FIFA arrests (now with improved Blatter/Platini bans!)

[Apollinis]

Just when you thought FIFA couldn't get any worse: Germany bribed Saudi Arabia with RPGs in its bid to host the 2006 World Cup. This is an extraordinary claim, but it's also FIFA. What do you guys think?

I didn't know there was demand for D&D in Riyadh.

I think they're probably fairly well-equipped with dungeons in Riyadh, to be honest.

Also, a dodgy deal involving large amounts of weaponry and Saudi Arabia? Surely not. And a dodgy deal involving a World Cup and potential bribery? Surely not.

With just about any other sporting organisation and its affiliates, I'd be surprised, but like WA said, this is FIFA, which appears to be on some kind of mission to prove that a multinational with charitable status can indeed be as corrupt and uncaring about human life as a Central Asian dictatorship, so you never know.

[MERIZoC]

Holy shit.

This seems like it's straight out of a spy film.

The shockwaves from the corruption scandal that brought down Sepp Blatter continue to reverberate, with claims in Germany that the 2006 World Cup vote was influenced by a shipment of rocket-propelled grenades and allegations in Egypt that a Fifa executive solicited bribes during the 2010 bidding race.

[Camicon]

The level of corruption within FIFA has officially surpassed "comical", and has passed into the realm of "surreal". It's like an episode of The Twilight Zone.

[New Skaaneland]

I think the word you're looking for is "real".

[Laerod]

A lot of you are taking largely speculative assessments as proof...

[New Skaaneland]

As true as that might be it's still odd to see people in the year of 2015 still being surprised by the fact that football is a matter of life and death.

[Risottia]

Football: Bringing people together.

It's like the John Oliver clip I linked said: if the 'Muricans can press the investigation and find something to nail Blatter on (which seems, to this very casual observer, increasingly inevitable,) it will do untold amounts of good for international opinions of the US.

Definitely. This is one of the rare cases when American interventionism and world-police-attitude is being welcomed... well, mostly, I guess.

[Vassenor]

As true as that might be it's still odd to see people in the year of 2015 still being surprised by the fact that football is a matter of life and death.

If a game involving twenty-two men, some fishing nets and an inflated pig's bladder is considered to be a life and death affair, you're taking it way too freaking seriously.

[Laerod]

It's like the John Oliver clip I linked said: if the 'Muricans can press the investigation and find something to nail Blatter on (which seems, to this very casual observer, increasingly inevitable,) it will do untold amounts of good for international opinions of the US. :P

Definitely. This is one of the rare cases when American interventionism and world-police-attitude is being welcomed... well, mostly, I guess.

'Cept it's not world policing. As far as I can tell, the US is only investigating cases that involve criminal activity in their jurisdiction. The Swiss investigation that was probably kicked loose because of it probably promises the bigger catches, if it proceeds properly.

[Risottia]

As true as that might be it's still odd to see people in the year of 2015 still being surprised by the fact that football is a matter of life and death.

If a game involving twenty-two men, some fishing nets and an inflated pig's bladder is considered to be a life and death affair, you're taking it way too freaking seriously.

The point isn't the twenty-five men in silly suits and weird shoes on the pitch, it's those who look at them, which, in some cases, are in the range of hundreds of millions. And the money they represent.

[Nazis in Space]

Just when you thought FIFA couldn't get any worse: Germany bribed Saudi Arabia with RPGs in its bid to host the 2006 World Cup. This is an extraordinary claim, but it's also FIFA. What do you guys think?

Nonsense. The original claim comes from the Zeit which, unfortunately, claimed that the Schröder administration 'Temporarily removed' export restrictions - in reality, the export restrictions to Saudi-Arabia were permanently dropped in 1999, nothing world cup specific about it.

'Gib money for guns' specific, yes. But not football related.

It's extremely unlikely that a world cup was awarded without certain gifts to key individuals since Joao Havelange held the FIFA presidency (1974), but this specific instance is just 'Oh look, I can draw correlations, too!' bullshit with flat-out falsehoods added for good measure, all for the shock value of 'omgweaponstoarabs'.

[Risottia]

Definitely. This is one of the rare cases when American interventionism and world-police-attitude is being welcomed... well, mostly, I guess.

'Cept it's not world policing. As far as I can tell, the US is only investigating cases that involve criminal activity in their jurisdiction. The Swiss investigation that was probably kicked loose because of it probably promises the bigger catches, if it proceeds properly.

