FIFA Officials Arrested

[Easy 10]

Blatter’s statement, culminating in the line “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” is so startling in its lack of self-awareness, you wonder what delusion this guy is under…he really does seem to think this can all go off around him, with him just putting up his hands saying “nothing to do with me, guv”. He’s clearly not a stupid man – you don’t become a lawyer or survive this long in that organisation by being an idiot. But they say power corrupts, and absolute power absolutely corrupts. Its gone to his head long, long ago, and now he’s seemingly in some form of denial.

I genuinely hope Blatter is re-elected. I want him in office to face this FBI-driven tsunami that is coming his way. He has been in power for so long, and rode out so many scandals, that he probably believes this is another storm that will eventually blow itself out, just as all the others have over the years. I think he’s got to a point now that he believes he is genuinely untouchable. However, the Americans have the resources, the power and (going by the statements so far) they certainly have the will to pursue this right to the end. They’re after the head honcho, and the way to go about it is getting his cronies to squeal. I just cannot see that the end-game for the FBI in all this is to take out the likes of Blazer and Warner. If by the end of all this Blatter was still somehow sat there as the head of FIFA, then the whole thing will be viewed by the watching world as having been a failure. You cannot clean out a pigsty with the biggest hog still in there feeding from the trough.

I have a mental image of him being dragged kicking and screaming from that FIFA HQ. It could come to that !

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

All that opulence at the FIFA ceremony whilst hundreds of migrant workers die in Qatar in the name of the game they are meant to promote, it is disgusting.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Not read any of the thread so this has probably been said, but it seems that everyone is pussy-footing around here - Visa say we "may" look at our sponsorship, UEFA say we "may" withdraw teams from the World Cup. What you need is for someone to step up to the plate and say we "will" do something. If UEFA say we will withdraw Spain, Germany, France and England from the world cup if Blatter is re-elected, there is no way all the main sponsors or the other federations will stand for the corrupt-old man still being in power.

 

[happypig]

Blatter's attitude seems not to be that he CAN get away with it but that he is ENTITLED to get away with it. I'm really enjoying seeing the whole house of cards collapsing around him; he's like Nero, fiddling while Rome burns but hopefully he'll end up like Julius Ceasar, stabbed in the back by his co-conspirators.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Warner and the rest will be singing like Pavarotti when they realise how many decades they could be facing in jail.

 

[TomandJerry]

"The president of Fifa, Sepp Blatter, has denied responsibility for the corruption scandal engulfing football’s world governing body and has promised to clean up the organisation by pressing ahead with his bid for a fifth term.

Blatter told the Fifa congress in Zurich on Thursday afternoon that he could “not monitor everyone all of the time” and emphasised that the allegations and arrests focused on “a minority of individuals”. Blatter promised, not for the first time, to rebuild trust."

 

[Davemania]

His little speech was pathetic, I don't know anything about it, nothing to do with me. I sincerely hope when the utter weasel is re-elected tomorrow that UEFA leave FIFA. It's the only option

 

[Davemania]

Blatter's attitude seems not to be that he CAN get away with it but that he is ENTITLED to get away with it. I'm really enjoying seeing the whole house of cards collapsing around him; he's like Nero, fiddling while Rome burns but hopefully he'll end up like Julius Ceasar, stabbed in the back by his co-conspirators.

It was interesting to hear him say "for sure there will be more bad news" He knows there will be as he's utterly implicit in it all. Once the other freaks are extradited they'all all start blabbing I'm sure. No honour among thieves

 

[Rookie]

When he gets back in surely uefa has to make a stand and boycott Fifa.

 

[GT49er]

UEFA out! Yes please!

Mind you, I don't believe Platini is all that lilywhite either; Blatter-Lite, as someone described him earlier on here.

 

[Triggaaar]

I hope you're all correct on this. I can see the possibility of two world cups looming though, in just the same way that boxing and chess managed to split. We've already got the threat in cricket, I wouldn't like to see football go the same way.

I don't think you can compare team sports with individual sports. Everyone knows who the top football nations are, and who people want to see, and they're not going to be appearing in more than one WC. So if there are two WCs, it won't be like boxing.

