Post: #1

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/sports...-them.html

Quote:ZURICH — Swiss authorities conducted an extraordinary early-morning operation here Wednesday to arrest several top soccer officials and extradite them to the United States on federal corruption charges.

As leaders of FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, gathered for their annual meeting, more than a dozen plainclothes Swiss law enforcement officials arrived unannounced at the Baur au Lac hotel, an elegant five-star property with views of the Alps and Lake Zurich. They went to the front desk to get room numbers and then proceeded upstairs.

The arrests were carried out peacefully. One FIFA official, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, was led by the authorities from his room to a side-door exit of the hotel. He was allowed to bring his luggage, which was adorned with FIFA logos.

The charges, backed by an F.B.I. investigation, allege widespread corruption in FIFA over the past two decades, involving bids for World Cups as well as marketing and broadcast deals.

Great work, the US government does sometimes get things right. No way a European country would have had the political will power to get this done. Just goes to show, don't fuck with Bill Clinton. He was apparently super pissed when he found out the US bid (which he had championed and led for 2 years) lost to fucking Qatar.

Now the big questions, will Sepp Blatter go down too?

Will the ridiculous decision to host 2022 World Cup in Qatar be subject to a revote?

This is a great first step to cleaning up the jogo bonito.

Post: #2

Exactly what I was thinking. The whole Qatar fiasco is a scandal, a disgrace to the game.

Post: #3

Bring 2022 to the US.

Post: #4

Having the World Cup in November/December is a travesty. Hopefully something is done to fix this

Post: #5

(05-27-2015 09:28 AM)Nascimento Wrote:  Bring 2022 to the US.

Basically anywhere except for Qatar would be a good choice. Australia, any European country, Canada, etc.

The mistake the FIFA guys made was they got arrogant. They weren't even trying to hide their corruption. They were also short sighted and foolish.

If they were thinking smartly, they would have let the USA win for 2022 in a close vote.

Sure, the USA is not going to hand over bags of cash up front, but there is a lot more money to be made on the back end by hosting a World Cup in the USA versus Qatar.

Also, giving the USA the World Cup would have been a great way to make friends with Bill Clinton. And whatever your political views might be, from a business standpoint, having a friend/ally who is that powerful is a useful thing.

Post: #6

(05-27-2015 09:28 AM)Nascimento Wrote:  Bring 2022 to the US.

Not until you stop glamorizing that "football" thing

Post: #7

(05-27-2015 09:29 AM)Dark Knowledge Wrote:  Having the World Cup in November/December is a travesty. Hopefully something is done to fix this

Doesn't look like it even though it should be done

Quote: The issue was, in fact, raised again Wednesday. When pressed by reporters at the news conference, Walter De Gregorio, a FIFA spokesman, repeatedly said that FIFA would not reconsider reopening the bid process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

From the same article

Post: #8

I hope Blatter goes down. Would bring in personally bring in Sir Alex Ferguson.

Post: #9

this is amazing news, I hope this is the beginning of the end for FIFA

Post: #10

Here is the part I find interesting the most:

Quote:The soccer officials charged are Mr. Li, Jeffrey Webb, Eugenio Figueredo, Jack Warner, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Rafael Esquivel, José Maria Marin and Nicolás Leoz. Charges were also made against the sports-marketing executives Alejandro Burzaco, Aaron Davidson, Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis. Authorities also charged José Margulies as an intermediary who facilitated illegal payments.

United States law gives the Justice Department wide authority to bring cases against foreign nationals living abroad, an authority that prosecutors have used repeatedly in international terrorism cases. Those cases can hinge on the slightest connection to the United States, like the use of an American bank or Internet service provider.

Switzerland’s treaty with the United States is unusual in that it gives Swiss authorities the power to refuse extradition for tax crimes, but on matters of general criminal law, the Swiss have agreed to turn people over for prosecution in American courts.

Long story short, Europeans living in Europe and committing crimes in Europe that have nothing to do with U.S, are being extradicted by Europe to U.S.