Well, I'm being my usual self. I like world policing only when it's not actual world policing.

[Vassenor]

If a game involving twenty-two men, some fishing nets and an inflated pig's bladder is considered to be a life and death affair, you're taking it way too freaking seriously.

The point isn't the twenty-five men in silly suits and weird shoes on the pitch, it's those who look at them, which, in some cases, are in the range of hundreds of millions. And the money they represent.

I'm not saying it isn't big. I'm saying it's not the "life and death affair" it's being sold as here.

[Risottia]

The point isn't the twenty-five men in silly suits and weird shoes on the pitch, it's those who look at them, which, in some cases, are in the range of hundreds of millions. And the money they represent.

I'm not saying it isn't big. I'm saying it's not the "life and death affair" it's being sold as here.

Oh yes it is. Matters of life and death can come rather cheap. Many robberies ending up in bloodshed are committed for less than 1000 €.

[Vassenor]

But here's my point. Is what happens in Football actually going to have any noticeable impact on the day to day lives of anyone not directly involved in the sport? Just because a human life has a net worth significantly less than that of an iPhone does not mean that anything worth more than that is automatically classed as a "matter of life and death".

[Apollinis]

The point isn't the twenty-five men in silly suits and weird shoes on the pitch, it's those who look at them, which, in some cases, are in the range of hundreds of millions. And the money they represent.

I'm not saying it isn't big. I'm saying it's not the "life and death affair" it's being sold as here.

There's several hundred migrant workers in Qatar (and a few workers in Brazil, IIRC) who'd probably disagree with you on that one.

Although I will accept that New Skaaneland's particular take on the whole thing is somewhat...niche.

[Laerod]

But here's my point. Is what happens in Football actually going to have any noticeable impact on the day to day lives of anyone not directly involved in the sport? Just because a human life has a net worth significantly less than that of an iPhone does not mean that anything worth more than that is automatically classed as a "matter of life and death".

Not to give credence to Skaaneland's overdramatization, but given the investment involved in World Cups and similar tournaments and events, yes, day to day lives of a lot of people are affected.

[Nazis in Space]

Incidentally, 'Blattern' is an old German word for smallpox.

[Shofercia]

Just when you thought FIFA couldn't get any worse: Germany bribed Saudi Arabia with RPGs in its bid to host the 2006 World Cup. This is an extraordinary claim, but it's also FIFA. What do you guys think?

More to come later, I believe.

Maybe later China will bid 2026 World Cup and will gives nuclear missile to bribe.

I think a 2% stake in one of the mega banks would be worth more

The level of corruption within FIFA has officially surpassed "comical", and has passed into the realm of "surreal". It's like an episode of The Twilight Zone.

No. It's been that way for quite a while. But now, thanks to Blazer, the idiot who opted to mock the IRS, it's all coming out. I highly doubt that the 1994 World Cup was honestly awarded either. And if you look at all of the World Cups, just reading between the lines...

1930, FIFA to Uruguay: "hey, we have this idea, you try it!"
After success, FIFA to rest of World: "ok, it works, we're bringing it to Europe!"

You know the time in college when you built something, but didn't know if it would work or not, so you send in the Freshman before going in yourselves? That's how FIFA started out assigning World Cups.

A lot of you are taking largely speculative assessments as proof...

Right, because it's not like Germany pressured the Oceanic delegate to not vote, thus giving the Cup to Germany instead of South Africa... oh wait.

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/arti ... d=11456126

The name Charlie Dempsey will forever be linked with corruption in Fifa after his abstention from voting for the 2006 World Cup saw it handed to Germany instead of South Africa. Dempsey was on the all-powerful Fifa executive committee in 2000 when they voted on who would host the 2006 edition of the World Cup. Many expected South Africa to win, and president Sepp Blatter had certainly put his lot in with them, but Dempsey's non-vote saw Germany win by one vote. He complained afterwards of "intolerable pressure" and later said this was in connection with attempts to bribe him. He and his family also received death threats. There is no evidence of Dempsey taking bribes but it was naive of him to think he would not be subjected to efforts to win his vote - in whatever form they might have been. He soon resigned from the Fifa executive committee and as Oceania chairman.