I want it quickly resolved with Blatter ushered out (preferably with cuffs on) and a big clean-up in place but life's not always that simple. People will still watch a World Cup without the western Europe teams so the sponsors/advertisers wouldn't necessarily pull out - although they'd want a big discount

Big discount? You have no idea. A WC without any big Euopean team, and without the US and others will mean the bulk of the money will follow the new group. FIFA without Blatter is still FIFA, I see no reason why there'd be much change. They conduct business on the basis of corruption, and changing the head wouldn't suddenly change that.

Just changing the head of FIFA wouldn't stop the WC going to Qatar, so nothing will have changed. People will continue to die while building stadiums we don't need.

 

[Bwian]

Not read any of the thread so this has probably been said, but it seems that everyone is pussy-footing around here - Visa say we "may" look at our sponsorship, UEFA say we "may" withdraw teams from the World Cup. What you need is for someone to step up to the plate and say we "will" do something. If UEFA say we will withdraw Spain, Germany, France and England from the world cup if Blatter is re-elected, there is no way all the main sponsors or the other federations will stand for the corrupt-old man still being in power.

None of the sponsors will commit themselves to withdrawing their sponsorship because there are others waiting to jump in at the first opportunity and won't give a damn about the corruption. Coke leaves, Pepsi will be right there. Visa goes, Mastercard will jump in. McDonalds-Burger King., etc., etc.

 

[Hillian1]

Here's my prediction.

FIFA will re elect Blatter.
Blatter will somehow avoid any charges.
UEFA will make noises.
The sponsors will do nothing other than sabre rattling.
Russia will host 2018
Qatar will host 2022.

 

[Ernest]

Here's my prediction.

FIFA will re elect Blatter.
Blatter will somehow avoid any charges.
UEFA will make noises.
The sponsors will do nothing other than sabre rattling.
Russia will host 2018
Qatar will host 2022.

People have got the scent of his blood and won't give up till he is gone, he has too many enemies to survive

 

[Hampster Gull]

People have got the scent of his blood and won't give up till he is gone, he has too many enemies to survive

This. The Americans take this stuff seriously, he is a goner at some point in the next couple of years

 

[surrey jim]

what are Scotland planning to do? As a big hitting Northern European nation in its own right we need to know what their view is.

My money is on Scotland boycotting the tournament. Not because of their views on corruption, but to save embarrassment of loosing to Qatar in a match!

 

[GT49er]

None of the sponsors will commit themselves to withdrawing their sponsorship because there are others waiting to jump in at the first opportunity and won't give a damn about the corruption. Coke leaves, Pepsi will be right there. Visa goes, Mastercard will jump in. McDonalds-Burger King., etc., etc.

If sponsors start to leave, the stench of corruption will be so toxic that other companies will think twice about jumping in. Hmm .... "So many people boycotted McDonald's that they pulled out - I think we'll have some of that ......" I don't think Burger King will find that a very attractive proposition.

 

[GT49er]

My money is on Scotland boycotting the tournament. Not because of their views on corruption, but to save embarrassment of loosing to Qatar in a match!

Scotland have been boycotting the finals for years, along with San Marino, Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands. I don't think it's had much effect, has it?

 

[Davemania]

If sponsors start to leave, the stench of corruption will be so toxic that other companies will think twice about jumping in. Hmm .... "So many people boycotted McDonald's that they pulled out - I think we'll have some of that ......" I don't think Burger King will find that a very attractive proposition.

I'm boycotting Adidas, Coca Cola, McDonalds, Budweiser right away. It's not much just one person but enough people do it... I have a visa card is one problem. I hope they leave, they sounded the most likely. Just lot more complicated to boycott your credit card; especially when you've got to pay it off first

 

[Triggaaar]

If sponsors start to leave, the stench of corruption will be so toxic that other companies will think twice about jumping in. Hmm .... "So many people boycotted McDonald's that they pulled out - I think we'll have some of that ......" I don't think Burger King will find that a very attractive proposition.

If sponsors leave because we're boycotting them, then it will work, but if they leave just on principle, they will be replaced and it will make no difference. We have to boycott them.