FIFA

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:29 pm

Sydney Leroux > Alex Morgan

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:59 pm

The Sybian wrote:[My understanding is that the investigation revolves around CONCACAF, the federation for North America, Central American and the Caribbean Island nations. I read part of it had to do with the Gold Cup, which is played in the US. No idea how Blatter et al have gotten away with their BS for so long, but I assume he knows hot to grease the right wheels. He is also known for getting retribution against national federations who vote against him or fail to tow his line.

I understand how there has been no effective reform effort within the soccer world. Blatter is an effective politician.

But if FIFA is legally a Swiss entity, why haven't they taken him down?

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Wed May 27, 2015 10:05 pm

mister d wrote:
DC47 wrote:But this story is about the business side of a sport. Not about the games that have been played in that sport. Unless there's evidence that Blatter has influenced game results, as opposed to where they're played or who get's paid, then this isn't a gigantic sports story.
Really? If it comes out that ESPN kicked Selig millions personally on the TV deal and DC paid him directly to facilitate the Expos move, you don't think that would be a massive sports story?

It would be big. Especially in the short term. But I think we're now just debating terms. I think things like this, or they Selig hypothetical, quickly recede in the fog of history. What remains in higher relief are stories that affect how the game has been played. The Black Sox scandal and the PEDS era are two examples like this. These are the stories that I'd call gigantic.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Wed May 27, 2015 10:16 pm

Brontoburglar wrote:
mister d wrote:
DC47 wrote:But this story is about the business side of a sport. Not about the games that have been played in that sport. Unless there's evidence that Blatter has influenced game results, as opposed to where they're played or who get's paid, then this isn't a gigantic sports story.
Really? If it comes out that ESPN kicked Selig millions personally on the TV deal and DC paid him directly to facilitate the Expos move, you don't think that would be a massive sports story?
The Tiger Woods stuff was about the, uh, personal side of the sport. Not the rounds that have been played in that sport.

Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer in the history of the sport. Didn't his personal scandal contribute to him being off the course for a long time?

That's two important differences re: Sepp Blatter. Ultimately, the guy is just a politician and bureaucrat. Not an iconic player. He's a criminal. But he wasn't a great player of the game, and didn't affect the games. I think a far bigger story would be if they found that Zinedine Zidane or David Beckham had thrown the World Cup games where they took red cards.

I'd also argue the point about Tiger Woods' personal life being a major sports story. Again, it was big, for a short while. It has faded rapidly and will mean little when the story of golf is told in years to come. Magic Johnson having AIDS was a bigger story, and that too has largely receded.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu May 28, 2015 5:47 am

mister d wrote:Sydney Leroux > Alex Morgan

Speaking of Ms. Morgan and Mssr. Blatter....

My oldest daughter's soccer team is headed to the USWNT friendly this weekend. I wasn't expecting Sepp to be there, but I wonder if he heads to Canada at all next month?

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Thu May 28, 2015 5:53 am

What's happened is a very positive step. If FIFA is ever going to change, it will need this not so gentle nudge.

The fantasy is that the 2022 World Cup is given to a country capable of holding the games without rescheduling the event, greasing palms or using slaves. And if that pisses of the Qatars of the soccer world so be it. While it's part of the tradition, and is cute in its way, would anyone outside these tiny countries give a crap if Qatar, St. Lucia, Gibraltar etc. were not equal members in the world soccer federation?

A guy can dream...

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Thu May 28, 2015 6:06 am

Oh, Russia may use prisoners to help build their stadiums.

http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/soc ... -cup-costs

This world really is run by monsters.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu May 28, 2015 6:14 am

Nonlinear FC wrote:
govmentchedda wrote:It's hard to make sense of everything that's going on, but someone who pled agreed to repay $151 million dollars? That's crazy money for one defendant to have gained from this operation.

Apparently, it's more like 4 individuals (incl Blazer) and 2 corporations have pled guilty.

A company called Traffic apparently had a guy bribe a FIFA higher up and then got appointed to a FIFA position, and subsequently used that position to help Traffic get the marketing rights for the 2013 Gold Cup and Concacaf Champions League.

This shit has been institutionalized to such an extent, they are going to just shred through Concacaf and when those guys outside of the region start to flip, it's going to be like a virus within FIFA.

Read about Traffic and you learn about a very interesting soccer company. Basically Private Equity for Soccer that buys and sells assets and have a media arm.

For example
* They owned a good chunk of the NASL/NASL teams
* They have/had ownership in a number of other leagues around the world
* They own player rights and move them between teams they own with the goal of buy low and sell high to other teams (some young US talent that signed with Traffic included Gale Agbossoumonde, Tony Taylor, Brian Dominguez, Daniel Villegas).

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Thu May 28, 2015 8:16 am

DC - First, the Swiss is conducting their own probe and were the ones doing the bulk of the arresting yesterday. (TnT arrested Jack Warner later in the day.) They are also doing their own probe, focused on FIFA HQ in Zurich.

