FIFA Corruption Thread

[dom9]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33338097

Sepp Blatter: Fifa president to miss Women's World Cup final

Fifa president Sepp Blatter will not travel to Canada for the final of the Women's World Cup on Sunday for "personal reasons".

The 79-year-old Swiss had planned to attend the match in Vancouver, despite Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke pulling out of the opening ceremony.

Two criminal investigations into alleged Fifa corruption are ongoing.

Blatter's lawyer, Richard Cullen, said Fifa senior vice-president Issa Hayatou would attend the match instead.

Fifa said Blatter - who is reportedly under investigation in the United States - and Valcke would remain at Fifa headquarters "due to their current commitments in Zurich".
It will be the first time since he became president in 1998 that Blatter has not presented the trophy to the tournament winners.

In May, Blatter was elected for a fifth term in charge, but has since suggested he no longer has a mandate to lead the sport's world governing body.

He says he has not resigned from his position and is thought to be considering standing for re-election at an emergency meeting of the executive committee in December.
Seven Fifa officials were arrested on 27 May following a dawn raid on a luxury hotel in Zurich.

They were among 14 officials and associates indicted by United States authorities on racketeering and bribery charges.

Swiss prosecutors have also begun a separate criminal investigation into how the rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded.

Apparently he has not set foot in North America for several years as he knows he would be arrested at the airport.

[baitman]

some balls on this blert

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33361709

Sepp Blatter: Fifa president says he has clean conscience

Fifa president Sepp Blatter says he has a clean conscience and anyone who calls him corrupt should be sent to jail.

The 79-year-old announced last month he will leave his role following a high-profile investigation into corruption at world football's governing body.
Blatter told German magazine Bunte he has done nothing wrong and will go to heaven when he dies.

"Anybody who calls me corrupt because Fifa is corrupt, I can only shake my head," he said.
"Everybody who says something like that should go to jail," he added.

Earlier this year, Dominican Republic FA president Osiris Guzman likened Blatter to Jesus, Moses, and political figures Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill.
"My faith has given me strength during the last week. I am a religious person and pray, too. I own a golden cross that has been blessed by Pope Francis," said Blatter.
"I believe I will go to heaven one day. But I believe there is no hell. I disagree with the Pope on that."

[Corndog]

he's an absolute loony, properly crazy

[RichC]

Seems like our Sepp has gone on the attack here.

Fifa: Sepp Blatter says pressure behind Qatar & World Cup votes

French and German presidents applied political pressure prior to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup votes, according to Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
He alleges ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his German counterpart Christian Wulff sought to influence voting before Qatar and Russia were chosen as respective hosts in 2010.
Blatter, 79, said: "That is the reason why we now have a World Cup in Qatar."
The voting process is now under investigation by the Swiss prosecutors.
He added: "Those who decided this should also take the responsibility."
Blatter announced on 2 June he would step down from the presidency at world football's governing body at an extraordinary congress to be held between December and March

His decision followed an investigation into alleged corruption at Fifa which has seen 18 people indicted in the United States. Blatter said he has "nothing to fear" on a personal level.
Speaking to Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper, Blatter said: "Before the World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar, there were two political interventions. Messrs Sarkozy and Wulff tried to influence their vote-makers.
Blatter also claimed that the German football association (DFB) "also received such a recommendation that Germany should vote for Qatar due to economic interests."
He added: "Just look at all the German companies. The Deutsche Bahn (German railways) Hochtief (construction) and many more already had projects in Qatar before the World Cup was awarded there.
"I act on the leadership principle. If a majority of the executive committee wants a World Cup in Qatar then I have to accept that."
Former DFB president Theo Zwanziger had previously written that Wulff had asked about Qatar's chances but he denied it had had any influence.
Blatter has also confirmed that he does not intend to stand for a sixth term in office at Fifa.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33401602

[EwarWoo]

So he's basically saying it was corrupt, he knows it was corrupt, but there's nothing he could do about it as the majority wanted it to be corrupt?

[ChesterDave]

He's a ****. We've got fellas who spent 5, 6, 7 years in Guantanemo Bay without being charged and somehow this prick seems not to have spent a single day behind bars

[ChesterDave]

Also, Sepp, two votes does not a world cup make you dopey dickface.

What about all the bought votes in Africa, South and Central America.

[baitman]

its kind of nice of blatter to suggest to the investigators where to look for a paper trail though.

maybe he will get his sentence reduced for helping to get himself locked up

[McDermotX]

A Fifa official detained in a raid in Switzerland has been extradited to the US, Swiss authorities say.
The unnamed man was one of seven football officials held on corruption charges in Switzerland on 27 May.
He was taken to New York by a three-man police escort on Wednesday, the Swiss Justice Department says.
The person was not named, but earlier reports said Cayman Islands official Jeffrey Webb had waived his right to fight the American extradition request.
Mr Webb, 50, is the former president of the Central and North American football federation, Concacaf, and is a Fifa vice-president.
He is accused of accepting bribes worth millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33550207

[smphotog]

Waived his right ?


Sounds like he's made a deal ....


These guys are sooooo ****ed .

[RedAndWhite]

Waived his right ?


Sounds like he's made a deal ....


These guys are sooooo ****ed .

the trick is to be the first to squeal - and it looks like a few have gotten there first - it will be interesting to see how far this spreads. I wonder if other jurisdictions will start to follow up on any of this as more information comes to light?

[smphotog]

He's also quite high up in the organization ....

[Fivex]

The attention seeking Lee Nelson fella has just thrown a wad of cash at Sepp Blatter at the press conference

[SK]

[ame="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/623133197975556096"]https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/623133197975556096[/ame]

Where is my security

Seriously, if ever people wanted scum like him or any politician to behave, just take away their security guards

[Vermilion]

The way Blatter looks at the cash.

'Better not let any of that fall on me, incase the FBI are watching'.