Panorama tonight: investigation into FIFA (Merged)

[Barrel of Fun]

BBC News - Panorama: Three Fifa World Cup officials took bribes

 

[Shoreham Beach Seagull]

Beat me to it ^^

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Anybody else just see it then?

Didn't think any of it was a huge surprise tbh. Since the Russia deal will have been all done & dusted ages ago anyway, I hope we lead the way in bringing that bunch of corrupt tossers to book.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Agree there was not much new in there, but would still be nice if justice finally caught up with the bent old gang of pensioners running FIFA.

 

[Gully]

I hope we win the first World Cup bid after FIFA has been cleaned up...probably not in my lifetime then!

 

[Tooting Gull]

Ironically, I thought the two most interesting aspects were not the bribes, which is pretty old news, it's just the scale of it which is new.

One was the outrageous list of demands from the host nation over everything from work visas to tax breaks for FIFA and their sponsors. No wonder they wanted that kept secret.

And the second was that since FIFA clearly can't be relied upon to keep their own house in order as they appear to have forgotten what corruption means, it is really over to Switzerland and a criminal fraud case from the country where they reside. Funnily enough, they haven't rushed to press home much on that front. I wonder why not.

FIFA are behaving like a tinpot dictatorship and assuming an importance way above many governments. I would genuinely love to see one of those crooks in prison.

And finally, as an aside to Mr Jennings, might I suggest a change in approach if you want some answers from these clowns. Accosting them in car parks/airports/hotels clearly isn't working.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Marvelous use of the term: "bent old gang of pensioners" there edna!

Btw, anybody know what that phrase would be in Latin? FIFA should use it as their official motto innit.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

And finally, as an aside to Mr Jennings, might I suggest a change in approach if you want some answers from these clowns. Accosting them in car parks/airports/hotels clearly isn't working.

Indeed. Where's Roger Cook when you need him?

 

[Marc]

that Tax Break thing was disgusting,l I seriously hope some Government or someone comes down on them and sends them all to the slammer, Sepp Fat Bastard Blatter leading the way....proper twat!

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Marvelous use of the term: "bent old gang of pensioners" there edna!

Btw, anybody know what that phrase would be in Latin? FIFA should use it as their official motto innit.

Well a couple of the key suspects involved are still sitting on FIFA's committee in their mid 80s, for crying out loud. I don't wish to be ageist but why would you still be working like that in your eighties unless it was one massive gravy train?

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Maybe one day some nations will have had enough of this bent FIFA bunch and split away. Won't be our FA though as they are also a bunch of cosy old men.

 

[Gully]

Maybe one day some nations will have had enough of this bent FIFA bunch and split away. Won't be our FA though as they are also a bunch of cosy old men.

Something along those lines occurred to me while watching the programme...maybe if we withdrew from FIFA (and entering the World Cup) until the whole thing is cleaned up, although some might say that would be a pointless gesture as we aren't really in with much of a chance of winning it, but it would be nice to take the moral high ground on this one.

 

[Barry Izbak]

How many threads on this board complain about money ruining football these days?
The game is rotten to the core with the people at the very top amongst the worst examples, and who set the standard.
Down through every level of the game for every person who is in football for the love of the game, there are two people in it for what they can make out of it.

 

[kevo]

Just been listening to Five Live discussion about this - can't believe how biased it is. Panorama were absolutely right to expose the corruption and the timing is right too - would we want the World Cup anyway if it was the result of a corrupt process? Unfortunately however the FA now have a ready-made scapegoat if we don't win the bid - and I'm sure everyone will shoot the messenger.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Pretty poor journalism I thought. I have absolutely no doubt that the bribery stuff is more or less true, I think we knew that - but the first half of the program showed no evidence whatsoever, he waved a list around, with nothing to back up what it was. It just looked like an old man dressed like Columbo, shouting at Jack Warner and Blatter from 100 yards.

The second half was a little better, and the stuff about the tax breaks was interesting, but again not really surprising and nothing new if it is similar to what happens in the Olympics, as they claimed.

All-in-all, pretty much a waste of time, and a poor program, but it did back up the supposition that we have, and never did have any hope of getting the vote.

 

[The Large One]

You're never going to get over in 27 minutes the whole story, the acquisition of the papers, the checking of the facts, the legality of the accusations and so on. What he has done is present a summary of the research.

Sure, the presentation could be argued was a bit poor (I'd put that down to the time constraints, among other things), but the journalism was excellent. To say there was 'nothing to back it up' [his accusations] is missing the mark.

Not poor at all.

 

[KZNSeagull]

If by some miracle England did win the vote, would you still support the 2018 World Cup in England knowing that the FA etc would have had to line so many people's pockets to get it?

 

[mikeyjh]

If by some miracle England did win the vote, would you still support the 2018 World Cup in England knowing that the FA etc would have had to line so many people's pockets to get it?

No - I am biased, but the process of stadium select itself was a joke and I truly hope we don't win the bid. The stadiums in Bristol, Liverpool and Nottingham are pie in the sky plans. In particular the Nottingham stadium, they don't know where it will be or how they are going to pay for it. The FA were very unclear about why exactly Derby was rejected. PPS has everything all the infrastructure in place, planning and funding in place for stadium expansion and several large new hotels opening in the next 12 months.

Obviously I'm in a right huff as Derby was rejected.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

You're never going to get over in 27 minutes the whole story, the acquisition of the papers, the checking of the facts, the legality of the accusations and so on. What he has done is present a summary of the research.

Sure, the presentation could be argued was a bit poor (I'd put that down to the time constraints, among other things), but the journalism was excellent. To say there was 'nothing to back it up' [his accusations] is missing the mark.

Not poor at all.

I would have thought any proof of what he was saying would be the most important thing to get across. Waving around a bit of paper that could have been typed by anybody was no proof at all. I don't remember anything else other than verbal suppositions. I stand by my opinion that the first half, at least, was very, very poorly done and presented. I repeat that I fully expect that what was said is true(ish) and the whole process a farce and unaccountable to anybody.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

If by some miracle England did win the vote, would you still support the 2018 World Cup in England knowing that the FA etc would have had to line so many people's pockets to get it?

Absolutely NOT. The demands on the hosting government are nothing short of blackmail. Why the hell should I pay all my tax but a corrupt criminal like Blatter not have to pay tax ?? I really hope we don't win it. Having watched the programme I can see why it needed to be aired now - the affect after the vote would be close to nothing. I can't believe the bid team nor the government had the guts to take part in the programme - shame on them.