FIFA Corruption 'The Pigs and thier Money'

[bennythedip2]

FIFA accused of rampant corruption (May 27 2015)

FIFA was plunged into the biggest meltdown in its scandal-hit history on Wednesday after a wave of arrests of football officials in Zurich on corruption charges.

Seven officials including FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb from the Cayman Islands were arrested by Swiss authorities on behalf of the US Department of Justice which has indicted 18 people alleging bribery totalling more than 150million US dollars.

In a separate development, the Swiss attorney general also opened criminal proceedings over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and seized documents and electronic data from FIFA's headquarters and will question 10 current FIFA executive committee members who voted on that tournament.

The twin proceedings have cast FIFA into a state of crisis ahead of Friday's presidential election but the world governing body has said the vote, where incumbent Sepp Blatter is facing Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, will go ahead.

A day of drama began at dawn in Zurich when Swiss law enforcement officers swooped on the five-star Baur au Lac hotel and arrested the seven officials for alleged racketeering, conspiracy and corruption ahead of planned extradition to the USA.

The US Department of Justice's office of public affairs confirmed 50-year-old Webb was among those arrested at the request of the United States along with another FIFA vice-president Eugenio Figueredo from Uruguay, Costa Rica's Eduardo Li who was due to become a FIFA member on Friday, and Brazilian FA deputy president Jose Maria Marin. The other officials were named as Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Rafael Esquivel.

In total nine FIFA officials or former officials and five corporate executives have been indicted, including disgraced former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner from Trinidad. A further four have already pleaded guilty to charges including Chuck Blazer, the 'super-grass' believed to have provided much of the evidence for the FBI investigation, and Warner's two sons Daryll and Daryan Warner.

US attorney general Loretta Lynch said the indictment alleged "corruption that is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States" and that it "spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks".
The investigation into World Cup bidding will see 10 FIFA members questioned by Swiss police this week - they are those members who took part in the 2010 vote who are still on the executive committee and who are non-Swiss residents, meaning that Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini are not among those to be quizzed.
FIFA communications director Walter De Gregorio told a news conference in Zurich that the investigation would not affect the hosting of the World Cups in Russia and Qatar, nor the presidential election on Friday.

He said: "The election will take place as planned. The World Cups 2018 and 2022 will be played in Russia and Qatar."

Sports minister Tracey Crouch said FIFA's leadership should be held accountable. She said in a statement: "I fully back the FA's position that change and reform is urgently needed at the top of FIFA, including its leadership.

"I welcome the investigations that are now underway into the allegations of bribery and corruption."

Prince Ali issued a statement saying: "We cannot continue with the crisis in FIFA, a crisis that has been ongoing and is not just relevant to the events of today. FIFA needs leadership that governs guides and protects our national associations. Leadership that accepts responsibility for its actions and does not pass blame. Leadership that restores confidence in the hundreds of millions of football fans around the world."

FBI director James B Comey said: "As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world.

"Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA.

"When leaders in an organisation resort to cheating the very members that they were supposed to represent, they must be held accountable.

"Whether you call it soccer or football, the fans, players and sponsors around the world who love this game should not have to worry about officials corrupting their sport.

"This case isn't about soccer, it is about fairness and following the law."

The two indicted defendants who were not among the seven arrested in Zurich this morning are Warner and Paraguay's former FIFA member Nicolas Leoz, who was named in a Swiss legal report in 2013 for taking bribes and whose aides asked for the FA Cup to be named after him and for a knighthood in return for supporting England's 2018 World Cup bid.

The arrests began at 6am and the officials were led un-handcuffed from their hotel rooms to unmarked police cars. Those arrested can either accept extradition to the United States or have 40 days to contest their removal from Switzerland. The wives of at least two of those arrested, including Webb, were seen in tears in the lobby of the Baur au Lac hotel.

Who are the FIFA defendants?

Jeffrey Webb (aged 50)

The highest profile of those arrested, Cayman Islander Webb is the current FIFA vice president and executive committee member, CONCACAF president and Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) president. Webb was one of several FIFA officials to call for the publication of the Garcia Report into allegations of corruption surrounding Russia and Qatar's bids for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. He is also a member of FIFA's Strategic, Finance, Organising World Cup and Emergency Committees.


Eduardo Li (aged 56)

Current FIFA executive committee member-elect, he is the CONCACAF executive committee member and Costa Rican soccer federation (FEDEFUT) president.


Julio Rocha (aged 64)

Current FIFA development officer issued with the task of "working with Member Associations in identifying and implementing future projects within their respective regions". Rocha is a former Central American Football Union (UNCAF) president and Nicaraguan soccer federation (FENIFUT) president.


Costas Takkas (aged 58)

Advisor to the CONCACAF president Webb and is a former CIFA general secretary. The US Department of Justice lists his nationality as United Kingdom.


Eugenio Figueredo (aged 83)

The Uruguayan is a current FIFA vice president and executive committee member. He is a former CONMEBOL president and was Uruguayan soccer federation (AUF) president from 1997 until 2006.


Rafael Esquivel (aged 68)

Current CONMEBOL executive committee member and Venezuelan soccer federation (FVF) president. He also sits on FIFA's disciplinary committee.


Jose Maria Marin (aged 83)

Current member of the FIFA organising committee for the Olympic football tournaments. Marin was Brazilian FA president from 2012 to 2015 and was a former striker for Sao Paulo. Marin caused controversy in 2012 when he was accused of pocketing a medal during a youth football tournament. Marin was caught on camera and described the incident as "a real joke".