No matter where we are and what our citizenship is, none of us is safe from the world police.

Post: #11

One soccer official took in more than $10 million in bribes, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said.

The Department of Justice indictment names 14 people on charges including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. In addition to senior soccer officials, the indictment also named sports-marketing executives from the United States and South America who are accused of paying more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for media deals associated with major soccer tournaments.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/sports...-them.html

Post: #12

On what grounds is this actionable in US courts?

Post: #13

(05-27-2015 10:55 AM)VolandoVengoVolandoVoy Wrote:  

(05-27-2015 09:28 AM)Nascimento Wrote:  Bring 2022 to the US.

Basically anywhere except for Qatar would be a good choice. Australia, any European country, Canada, etc.

Looks like it's going nowhere for the moment, but that might well change if details of the depth of the corruption taints the 2018 or 2022 bids significantly enough. 2022 is the most vulnerable in my view because it is so far away.

In any event, Canada despite being my home and favourite country, is not ready for the male world cup. Edmonton is hosting the female world cup in June and we had to be very persuasive to get that. Need to put on a good enough show this year and improve our male program before that happens.

Post: #14

FIFA is a world governing body. The bids were subject to corruption and there were nations outside of Europe who lost out due to said corruption. Make no mistake, they are corrupt.

However I doubt it is anything else but revenge for giving Russia a large tournament. The US will make an example out of anyone who deals under the table with Russia and this is one of those cases.

Post: #15

Relevant:

It may be nearly a year old - but has more resonance than ever before.

Post: #16

I am always uncomfortable when I hear that the US can drag you off to court there, seemingly irrespective of what was done where etc.

See the Natwest4 from here in the UK.

However, FIFA are scumbags so it's hard to feel too sorry for any of them in any way.

Blatter ain't going down though, lads.

Post: #17

It is a bit unnerving to see that the US has enough power to basically drag you from whatever country you're in.

But fuck FIFA. They need to be destroyed, top to bottom.

Post: #18

It is not so random. The U.S. alleges the conspiracy was formulated on U.S. soil, and funds were transferred using U.S. banks. That may be sufficient to show that the U.S. has jurisdiction. You can be sure that one of the first things their attorneys do is challenge jurisdiction. It's not the case that you just do some shit anywhere in the world and you will be haled into a U.S. federal court. There are undoubtedly some political elements in this, and some heavy weights in U.S. law enforcement want this to happen, so you better believe it will.

Post: #19

(05-27-2015 11:26 AM)Grange Wrote:  On what grounds is this actionable in US courts?

Because they put their bribes through US accounts. Idiots.

They'll have a decade in jail to think about that decision.

Good riddance.

Post: #20

(05-27-2015 11:55 AM)CrashBangWallop Wrote:  Blatter ain't going down though, lads.

Hopefully he will stand down ( yeah right ) or lose the election at the very least.

Post: #21

(05-27-2015 11:26 AM)Grange Wrote:  On what grounds is this actionable in US courts?

You piss off an American oligarch and foolishly use US bank accounts to do it.

Post: #22

I hope they all go away for the long haul.

Post: #23

So you're telling me that soccer--a sport known for it's flopping, diving, embellishing, etc.--has issues with integrity all the way up to the top of it's global governing body?

Who would have thought?

Post: #24

I don't care if these guys get Johnny Cochran and use the Chewbacca defense, they are 100% boned.

When the goddamn Director of the FBI (James E. Comey, the tall guy on the right) is at the press conference announcing your arrest, you are up shit creek without a paddle. By personally putting his face out there, it means the prestige of the FBI is on the line, and they will use any and all resources at their disposal to ensure convictions/guilty pleas.

Their only hope is to give information on Blatter and hope for a reduced sentence.

Post: #25

Has anyone heard or seen anything about changing the location of the 2022 WC? That's the thing I'm most curious about, and the only thing I've seen is that it will remain in Qatar.

I don't know how it's going to work there... the players are gonna get cooked halfway through the group stage.