FIFA [alleged] corruption

[Tacalabala]

I bet they couldn't even shift it on torrents.

[forestfan]

I'm sure the true story, as is currently unfolding, will make a rather more successful movie one day...

[DrBunker]

Very true. I suspect a trilogy would be more likely!

[forestfan]

Jerome Valcke: "I knew nothing, I just signed the cheques" or words to that effect...

[Striker]

Latest FIFA farce demonstrating Blatter's sense of humour failure.

Blatter has just sacked Walter De Grigorio FIFA's Director of Communications. This allegedly stems from a joke that De Grigorio told a couple of days ago during an interview on Swiss television.

"The FIFA President, Secretary General, and the Director of Communications were in a car. Who was driving?

The Police."

[Mav3rick]

"The FIFA President, Secretary General, and the Director of Communications were in a car. Who was driving?

The Police."

[Tacalabala]

It's the way he tells em

[Surprised]

Looks as if Blatter will do a Farage and unresign.

[DrBunker]

Didn't you predict that the other day?

[murf]

Caption competition?

I see Private Eye have come in with a late entry, using this pic on their new cover with the caption "my hands are clean"

They also had:

[Surprised]

Didn't you predict that the other day?

Seems I did!
It was very tongue in cheek but his reasons for potentially unresigning are just as I said. Maybe Farage is a good friend of his. They are so similar it is uncanny.

[liquidfootball2]

The African and Asian confederations have apparently been urging him to reconsider so no real argument votes wise and he has majority support behind him.

[murf]

" if no suitable alternative candidate emerges" - there are loads lining up on the Europe/reform side of things. Presume they are only considered 'suitable' if supporting the status quo and under-carpet-sweeping.

[foxinthebox2001]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33145539

It's get better every week, undercover operations, bugging device in a key fob.
Turning into a Len Deighton novel.

[DrBunker]

On that basis they must have some useful and very clearly damning info, surely?

[Tacalabala]

On that basis they must have some useful and very clearly damning info, surely?

Can't wait to hear it. I'll also look forward to hearing who ripped the piss out of Blazer for being a human barrel.

[forestfan]

" if no suitable alternative candidate emerges" - there are loads lining up on the Europe/reform side of things. Presume they are only considered 'suitable' if supporting the status quo and under-carpet-sweeping.

Well, if he goes back on his word or Africa/Asia backs a "Blatterite" candidate who will change nothing, then Europe goes it alone and the poorer confederations can keep their FIFA which would be worth the square root of f*ck all.

[DrBunker]

On that basis they must have some useful and very clearly damning info, surely?

Can't wait to hear it. I'll also look forward to hearing who ripped the piss out of Blazer for being a human barrel.

In this farce it's hard to know what's comedy and what's the truth but I'm sure I heard that he got so fat from all the free meals he received that FIFA had to buy him a mobility scooter to get around.

Sounds like the Swiss are announcing something later today based on their own investigation. The sick thing about all this is that it's like the Savile situation; whilst it was happening no one said anything but now it's (almost) in the open everybody is admitting they knew and lots of them have evidence including law enforcement agencies.

[liquidfootball2]

I suspect things are looking ok for Blatman as he seems to get early warnings of any pending bad news.

He made the resignation speech just before the South Africa letter to Valke became public. Just think all this noise about him unresigning may mean he can see a clear way out and carry on as if nothing has happened safe in the knowledge that he still has majority backing.

[foxinthebox2001]

53 cases of possible money laundering?
I always thought money laundering was the process by which criminals disguise the original ownership and control of the proceeds from criminal activities, such as drug dealing & prostitution.
All Fifa's funding comes from legitimate sources, ticket sales, advertisers, and tv companies.

[DrBunker]

At a press conference in Bern, Lauber (the Swiss attorney general) said that Swiss banks had fulfilled their obligations to report suspicious banking activity and that the Swiss investigation had not been instigated as a result of the FBI investigation.

So by that logic either FIFA have only recently started to launder hence the action or they've been doing it for a while and the Swiss authorities have only just decided to act. Either way it doesn't look good.

[liquidfootball2]

BLATMAN2 now showing at a cinema near you.

Sepp Blatter says he has not resigned as Fifa president.

The 79-year-old Swiss was thought to have ended his 17-year reign on 2 June amid claims of corruption in world football's governing body.

But, according to Swiss newspaper Blick, Blatter told a party at a Fifa museum: "I did not resign. I put myself and my office in the hands of the Fifa congress."


http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/33284185

[murf]

"I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as Fifa president until that election"

How can you translate that in any way other than "I am resigning (with the caveat of staying in til a meeting)"

[RomynPG]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33338097

Blatter not attending Womens World Cup Final due to "personal reasons".

... those personal reasons maybe being not wanting to risk diversion to the US?

[Tacalabala]

He is the Dead Parrot president, he has an answer for everything.

[foxinthebox2001]

BBC breaking news.
A Fifa official who assessed the bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has been banned from all football-related activity for seven years.
Football's world governing body said former Chilean Football Association president Harold Mayne-Nicholls had been suspended after a hearing of its independent ethics committee.
Yet still no possibilty of those bids being discredited?

[liquidfootball2]

Good day for Qatar, Platini announces he'll stand.

[murf]

Platini announces he'll stand.

Come back Sepp, all is forgiven!

[RomynPG]

The noose tightens...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34282632

"Switzerland says it has approved the extradition of a Uruguayan football official accused of taking bribes.

Eugenio Figueredo was one of seven officials with Fifa, world football's governing body, who were arrested in Zurich on 27 May.

He is accused of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars relating to Copa America tournaments, Switzerland's Federal Office of Justice said.

He has 30 days to appeal against his extradition to the US."

[Mystery]

And Jerome Falcke joins the fun
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34286208