would mean withdrawing from their competitions - see how many of their competitions have the same appeal to fans and sponsors without the likes of Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland etc involved. They'd be forced into a corner.

Fr Tod Umptious

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Russia obv won't vote for Ali, and for some reason Spain are pro-Blatter too.

Why would you think that Spain would be "anti Blatter" ?
Everyone has their snout in the trough in some shape or form, regardless of the quality of their league.

And while I'm at it I may as well say that its a stereotype that southern European countries tend to be more corrupt than northern European ones.

josip

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

And while I'm at it I may as well say that its a stereotype that southern European countries tend to be more corrupt than northern European ones.

Yes, and having lived for some time time in a variety of countries in both regions, a correct stereotype in my opinion.

BoJack Horseman

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

I doubt the US DOJ are influenced by Sepp at all.


Switzerland knows its clients value privacy.
Accordingly, Swiss authorities are genuinely wary of executing external warrants.

Would I be surprised if the Switzerland based FIFA, ran by Swiss Sepp Blatter had a modicum of influence over Swiss authorities?.... No, I'd expect it.

Its not by accident these governing bodies (IOC etc) reside there, it isn't because of some perception of Swiss neutrality.
Its because Switzerland builds its reputation as a financial bolt-hole from not asking questions vis-a-vis money.

Blatter is King Rat, the world knows it.
I've a slight feeling his lack of arrest here is no accident.

Could be wrong though, perhaps Sepp is whiter than white.

Then he must be totally and utterly incompetent in that case with all that corruption going on under his watch since 1998 (as president), long before that as his involvement with FIFA goes back to the mid 70s

Lovely Bloke

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Why would you think that Spain would be "anti Blatter" ?

Why are Ireland, or France, or any of the other 45/46 definite Ali votes Platini has so far mustered up.

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Everyone has their snout in the trough in some shape or form, regardless of the quality of their league.

Wtf are you talking about "quality of the league" - you are making some bizzaro counterpoint to something I didn't say.

I simply stated that Spain are likely to vote for Blatter, and it seems like it could be some strange reason, when most of the other Western European nations are seemingly voting against him.

I can understand Russia, and it's accolytes, being pro-Blatter still, but not really any other countries.

Seemingly the Football Association of Wales are "undecided". Weird.

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

And while I'm at it I may as well say that its a stereotype that southern European countries tend to be more corrupt than northern European ones.

Um, ok? I believe you.

UnitedIrishman

If Prince Ali wins tommorow, there is the issue that Blatter gets to walk off into the sunset as some have mentioned. The whole organisation will then do it's best 'look, everything is fine now again' press and instead of reforming the entire thing from top to bottom and terminate contracts with sponsors that it'll be back to business as usual.

When i heard of the dawn raid from yesterday morning on the news the first thing that sprung to my mind was shawshank

and that scene near the very end where the prison corruption has been exposed by Andy Dufresne

Cant imagine Blatter will be doing a Warden Norton somehow although there was probably a few Hadleys sobbing like little girls

Overheal

Swiss: Nazi Gold? "We'll allow that."

FIFA being shiesty? That's a matter of national pride apparently. Who else could piss off more countries than FIFA? I don't even think the US' foreign policy has managed that!

Muff_Daddy

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Exactly
And the only reason fans did not like Qatar from the start is because it is not a "fan friendly" sort of place, i.e expensive, alcohol restrictions etc.

You might want to add a few things to that list there Father.....

Like their draconian stance on women's rights.
Their stance on homosexual, indeed heterosexual displays of affection.
God help you if you're an Israili.


Its not so much that they are not 'fan friendly' - more so completely intolerant of any culture that's offends their own to the point of imposing ridicusiously harsh penal sentences on anyone who dare contravene them.

It really a lot more than a few westerners not being able to have a few scoops.

Fr Tod Umptious

Muff_Daddy wrote: »

You might want to add a few things to that list there Father.....

Like their draconian stance on women's rights.
Their stance on homosexual, indeed heterosexual displays of affection.
God help you if you're an Israili.


Its not so much that they are not 'fan friendly' - more so completely intolerant of any culture that's offends their own to the point of imposing ridicusiously harsh penal sentences on anyone who dare contravene them.

It really a lot more than a few westerners not being able to have a few scoops.

Unfortunately most of that came out after the award.
The mainstream media paid little attention to Qatar's society in the run up to the vote because, come on, let's be honest, how could a country in the desert, the size of Munster, with a population of 2 million ever expect to host a World Cup ?