FIFA corruption arrests

[ORD]

davepoth said:

Lessons have been learnt - mainly that US Authorities are not scared to give them financially significant (for the banks) fines, and to imprison executives. They'll find what they're looking for, mainly because they probably already knew about it.

There are no allegations of wrongdoing against any of those banks. Banks transfer money between clients' accounts! It's what they do. A bit like when you pay your phone bill or your employer pays your wages.

The anti-bank attitude in this country is absurd.

[davepoth]

ORD said:

There are no allegations of wrongdoing against any of those banks. Banks transfer money between clients' accounts! It's what they do. A bit like when you pay your phone bill or your employer pays your wages.

The anti-bank attitude in this country is absurd.

All of the banks mentioned have been fined billions of dollars by the US regulators for doing exactly that. Here's the story of HSBC, who were fined over a billion dollars for having lax internal processes that led to money laundering - essentially, knowing about the transactions, knowing they look iffy, and still nodding them through, is an offence in the USA.

http://www.corp-research.org/HSBC

What's happened is similar to a paroled ex-convict being stopped for a broken tail-light and hauled into the station to be threatened with being sent back to jail unless he squeals on his friends.

It's a threat to the banks, no doubt, and one that they'll be only too happy to accede to.

[Blib]

Of course, there could be a FIFA World Cup without the participation of the big European football nations. However, there is no doubt that its credibility would be severely, if not fatally damaged.

[Troubleatmill]

ORD said:

davepoth said:

Lessons have been learnt - mainly that US Authorities are not scared to give them financially significant (for the banks) fines, and to imprison executives. They'll find what they're looking for, mainly because they probably already knew about it.

There are no allegations of wrongdoing against any of those banks. Banks transfer money between clients' accounts! It's what they do. A bit like when you pay your phone bill or your employer pays your wages.

The anti-bank attitude in this country is absurd.

And using the UK registered banks for bribery or corruption..... get's the attention of the SFO.

We do have some rather far reaching laws as well as the US.

[anonymous-user]

ORD said:

There are no allegations of wrongdoing against any of those banks. Banks transfer money between clients' accounts! It's what they do. A bit like when you pay your phone bill or your employer pays your wages.

The anti-bank attitude in this country is absurd.

But essential in order to have some slight measure of control exercised by them. Imagine what they'd get up to without regulation, criticism and suspicion?

[anonymous-user]

Beati Dogu said:

The Hypno-Toad said:

Blatter knows that the World Cup is Brazil. They are the team that everyone tunes in to watch, the team the neutrals all support and the one that sponsors spend the most money on (I think.). If they go, his house of cards will come tumbling down. Which is why is the South American FAs are so far in his pocket, they can smell his boxer shorts.

Many South American FAs, including Argentina, voted for Prince Ali bin al-Hussein. Brazil FA's boss, Marco Polo Del Nero and his personal staff fled back home from Switzerland the day before the vote. By sheer coincidence, his predecessor had been arrested in Zurich the day before and Brazil has a limited extradition agreement with the USA. Funny that.

The loss of support from South America was one of Blatter's biggest blows this week.

[MiniMan64]

Does anyone still think we'll see serious change at FIFA come out of this?

I posted the day of the arrests that nothing would change and I stand by that even more now. The arrests made for pretty headlines but Blatter was never going to lose and as long as he continues the party line and pushes forward as if nothing has changed then nothing will.

[Cobnapint]

If Europe pulled out, it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference.

All the other countries would just think 'oh good, more chance of winning'.

I'm afraid in vast parts of the world, corruption and bribery are an ingrained part of life. Its what they do and they see little wrong with it.

[Negative Creep]

Cobnapint said:

If Europe pulled out, it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference.

All the other countries would just think 'oh good, more chance of winning'.

I'm afraid in vast parts of the world, corruption and bribery are an ingrained part of life. Its what they do and they see little wrong with it.

A World Cup without any European or North American teams would make a very big difference, no one wants to watch something where the main competitors don't show up

[eldar]

MiniMan64 said:

Does anyone still think we'll see serious change at FIFA come out of this?

I posted the day of the arrests that nothing would change and I stand by that even more now. The arrests made for pretty headlines but Blatter was never going to lose and as long as he continues the party line and pushes forward as if nothing has changed then nothing will.

I rather hope you are wrong. Football is an international sport, paid for by Joe Public who spends a huge sum of money attending, watching, and buying the paraphernalia. Once they start feeling they've been cheated and ripped off and the cheats prospering at their expense all bets are off.

The weak points are the sponsors, and their relationship with the corrupt.

It isn't just Europe and the US.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32952078

[Cobnapint]

eldar said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32952078

This is a gift that's going to keep on giving, and giving, and giving.....

