FIFA officials indicted for corruption. UPD: Sepp Blatter will step down as FIFA pres

[Mccree]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/01/footba...ion/index.html

Jack Warner uses an article from the Onion to defend himself

[GirlySports]

I hope FIFA cleans up it's act. It does more good than bad. It's too bad the corrupt officials got too far, the naming of Russia and Qatar as hosts AT THE SAME TIME was ridiculous and way too greedy.

I hope Blatter doesn't fulfill his whole 4-year term, we get a good president and Europe steps up to the plate and controls FIFA instead of throwing it's support behind a stooge from Jordan.

[d_phaneuf]

this might be my favorite bit so far

Rob Harris ‏@RobHarris 20m20 minutes ago
FIFA SCANDAL: Ex-president of South American Football Confederation Nicolas Leoz placed under house arrest in Paraguay. Leoz asked for the FA Cup to be named after him to back England's 2018 World Cup bid

[Locke]

Okay, I dont do this often but:

LOL.

I literally did.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Europe steps up to the plate and controls FIFA instead of throwing it's support behind a stooge from Jordan.

What do you mean step up to the plate and control FIFA? How are they supposed to control it when the numbers are against them?

The best way Europe can step up to the plate is to get the hell out of FIFA, rid themselves off and let the Asians and Africans have their own minor league ball.

They could have had Figo, Platini, Cruyff standing and it wouldn't have mattered.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Bagor

What do you mean step up to the plate and control FIFA? How are they supposed to control it when the numbers are against them?

The best way Europe can step up to the plate is to get the hell out of FIFA, rid themselves off and let the Asians and Africans have their own minor league ball.

They could have had Figo, Platini, Cruyff standing and it wouldn't have mattered.

Sure, UEFA has two choices. Get out of FIFA and go play with themselves or step up to the plate and run a proper campaign.

Let's look at the numbers. There are 208 member associations, 54 of them in Europe. 105 votes to win the presidency, Europe just needs to find 51 more votes and for 40 years they haven't been able to do it. They have not even come up with a global platform. They have decided to make themselves unelectable.

Think of Havalange and Blatter as normal politicians. (leave the bribery aside for now). They have run campaigns based on promises and delivered on them.
Expand the World Cup from 16 to 24 to 32 (more places for the rest of the world). In 1966 there was 1 berth for Asia and Africa COMBINED!
Expand Youth tournaments and have them hosted in smaller countries (like New Zealand, Turkey and Colombia, last 3 U-20 hosts)
Expand Women's football
Sell a product called soccer and distribute the proceeds around the world

That's politics right? Know what your constituency wants, and deliver what they are happy to vote for time and time again.

Europe is sitting in opposition. They have 80-odd seats in a 208 seat house. Like opposition governments they have to do the dirty work, go shake hands and kiss babies. Come up a global solution better than Blatter's. Instead they sit on top of the mountain and poopoo everything.

The Club World Cup, the meeting of the continental club champions from around the world. UEFA treats it with absolute disdain.. The rest of the world sees this as a red flag. "If we give FIFA back to Europe, we're done for".

[Bagor]

With all due respect that is a load of garbage.

Now, reconsider it and think of them as NOT normal politicians and DO NOT leave the bribery aside.

And your last paragraph particularly the sentence in "". Are you just making this stuff up?

The rest of the world sees this as a red flag. "If we give FIFA back to Europe, we're done for".

And UEFA should be thinking. What the hell do we need Asia/Africa for anyway as far as quality of product goes.

[GirlySports]

See, that type of elitist attitude gets you no votes.

[Bagor]

That's the simple fact of the matter why they should split.

Instead of running around pandering to the likes of countries like Guam, Laos and Cambodia, who carry the same weight as Spain, England and Germany, just cut them loose.

[GirlySports]

Except that the European countries aren't even united. There are reports that up to 18 UEFA members voted for Blatter, including Spain and France.

UEFA needs to find a global solution and present someone electable. Not just pandering to those small countries, find a platform good enough for big or small.