With that said, as has been mentioned, Chuck Blazer is a US guy that was at the highest levels within FIFA and has been flipped, including wearing wires to various shady meetings. So the real dirt is coming out of that part of the investigation, led by DoJ/FBI. As I mentioned earlier, with the arrest of these other FIFA higher ups, the investigation will likely expand to other regions, and hopefully to Blatter himself.

To reiterate what was said up-thread, US has broader jurisdiction to go after foreign nationals and corporations due to post-9/11 changes to our law enforcement codes.

But the other key is that the US is the only major country in the world that could go after FIFA because at the end of the day, not enough people would give a shit if FIFA banned us from competitions. That's a key reason no one in Europe has stood up to this nonsense... The risk/reward equation is completely out of whack.

duff · Post by **duff** » Thu May 28, 2015 9:28 am

mister d wrote:Sydney Leroux > Alex Morgan

Agree so much with this. I thought I might have been the only one.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Thu May 28, 2015 9:42 am

Possible derail here, but was waiting for a mention of Sydney Leroux to bring something up. It looks like she went out and got fake cans, which strikes me as really odd for an active athlete to do. That has to have at least a small amount of potential to affect her play, right? Like, a cross is coming in at chest height, and there's a split-second where she hesitates because she's worried about her boobs getting knocked out of alignment?

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu May 28, 2015 9:44 am

mister d wrote:Sydney Leroux > Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan wrote:Yea, I'm just...deflated. :(

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu May 28, 2015 9:59 am

Oh and it looks like the Nike is going to get yanked into this mess for kickbacks and bribes....nice

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Thu May 28, 2015 10:28 am

Guys, get over it. Putin has assured us that Sepp Blatter is a good guy and this is just a case of the U.S. meddling where it doesn't belong, for political reasons.

link

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu May 28, 2015 10:55 am

sancarlos wrote:Guys, get over it. Putin has assured us that Sepp Blatter is a good guy and this is just a case of the U.S. meddling where it doesn't belong, for political reasons.

link

Putin did not defend Blatter.

Putin attacked the habit of the US exerting its influence broadly in places in which it does not belong. That may or may not be the case in this FIFA story, but the US kinda has a track record.

But, despite the way this is being spun, Putin did not defend Blatter. Nothing regarding Putin is reported in a straightforward way. Especially by fucking Reuters (who had another BS story yesterday about Russian troops massing on the border.)

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu May 28, 2015 12:27 pm

For all of you Leroux lovers.
#teamalex

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Thu May 28, 2015 4:00 pm

govmentchedda wrote:For all of you Leroux lovers.
#teamalex

I can't pick a side. I have to like them both.

That French Guy · Post by **That French Guy** » Thu May 28, 2015 5:05 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote:But the other key is that the US is the only major country in the world that could go after FIFA because at the end of the day, not enough people would give a shit if FIFA banned us from competitions. That's a key reason no one in Europe has stood up to this nonsense... The risk/reward equation is completely out of whack.

On which legal grounds could FIFA kick a country out just because its justice is investigating them ? backstage plotting to make sure you’re never granted a WC, or assign a particular ref to your game, sure. wouldn't your extreme option do more harm than good ?

Last year, there was an infamous interview of the French Federation president, during which he was told that some major agents (some handling players from the national team) either didn't have the legal qualifications/degrees to work or had been convicted and couldn’t be agents anymore. His reply ? "They’re good people who we like to work with." Who fucking cares about such a trivial point as law and convictions?
So maybe they’re not all corrupted, frightened or blackmailed, but they sure are ready to look the other way so the system goes on, with the wages and perks they’ve been enjoying for so long.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Thu May 28, 2015 7:02 pm

they awarded a world cup that they knew would cause thousands of people to die building it. I don't think kicking someone out of competitions is going to be morally outrageous to them or something.

and it looks like the tournament that is in danger, after all of this, is the 2016 Centenario. Wonderful.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Fri May 29, 2015 12:43 am

Nonlinear FC wrote:DC - First, the Swiss is conducting their own probe and were the ones doing the bulk of the arresting yesterday. (TnT arrested Jack Warner later in the day.) They are also doing their own probe, focused on FIFA HQ in Zurich.
[snip]
But the other key is that the US is the only major country in the world that could go after FIFA because at the end of the day, not enough people would give a shit if FIFA banned us from competitions. That's a key reason no one in Europe has stood up to this nonsense... The risk/reward equation is completely out of whack.

Thanks for the insights. They help me put this in context. I was especially ignorant of the last one.

What are the odds that Blatter goes down by the end of 2016?

That French Guy · Post by **That French Guy** » Fri May 29, 2015 1:24 am

Rex wrote:they awarded a world cup that they knew would cause thousands of people to die building it. I don't think kicking someone out of competitions is going to be morally outrageous to them or something.

I said legal reasons. We all know no one at the top (of anything) cares about moral. And I’m not saying they wouldn’t try to pull it off, I m just curious to know how.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Fri May 29, 2015 8:41 am

FIFA's bylaws (or whatever) explicitly state that any third party that interferes with FIFA-related activities will draw a ban for that nation's soccer federation. The most recent example was Nigeria, I don't remember the details other than the President was meddling with the Nigerian FA and FIFA stepped in and banned them from international competition.

