FIFA corruption

[Garawa]

Hardly a surprise but 9 FIFA officials have been arrested on grounds of corruption after it was " originally instigated by FIFA itself". Sorry, FIFA, in an attempt to clear up allegations of this nature as promised, called in investigators? I presume then the fact that Blatter ISN'T one of those that he was potentially an instigator in the matter? If so, the fact this comes just a day or so before the wildly-suspected vote-rigged presidential election campaign is held seems far too convenient.....almost as if he is getting rid of potential opponents! How can he possibly remain in place with this on his watch or if this is a genuine external investigation, how can it remain credible by not holding the main man himself? I don't get it.

And I don't get why / how the Americans got involved again when it was Swiss authorities doing the investigations? Do they genuinely believe they are the world's police????

[CadburyMan]

Doesn't matter that its the Americans just that somebody is exposing the alleged corruption. However, Blatter cannot be discounted following the seventeen years he has presided over FIFA

[Garawa]

He seems to be getting away with it scott-free. I just can't work out why the Swiss were investigating and suddenly the Americans have pushed everyone out of the way. Are the two connected because if so Blatter has friends in incredibly high places!!!

[gillsfan1066]

Several reason really.
1) The US felt they should have been awarded either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup , and it has ticked us off for a while now that we didn't get one.
2) They were using US Banks to transfer money and when asked why didn't you pay taxes on this money and where did it come from, well the rest is history,
3) What really pushed the buttons here was the earthquakes in Nepal, there are thousands and thousands of Nepalese workers building the stadiums in Qatar and they have been refused permission to go home and bury their loved ones because FIFA knows they won't return. They have to take out huge loans with "employment agency's" to get the jobs and their being treated as slaves earning a few bucks a day and over 10,000 have died building the stadiums and hotels, last week Amnesty International said enough's enough and started the ball rolling.
4) For YEARS everyone knew that members of FIFA made the Great Train Robbers look like choir boys and did nothing about it, so we said OK we don't have anything to do ,lets open a case file on FIFA and CONCACAF and lets go get someone.

[Rimshot]

I think the Americans should be congratulated for taking action. Crucially they are a prime market for the main sponsors of the the world cup and while what should count is the outrage of football supporters, footballing organisations, players and so on, ultimately FIFA will only change if the money threatens to move away. That's how sad the' beautiful game''s top tier has become.

I would support a boycott of both the World Cup Competition and key sponsor products and services if there is not dramatic change. Someone needs to launch 'Fans against FIFA'; maybe Gary Lineker would front it !

[Garawa]

Ha ha, for a BBC employee he is refreshingly outspoken! I just worry that Blatter is going to get another term in office. Any other person would have been forced to resign and many have previously on considerably less! It seems to me that a lot of potential stumbling blocks to another Blatter term have been conveniently removed leaving him free to take charge again. I hope to be proved wrong tomorrow.

[fan_of_mulligan]

I think the main reason America are involved is because The FBI are investigating allegations of corruption.

If Sepp Blatter wins The Presidential Election (like I think he will), the surely the alternative has to be a breakaway from FIFA altogether, and England cannot do this alone, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, USA, along with some high profile sponsor's need to come to the conclusion that FIFA cannot continue under Sepp Blatter's regime and there needs to be huge changes in FIFA with transparency being one of those things that needs changing.

I think UEFA will be having some very interesting conversation's once Sepp Blatter is appointed as FIFA President, I am not sure how anyone can still vote for Sepp Blatter and I cannot believe that the voting process is carrying on like nothing has happened, it would make sense to stop the election until the outcome of The investigation has reached it's full conclusion, but FIFA do not like in the realm's of common sense.

I think we're getting to a stage now where a breakaway (in some form) is the only possible out-come, FIFA is so tarnished beyond repair that a new organisation may well be needed to challenge FIFA and give us a organisation that represent's football at all level's, and there is more open conversation's and less secrecy, that is the problem with the voting for both World Cup's, we never knew who voted for who and we don't know how the voting process is done.

Surely there has to be a re-vote for Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, for me Qatar should never have been awarded The World Cup if they couldn't stage the competition in the summer, the whole point of the bidding process was that your hosting a tournament in the summer, if Qatar were open and honest and said they were hoping to host a Winter World Cup and they made it clear from the get go that The World Cup was going to be moved, then fair enough, but don't give Qatar the chance to host the biggest competition in the world and then Qatar tell us later on, that they cannot host The World Cup in the summer because it is too hot.

I also think there is a lot that both Russia and Qatar need to do in tackling issue's involving racism and homophobia, both countries need to show to the world that people of all backgrounds can participate in The 2018 and 2022 World Cup and that laws are being changed to help people from ethic minorities and the gay community, also Qatar need to change there laws on workers and there needs to be a workers union.

I am expecting to see UEFA Breakaway from FIFA if Sepp Blatter is appointed as FIFA President, maybe it is just me, but a breakaway feels like the only solution, it is defiantly a last resort solution, but perhaps a breakaway might well get people at FIFA to start listening and realising that these problems cannot continue anymore.

