Blatter NOW reported for corruption

[Ernest]

It's all kicking off at FIFA now

 

[Gritt23]

I can only hope that actual evidence gets unearthed, and we can try to deal with the obvious corruption that has been going on for years. My fear is that it will be no more than a war or words that will blow over as soon as the elections are over.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Any chance that the upcoming election could be postponed? Surely they can't go ahead, with both candidates under investigation?

 

[Coleby1007]

The guys a joke, as are FIFA as an organisation. Corrupt as anything

 

[Tooting Gull]

This is brilliant, we may have arrived at that 'critical mass' moment when the rats are looking for the lifeboats. If they finally think they have more chance of staying out of prison by shopping the others than keeping schtum, the whole edifice could come crashing down.

How can you have a credible election when both candidates are subject of inquiries, any idiot can see that is impossible. Thank God the FA abstained, that is looking a better decision by the day. Amazing that some pundits didn't agree with their stance.

 

[Easy 10]

I can only hope that actual evidence gets unearthed, and we can try to deal with the obvious corruption that has been going on for years. My fear is that it will be no more than a war or words that will blow over as soon as the elections are over.

Doubtful.

It isn't just another external accusation by a reporter that they can just brush off like they usually do - this time, the mud-slinging is being done internally by their own members. FIFA has always had accusations of corruption, thats nothing new. But this is by far the biggest row to have erupted, its tearing itself apart now, and its credibility is at an all-time low. Forget FIFA's own "Ethics Committee", the only way this can ever be cleared up is be an INDEPENDENT investigation by an outside body, like what happened with the IOC.

I don't think they can get away with sweeping this one under the carpet.

 

[strings]

This will be easily resolved.

There will be a sham investigation, which will find all participants innocent. The presidential elections will go ahead as usual. The old boys club will continue.

 

[strings]

Forget FIFA's own "Ethics Committee", the only way this can ever be cleared up is be an INDEPENDENT investigation by an outside body, like what happened with the IOC.

I don't think they can get away with sweeping this one under the carpet.

Easy makes a good point, and I hope he is right.

 

[Marc]

Would ANY of this be happening if it was'nt for the Panaorama investigation? Do we think that was the instigator to the recent accusations and stuff? I for one hope so!

Hope this does go all the way, but as others have said its bound to be swept under the carpet again!

 

[Tooting Gull]

Reckon there could be some serious SHREDDING going on at FIFA right now.

'Yup, that box marked 'rivers of dirty money', hand that one down next..'

 

[Was not Was]

This is brilliant, we may have arrived at that 'critical mass' moment when the rats are looking for the lifeboats. If they finally think they have more chance of staying out of prison by shopping the others than keeping schtum, the whole edifice could come crashing down.

How can you have a credible election when both candidates are subject of inquiries, any idiot can see that is impossible. Thank God the FA abstained, that is looking a better decision by the day. Amazing that some pundits didn't agree with their stance.

Which sounds great, except that ....

... I read something that seemed credible in the paper yesterday, that some of the big clubs are waiting for just such a moment, and have plans to set up a superleague type affair, which would have primacy over international football. Currently not possible due to FIFA regs about releasing players for international matches, which would go out the window.

However you feel about the club-country stuff, be aware that such a league would be a closed shop, and establish the precedent for dispensing with promotion/relegation.

If this is true, then I guess what we need is FIFA reform rather than total collapse.

 

[Gritt23]

Forget FIFA's own "Ethics Committee", the only way this can ever be cleared up is be an INDEPENDENT investigation by an outside body, like what happened with the IOC.

I don't think they can get away with sweeping this one under the carpet.

That's what it needs, but I think FIFA believe they are far more powerful than the IOC, and they are probably right. The Olympics carries the facade of "amateur sport" which has been getting eroded away for decades. Athletics is the main attraction, and Athletics had long since decided it needed an event more often than every 4 years, so teh "World Championships" had arisen. If the IOC had continued to lose credibility, it would have just been overtaken by professional athletics running their own events, and the "olympic ideal" would have suffered the diminishing returns of say the FA Cup.

At present FIFA don't have that same threat to it's existence. They have worked with UEFA to encourage the big European clubs to step away from the whole "European Super League" idea, they've bent over backwards so they don't form their own breakaway, but maybe that threat is what it will need before FIFA decide that they must clean up their act in a similar way to how the IOC did.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Which sounds great, except that ....