Jack Warner (aged 72)

Not detained by Swiss authorities, Warner is a former FIFA vice president and executive committee member. In 2007 he described England as an "irritant", but retracted a year later when the Three Lions agreed a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago and apologised. In 2006, after being instructed to investigate Warner by FIFA, Ernst & Young estimated that Warner's family had made one million dollars from reselling 2006 World Cup tickets, subsequently a fine of around that figure was imposed on Warner and his family. In 2013 the CONCACAF Integrity Committee produced a report which accused Warner and his former cohort Chuck Blazer of mismanagement and massive fraud. It alleged that Warner concealed his ownership of the land on which CONCACAF's 25 million dollar Joao Havalange Center of Excellence was built, which made him the effective owner of the building. Warner said: "As far as I am aware it is baseless and malicious. I left CONCACAF and turned my back on football two years ago. Since then I have had no interest in any football-related matter."


Nicolas Leoz (aged 86)

Another not detained by Swiss authorities, Paraguayan Leoz is a former sports journalist and was president of CONMEBOL from 1986 until 2013. In May 2011 the then head of the FA, Lord Triesman, accused Leoz of requesting an honorary knighthood in reward for supporting a World Cup bid for England. Email correspondence later revealed Leoz asked for the FA Cup to be named after him.


Alejandro Burzaco (aged 50)

Burzaco is the controlling principle of Torneos y Competencias S.A., a sports marketing business based in Argentina, and its affiliates.They own the rights to broadcast the Argentinian Primera Division, the second tier Primera B Nacional and CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.


Aaron Davidson (aged 44)

Davidson is president of Traffic Sports USA Inc. (Traffic USA). Its Twitter account describes the company as "Leader in sports marketing in the Americas. Representation and commercialization of top soccer properties in US and Americas". It owns NASL side Carolina RailHawks and has other official club partners with Brazilian teams Palmeiras, Gremio, Fluminense and Atletico Mineiro as well as Manchester United. In April 2014 Traffic announced the purchase of all of CONCACAF's sponsorship rights to become its official Corporate Partnership Agency.


Hugo and Mariano Jinkis (aged 70 and 40)

Controlling principals of Full Play Group S.A., a sports marketing business based in Argentina which was formed in 1998. Hugo is 70 and his son, Mariano is 40.


Jose Margulies (aged 75)

Margulies is the controlling principle of Valente Corp. and Somerton Ltd.

[Tony2005]

What took them so long......


I think most people always knew this would finally happen.....

[bennythedip2]

UEFA: Postpone FIFA election .. (May 27 2015)

UEFA has called for FIFA's presidential election on Friday to be postponed as the shock waves from the biggest scandal to hit the world governing body reverberated through the sport.


FIFA was plunged into the most serious scandal in its history on Wednesday after a wave of arrests of football officials in Zurich on corruption charges.

Seven officials including FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb from the Cayman Islands were arrested by Swiss authorities on behalf of the US Department of Justice, which has indicted 18 people alleging bribery totalling more than 150million US dollars (£98million).

In a separate development, the Swiss attorney general also opened criminal proceedings over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, seized documents and electronic data from FIFA's headquarters and will question 10 current FIFA executive committee members who voted on that tournament.

The twin proceedings have cast FIFA into a state of crisis and UEFA wants Friday's presidential election between incumbent Sepp Blatter and Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan to be postponed.

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino, speaking in Warsaw ahead of the Europa League final, said in a statement: "UEFA believes that the FIFA Congress should be postponed and that the election for the president should take place within six months."

The full UEFA statement following an executive committee meeting said: "Today's events are a disaster for FIFA and tarnish the image of football as a whole.

"UEFA is deeply shocked and saddened by them. These events show, once again, that corruption is deeply rooted in FIFA's culture.

"There is a need for the whole of FIFA to be "rebooted" and for a real reform to be carried out.

"The upcoming FIFA Congress risks to turn into a farce and therefore the European associations will have to consider carefully if they should even attend this Congress and caution a system, which, if it is not stopped, will ultimately kill football.

"The UEFA member associations are meeting tomorrow ahead of the FIFA Congress. At that point, the European associations will decide on what further steps need to be taken to protect the game of football.

"In the meantime, the members of the UEFA executive committee are convinced that there is a strong need for a change to the leadership of this FIFA and strongly believe that the FIFA Congress should be postponed, with new FIFA presidential elections to be organised within the next six months."

FIFA president Sepp Blatter issued a statement saying: "This is a difficult time for football, the fans and for FIFA as an organisation. We understand the disappointment that many have expressed and I know that the events of today will impact the way in which many people view us.

"As unfortunate as these events are, it should be clear that we welcome the actions and the investigations by the US and Swiss authorities and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken to root out any wrongdoing in football.

"While there will be many who are frustrated with the pace of change, I would like to stress the actions that we have taken and will continue to take. In fact, today's action by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General was set in motion when we submitted a dossier to the Swiss authorities late last year.

"Let me be clear: such misconduct has no place in football and we will ensure that those who engage in it are put out of the game. Following the events of today, the independent Ethics Committee - which is in the midst of its own proceedings regarding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups - took swift action to provisionally ban those individuals named by the authorities from any football-related activities at the national and international level."