"I was sooo pressured, to like not vote, like, totally, erm, keep pumping the money, fuck, I mean pressure, Germany!" Because of the way things lined up, his non-vote effectively handed the 2006 World Cup to Germany.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/spo ... 826459.stm

Under-fire Fifa delegate Charles Dempsey has revealed he was threatened before he controversially abstained from a vote to decide who should host the 2006 World Cup. Dempsey, the Oceania Football Confederation president, was forced to resign on Sunday after throwing the vote into turmoil and giving Germany the right to host the World Cup ahead of favourites South Africa. Dempsey revealed at a press conference on Monday that he was threatened by "influential European interests" that if he voted for South Africa there would be "adverse effects" for Oceania. He ignored OFC's instruction to vote for South Africa to host the 2006 World Cup. His abstention meant Germany controversially won the vote 12-11. The night before the Fifa meeting I received a number of calls which disturbed me, one of them was a threatening call. "It had also been made clear to me by influential European interests that if I cast my vote in favour of South Africa there would be adverse effects for OFC in Fifa. "I believe that decision was in the best interest of football and in particular those of the OFC." He confirmed he had received a number of anonymous calls as well as a pressure phone conversation with former South African president Nelson Mandela.

But here's my point. Is what happens in Football actually going to have any noticeable impact on the day to day lives of anyone not directly involved in the sport? Just because a human life has a net worth significantly less than that of an iPhone does not mean that anything worth more than that is automatically classed as a "matter of life and death".

No. But when the fandom is in the billion territory, those who are directly involved in the sport, including fans, sponsors, players, coaches, referees, trainers, etc, etc, etc, well that makes the sport very influential, and in some cases a matter of life and death. Soccer is the first sport that has the potential to have half of the people on Earth as fans.

[Afro-Euasia]

Should I be surprised that they got arrested or that the FBI arrested them.
The agency that comes from the country that calls american football football,and real football soccer.

[Ifreann]

The level of corruption within FIFA has officially surpassed "comical", and has passed into the realm of "surreal". It's like an episode of The Twilight Zone.

We're through the Looking Glass, people.

---

But here's my point. Is what happens in Football actually going to have any noticeable impact on the day to day lives of anyone not directly involved in the sport? Just because a human life has a net worth significantly less than that of an iPhone does not mean that anything worth more than that is automatically classed as a "matter of life and death".

Not to give credence to Skaaneland's overdramatization, but given the investment involved in World Cups and similar tournaments and events, yes, day to day lives of a lot of people are affected.

Plus, how many people died building shit for the World Cup in Qatar?

[DesAnges]

But here's my point. Is what happens in Football actually going to have any noticeable impact on the day to day lives of anyone not directly involved in the sport? Just because a human life has a net worth significantly less than that of an iPhone does not mean that anything worth more than that is automatically classed as a "matter of life and death".

'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.'

[Commerce Heights]

No. It's been that way for quite a while. But now, thanks to Blazer, the idiot who opted to mock the IRS, it's all coming out. I highly doubt that the 1994 World Cup was honestly awarded either. And if you look at all of the World Cups, just reading between the lines...

1930, FIFA to Uruguay: "hey, we have this idea, you try it!"
After success, FIFA to rest of World: "ok, it works, we're bringing it to Europe!"

You know the time in college when you built something, but didn't know if it would work or not, so you send in the Freshman before going in yourselves? That's how FIFA started out assigning World Cups.

You do realize that Uruguay had the best football team in the world at the time, having won the Olympic football tournaments of 1924 and 1928?

[Nazis in Space]

No. It's been that way for quite a while. But now, thanks to Blazer, the idiot who opted to mock the IRS, it's all coming out. I highly doubt that the 1994 World Cup was honestly awarded either. And if you look at all of the World Cups, just reading between the lines...

1930, FIFA to Uruguay: "hey, we have this idea, you try it!"
After success, FIFA to rest of World: "ok, it works, we're bringing it to Europe!"

You know the time in college when you built something, but didn't know if it would work or not, so you send in the Freshman before going in yourselves? That's how FIFA started out assigning World Cups.

You do realize that Uruguay had the best football team in the world at the time, having won the Olympic football tournaments of 1924 and 1928?

Not to mention that Uruguay and Argentina had (Near-)professional leagues putting them on par with Europe's strongest (England, Spain, Italy, Austria) at the time.

[DesAnges]

You do realize that Uruguay had the best football team in the world at the time, having won the Olympic football tournaments of 1924 and 1928?

Not to mention that Uruguay and Argentina had (Near-)professional leagues putting them on par with Europe's strongest (England, Spain, Italy, Austria) at the time.

I always did think that was emblematic of England's arrogance regarding the game - don't participate in World Cups, but play the winner afterwards and then claim to be World Champions if they won.