The premise is actually pretty sound. You don't want the government meddling with the soccer program... It would turn into a nightmare.

But, the reason many countries, specifically in Europe, have been reluctant to really go after FIFA publicly, is the specter of being banned and missing out on the European championship and the World Cup.

The US don't curr.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Fri May 29, 2015 8:52 am

Nonlinear FC wrote:FIFA's bylaws (or whatever) explicitly state that any third party that interferes with FIFA-related activities will draw a ban for that nation's soccer federation. The most recent example was Nigeria, I don't remember the details other than the President was meddling with the Nigerian FA and FIFA stepped in and banned them from international competition.

That makes sense to a point, but even with their credibility as low as it is, I don't see how FIFA banning the US from competition because they're mad at being prosecuted for things they've long been widely suspected of doing helps them at all. Maybe it helps cultivate an "us-versus-them" mentality with the poorer nations, but I can't see taking punitive action against the US team coming off as anything but a joke to the major European powers, etc.

Along that same line, one thought I had: is it in the realm of possibility that a number of the major powerhouse countries just say "fuck it," quit FIFA, and go constitute their own new competing federation?

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 29, 2015 9:00 am

Here's a link to the FIFA Congress meeting, ongoing live now.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 29, 2015 9:04 am

The Israeli and Palestinian delegates just shook hands!

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri May 29, 2015 9:04 am

Nonlinear FC wrote:FIFA's bylaws (or whatever) explicitly state that any third party that interferes with FIFA-related activities will draw a ban for that nation's soccer federation. The most recent example was Nigeria, I don't remember the details other than the President was meddling with the Nigerian FA and FIFA stepped in and banned them from international competition.

The premise is actually pretty sound. You don't want the government meddling with the soccer program... It would turn into a nightmare.

But, the reason many countries, specifically in Europe, have been reluctant to really go after FIFA publicly, is the specter of being banned and missing out on the European championship and the World Cup.

The US don't curr.

Tom 1860 · Post by **Tom 1860** » Fri May 29, 2015 9:09 am

Bomb scare and things are just starting to heat up before the vote...

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 29, 2015 9:21 am

Looks like FIFA's youtube channel is splitting this into another Part 3 video. New link to come soon!

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 29, 2015 9:33 am

Link to presidential election.

Tom 1860 · Post by **Tom 1860** » Fri May 29, 2015 9:39 am

I am currently watching Donnie Brasco for the first time this afternoon and I think that FIFA is possibly more fucked up and dodgy than the mob...

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:05 am

This vote looks like it may take hours.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:15 am

They're going country by country, at a rate of about 4 per minute. On Belarus now, and my guess is they won't be done with the first vote until at least noon EDT.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:29 am

govmentchedda wrote:They're going country by country, at a rate of about 4 per minute. On Belarus now, and my guess is they won't be done with the first vote until at least noon EDT.

But that is some sweet Musak. Is anyone even running against Sepp?

Bensell · Post by **Bensell** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:31 am

The Sybian wrote:
govmentchedda wrote:They're going country by country, at a rate of about 4 per minute. On Belarus now, and my guess is they won't be done with the first vote until at least noon EDT.
But that is some sweet Musak. Is anyone even running against Sepp?

Prince Ali from Jordan I think. Or did he drop out recently? Too lazy to google it...

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:33 am

Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein is running. Luis Figo and some other dude backed out about a week ago. The Prince has the US's vote, will likely have a lot of UEFA votes, and may get a lot of CONCACAF and CONMEBOL votes. Sepp is expected to get a ton of African votes. The big issue is that each vote counts the same. Montserrat's vote is worth the same as Brazil, or Germany, England, etc. It's way too easy for Sepp to curry favor with tiny nations.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:34 am

Only at Germany and Georgia so far.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:35 am

govmentchedda wrote:Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein is running. Luis Figo and some other dude backed out about a week ago. The Prince has the US's vote, will likely have a lot of UEFA votes, and may get a lot of CONCACAF and CONMEBOL votes. Sepp is expected to get a ton of African votes. The big issue is that each vote counts the same. Montserrat's vote is worth the same as Brazil, or Germany, England, etc. It's way too easy for Sepp to curry favor with tiny nations.

MMM, curry flavor.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:40 am

Botswana getting a shitload of voting opportunities!

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 29, 2015 10:45 am

These assholes have electronic buzzers at their seats for all of the other votes, yet they vote for president in a fucking booth with notary publics at a snail's pace. Also, if neither candidate gets 2/3 of the vote in round 1, they vote again, and a simple majority wins. We could be here for days.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri May 29, 2015 11:42 am

AB_skin_test wrote:Botswana getting a shitload of voting opportunities!

Ha, I thought the same thing. (For those not lame enough to watch the vote, some guy with a thick accent is calling representatives of countries up to vote in booth 1 or booth 2. His pronunciation of Booth 1 is Boooos-a-wanna). The guy in one of the booths peeking at the votes had his face obscured, and I thought it was Sepp for a second. That would be hilarious. Can we get Jimmy Carter and his team to oversee this charade?