[Derek Smith]

eldar said:

I rather hope you are wrong. Football is an international sport, paid for by Joe Public who spends a huge sum of money attending, watching, and buying the paraphernalia. Once they start feeling they've been cheated and ripped off and the cheats prospering at their expense all bets are off.

The weak points are the sponsors, and their relationship with the corrupt.

It isn't just Europe and the US.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32952078

But there was much in our newspapers over recent years: Sunday Times, Guardian and Telegraph yet nothing happened.

The sponsors have a lot of money invested in FIFA and, as exampled regularly in the Eye, paper editors are more than willing to alter content if their advertisers ask. If you were marketing manager of one of the WC sponsors and you were wondering what to do, would you suggest to your MD that you should pull out and leave a competitor to fill the gap?

Whoever is at the top of the corruption in FIFA, they have it well organised. When everyone gets a cut, who is going to rock the boat?

If we had got the WC, would we be calling for UEFA to pull out from FIFA?

Our best hope is, I think, that the USA doesn't lose interest. They are open to political pressure.

[Troubleatmill]

Remember "New Coke".


The power of your wallet ( as others mentioned above) is capable of doing major damage.

Nothing hurts a company more than profits tumbling.

[eldar]

Derek Smith said:

But there was much in our newspapers over recent years: Sunday Times, Guardian and Telegraph yet nothing happened.

The sponsors have a lot of money invested in FIFA and, as exampled regularly in the Eye, paper editors are more than willing to alter content if their advertisers ask. If you were marketing manager of one of the WC sponsors and you were wondering what to do, would you suggest to your MD that you should pull out and leave a competitor to fill the gap?

Whoever is at the top of the corruption in FIFA, they have it well organised. When everyone gets a cut, who is going to rock the boat?

If we had got the WC, would we be calling for UEFA to pull out from FIFA?

Our best hope is, I think, that the USA doesn't lose interest. They are open to political pressure.

Getting away with it for years. Get careless, leave evidence. I don't think the USA will lose interest - losing their WC bid to fraudulent and corrupt practices pisses them off big style. They are exceeding bad losers to cheats.

Blatter is toast, sponsors will defect soon.

[Bodo]

Negative Creep said:

A World Cup without any European or North American teams would make a very big difference, no one wants to watch something where the main competitors don't show up

I agree, the whole thing would become uninteresting, if the UEFA wouldn't take part. But CONCACAF?
Any world cup w/o CONMEBOL and/or UEFA would not make the winning team or its fans feel like being world champion.

Rank	Confederation	Title	2.	3.	4.
1	UEFA	11	15	16	14
2	CONMEBOL	9	5	3	5
3	CONCACAF			1
4	AFC			1
5	CAF
5	OFC

[Bodo]

Some artists created FIFA sponsors logos, making aware of the problems in Qatar.



Full article here: http://www.timesofisrael.com/anti-logos-seek-to-sh...

Partners and sponsors of FIFA listed here: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/organisation/partners...

[PomBstard]

Whilst I would love to see the back of Blatter and his mob, I'm also interested in what FIFA or any governing body would look like and do in the next stage. Say UEFA pull out of Russia 2018, so what? There are loads of other countries that would love to have a go at winning the WC, and would have a better chance of doing so without UEFA teams. Remember the 1980 and 84 Olympics - sure, they weren't the say without that US v USSR niggle, but they still went ahead and other countries had a go.

What is UEFA's proposal to make FIFA better? How does the governing body of world football take into account the power of teams in Europe and South America and still give the rest of the planet a go at joining in the big spectacle? Or are we all a bit sulky because our clubs are some of the biggest but only get as much say in it as Mauritius?

I'm seriously interested to hear what might happen once we've all gotten over our own sense of outrage. UEFA pulls out, then what? Blatter goes, then what? Russia and Qatar WC go ahead, then what?

[Negative Creep]

Bodo said:

Negative Creep said:

A World Cup without any European or North American teams would make a very big difference, no one wants to watch something where the main competitors don't show up

I agree, the whole thing would become uninteresting, if the UEFA wouldn't take part. But CONCACAF?
Any world cup w/o CONMEBOL and/or UEFA would not make the winning team or its fans feel like being world champion.

Rank	Confederation	Title	2.	3.	4.
1	UEFA	11	15	16	14
2	CONMEBOL	9	5	3	5
3	CONCACAF			1
4	AFC			1
5	CAF
5	OFC

You'd lose the American audience without CONCACAF which is quite a lot of people and money since the sport is growing in popularity every year (even if they do call it Soccer)

[cirian75]

Poor old Sepp

"Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvs4bOMv5Xw

[jmorgan]

The fans will still go, that will be justification enough (for the Big B that is). Fans are always fickle.

Open doors at FIFA for some serious legal investigators and financial experts, now that would be a thing. Money where your mouth is Mr B, if it ain't already been dished out.