[Garawa]

The Qatar bid HAS to be removed. There will be many nations across the globe who wouldn't bid on the basis that they couldn't stage it at that time. It was also based on a "legacy" basis which is nonsense as the stadia will be removed after as the country is about the size of Gillingham if that!! Convert it to a UAE tournament and the legacy could remain by involving Dubai and others but it won't solve the heat issue. It was all won on criteria that wasn't technically met!

As for a breakaway that's fine as long as you don't end up with a 2 tier football system. I DETEST darts, boxing and all the other sports where people broke away from the organising body as it created 2 sports within one. That would be a disaster for football whose appeal is down to the variety of clubs all able to compete against each other..............unless everyone breaks away from FIFA of course! Imagine how much money could go back into the game?!

[gillsfan1066]

All the time he is head of FIFA he is safe, once he is not, then he will be cracking rocks on the Australian Highways with this little Forums own criminal Boomerang Bob.
I guess the Americans are going to vote against him, whether it will make a difference I don't know, I guess all the other delegates that get a vote and have received bungs in the past will vote for him in the hope that their names get left out of any conversations with the FBI in the near future.

[Garawa]

It just seems to me he is as corrupt if not worse than those who have been arrested. Whatever they say now about what went on people will dismiss as being the words of a corrupt official who was bitter after getting caught. This whole FBI nonsense appears to have cleared the way for him to get another term! Shocking. This is the end of football as we know it, this just cannot continue but not everyone will feel the same.

[gillsfan1066]

FBI nonsense, what the hell does that mean ? Lazy bastards have sat on their butts for years and done nothing about it but tut tut, that guy S B is so crooked but lets not say anything we don't want to upset the apple cart do we , at least we got the ball rolling ??
You sound like the duck or goose or what ever, the sky is falling ,the sky is falling, easy Big G your footie will go on just the same as it has always done only with a everyone looking over their shoulders and doing things right for a change, amazing how the thought of a few years behind bars seems to make people think twice about their actions.
All the individual representatives from each and every country will now be under investigation and their own country's will be looking into their financial matters, not many leaders like to know the minister of sport earned more than they did, haha.
I think you like the world to stay just as it is don't you , no waves just a nice mill pond to row across. Gillingham ticking along bouncing between the Third and Fourth Division, lets not do anything drastic , we finished mid table this year, that was pretty good wasn't it , I mean after all we have been doing that for a 100 years and Mr Scally seems happy and if Mr. Scally is happy then Big G is happy and so the rest of us should be happy to , am I right ??
Come on Garawdeyboomseyay see GFC for what they are, a team that has been treading water for a 100 + years, a team owned by a guy with no ambition, a guy who wants to live in Dubai and show the world what a big shot he is but doesn't want to take risks, and genuinely doesn't want to put a few million into anything that won't make him money, like players.
Go to the Bank and take out a couple of Million Scally, put the ground up as collateral on an overdraft, buy some dam good players and lets kick ass next season, haha yeah like that would ever happen.
I am just funning with you Mr G, but I find it so sad that I started supporting GFC back in the early 60's and here we are almost 50 years on and we have done bugger all for that whole time except spend one "glory ass " year in the all most big boys league and a couple of others trying to avoid relegation from that division, and people on here seem to think that's fine, I just don't get it.

[fan_of_mulligan]

What really should of happened on Friday was that The Presidential Elections were suspended until the outcome of The FBU Investigation, the fact that the election went on as usual and Sepp Blatter was appointed as FIFA President really does tell you everything about FIFA.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32942569

David Gill did not attend Saturday's first executive committee meeting following Blatter's re-election to a fifth term and he has resigned.

[Garawa]

All I am saying is that FIFA were being investigated by Swiss authorities where they are based. Suddenly the FBI (who I don't believe hold any jurisdiction in Switzerland) get involved and arrest everybody EXCEPT the main perpetrator who then wins another term unopposed!!!! I'm sorry but that sounds even more corrupt then anything else. The FIFA exec committee was a house of cards and I think it was ready to fall on Blatter. Now the rest have been discredited no-one will trust anything they say and it paved the way for Mr Blatter to get away scot-free. The Americans who were not directly involved nor are the world's police who allowed him to do it when I think the Swiss authorities would have carried more respectability.

It was mentioned about major supporters being American companies and that may be accurate but personally I saw an article (I think from Alexi Lallas) about the American's being peeved about missing out on a World Cup finals which they only staged a few years ago anyway. That wasn't dodgy....that was as it should have been!!!

[gillsfan1066]

WWOOOWW hhhooo the Swiss authorities were working the case, haha old Joseph first took officer what 17 years ago and their still working the case. Bastards been corupt ever since he took office, give me a break, the Einsatzgruppe Tigris couldn't find their butts if they had their heads stuck up them.
We had the World Cup here in 1994 over 20 years ago it was North Americas time again, Mexico can not afford it, Canada doesn't want it so it was obvious that the US should have got it, but no Qatar got it and you bet your life we were pissed.

[Garawa]

So the USA gets to hold it every other decade whilst England gets to have it every other generation! That would cost a lot of money, not sure even the USA would be able to afford Blatter's "fees" for that one!