[troutman]

Jasper Wenban-Smith ‏@JWenbanSmith #FIFA holding press conference at 6pm CEST (5pm BST / 12pm EDT) this afternoon #FIFAarrests


Martyn ZieglerVerified account ‏@martynziegler
BOMBSHELL: Letter from South Africa FA to FIFA instructing $10m payment to Warner WAS addressed to Jerome Valcke
https://twitter.com/martynziegler/st...60641374912512


Bribery Inquiry Drawing Closer to FIFA’s President, Sepp Blatter

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/02/sp...ef=sports&_r=1


Federal authorities believe that Sepp Blatter’s top lieutenant at FIFA made $10 million in bank transactions that are central elements of the bribery scandal engulfing international soccer, United States officials and others briefed on the case said Monday. The revelation puts the money trail closer to Mr. Blatter, FIFA’s president, than had been previously known.

Jérôme Valcke, the soccer organization’s secretary general, is the unidentified “high-ranking FIFA official” who prosecutors say transferred $10 million in 2008 from FIFA to accounts controlled by another soccer official, Jack Warner, the officials said. The payment is a key piece of last week’s indictment accusing Mr. Warner of taking a bribe in exchange for helping South Africa secure the right to host the 2010 World Cup.

Mr. Warner voted for South Africa, but in the months and years after the vote, South Africa was unable to pay. So rather than take a payment directly from South Africa, the indictment says, FIFA itself paid Mr. Warner in 2008, using money that would otherwise have gone to South Africa to support the World Cup.

In effect, the indictment says the bribe was paid on the back end so South Africa received $10 million less from FIFA than it otherwise would have.

[troutman]

Fifa corruption: Europe plots to stage an 'alternative World Cup' in place of Russia 2018

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/f...-10290415.html

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Bagor

With all due respect that is a load of garbage.

Now, reconsider it and think of them as NOT normal politicians and DO NOT leave the bribery aside.

And your last paragraph particularly the sentence in "". Are you just making this stuff up?


And UEFA should be thinking. What the hell do we need Asia/Africa for anyway as far as quality of product goes.

I don't necessarily disagree with you. But I think Europe genuinely believes in unity and inclusion and all that drab. They are scared of themselves (with good reason) and it permeates all areas of European life, including football. They don't want to be the leaders in the world again, because bad things happen when they are the top dogs if 2,000 years of history as taught us anything.

Having said that, UEFA should shake their collective WWII guilt IMO, break off and start a new world football organization. Having a strong world organization is helpful to the global game. Heck, look how much excitement is building with the womens world cup in Canada. Tournaments like that wouldn't be possible without a world organization that includes Europe.

Fifa is junk. Uefa isn't perfect, but I believe Uefa could create a new world association that is better than Fifa.

[troutman]

Duffy ‏@JayWilders FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke's resignation to be announced imminently by Sepp Blatter due to corruption investigation #FIFAarrests

[troutman]

Danielle Isdale ‏@DaniIsdale Sepp Blatter will stand down #FIFA New elections May 13 @SBSNews

[sureLoss]

The sponsors must have threatened to pull out.

[troutman]

Fifa: Sepp Blatter to quit as president amid corruption scandal

Sepp Blatter says he will resign as president of football's governing body Fifa amid a corruption scandal.

More to follow.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32982449

[getbak]

Wow. John Oliver's show should be fun next week with him wearing those ridiculous Adidas shoes and taking a bite out of everything on McDonald's dollar menu, while washing it down with a Bud Light Lime.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by getbak

Wow. John Oliver's show should be fun next week with him wearing those ridiculous Adidas shoes and taking a bite out of everything on McDonald's dollar menu, while washing it down with a Bud Light Lime.

It'll be a good one even without those things.

But him doing that will be awesome too

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I don't necessarily disagree with you. But I think Europe genuinely believes in unity and inclusion and all that drab. They are scared of themselves (with good reason) and it permeates all areas of European life, including football. They don't want to be the leaders in the world again, because bad things happen when they are the top dogs if 2,000 years of history as taught us anything.

Having said that, UEFA should shake their collective WWII guilt IMO, break off and start a new world football organization. Having a strong world organization is helpful to the global game. Heck, look how much excitement is building with the womens world cup in Canada. Tournaments like that wouldn't be possible without a world organization that includes Europe.

Fifa is junk. Uefa isn't perfect, but I believe Uefa could create a new world association that is better than Fifa.

The FIFA infrastructue is already there, it just needs new leadership. Blatter's decision to resign is a step in the right direction. UEFA needs a platform and a candidate that's inclusive.