... I read something that seemed credible in the paper yesterday, that some of the big clubs are waiting for just such a moment, and have plans to set up a superleague type affair, which would have primacy over international football. Currently not possible due to FIFA regs about releasing players for international matches, which would go out the window.

However you feel about the club-country stuff, be aware that such a league would be a closed shop, and establish the precedent for dispensing with promotion/relegation.

If this is true, then I guess what we need is FIFA reform rather than total collapse.

I think the Champions League is about 90 per cent towards that anyway, to be honest. Very few big players, clubs and countries get hauled up over pulling players out of internationals, it tends to be smaller ones that 'bravely' get made an example of.

But I agree that wholesale reform is better than removal, I'm sure most would, because there will be opportunisitic clubs waiting to exploit things if they can.

Let's just have a rebrand and a new name that confers more credibility than FIFA have got. What about Billy Smart's Football Circus?

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Doubtful.

It isn't just another external accusation by a reporter that they can just brush off like they usually do - this time, the mud-slinging is being done internally by their own members. FIFA has always had accusations of corruption, thats nothing new. But this is by far the biggest row to have erupted, its tearing itself apart now, and its credibility is at an all-time low. Forget FIFA's own "Ethics Committee", the only way this can ever be cleared up is be an INDEPENDENT investigation by an outside body, like what happened with the IOC.

I don't think they can get away with sweeping this one under the carpet.

Agree, they seem to be imploding. There are rumours that if anyone is found guilty of corruption, especially Bin Hamman, that some of the countries that ran against Qatar will demand that the 2022 cup process be re-run, and who can blame them.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

All that's happening now is that Bin Hammam, having been accused of corruption himself, has come out saying that Blatter was aware of the allegations previously but didn't do anything about it, which means Blatter has violated FIFA's laughably ignored Code of Ethics himself.

The allegations against Bin Hammam and Jack Warner are the more serious, as they're the ones accused of actively having done something, whereas Blatter is only accused of having acquiesced, having known about the dodgy dealings.

The weasel will ride this one out, as usual, and in fact he'll be on Easy Street, as Bin Hammam will be magically struck from the electoral campaign, leaving Blatter unopposed.

Call me a cynic, but that's what I see happening. They're in need of a bloody big carpet at FIFA HQ, to sweep this lot under.

 

[Biscuit]

Sepp Blatter is apparently furious with all the allegations of corruption against him.

He will shortly be making a statement outside his new Russian mansion later today.

 

[Biscuit]

Surely Qatar hosting the world cup is evidence enough?

 

[Tricky Dicky]

All that's happening now is that Bin Hammam, having been accused of corruption himself, has come out saying that Blatter was aware of the allegations previously but didn't do anything about it, which means Blatter has violated FIFA's laughably ignored Code of Ethics himself.

The allegations against Bin Hammam and Jack Warner are the more serious, as they're the ones accused of actively having done something, whereas Blatter is only accused of having acquiesced, having known about the dodgy dealings.

The weasel will ride this one out, as usual, and in fact he'll be on Easy Street, as Bin Hammam will be magically struck from the electoral campaign, leaving Blatter unopposed.

Call me a cynic, but that's what I see happening. They're in need of a bloody big carpet at FIFA HQ, to sweep this lot under.

I think the important difference it that they are now turning on each other. We have the American FIFA guy with accusations, and Bin Hamman is not going to go down alone if found guilty.

 

[Daffy Duck]

Waiting for shit to hit fan!!

 

[Easy 10]

All that's happening now is that Bin Hammam, having been accused of corruption himself, has come out saying that Blatter was aware of the allegations previously but didn't do anything about it, which means Blatter has violated FIFA's laughably ignored Code of Ethics himself.

The allegations against Bin Hammam and Jack Warner are the more serious, as they're the ones accused of actively having done something, whereas Blatter is only accused of having acquiesced, having known about the dodgy dealings.

The weasel will ride this one out, as usual, and in fact he'll be on Easy Street, as Bin Hammam will be magically struck from the electoral campaign, leaving Blatter unopposed.

Call me a cynic, but that's what I see happening. They're in need of a bloody big carpet at FIFA HQ, to sweep this lot under.

I disagree.

Heads are going to roll, and they won't be going quietly. I think this is finally going to blow FIFA wide open. Evidence is emerging now, such as the email from Warner to Triesman asking for the FA to pay for Haiti's TV World Cup rights. And I expect Bin Hammam will have plenty of other nuggets tucked under his shemagh which he can leak.

This is going to get very messy. And not before time.