FIFA corruption scandal

[yuppie]

Blatter won by 133 to 73 votes. Needed 140 to win but Ali withdrew from the second round.

How could the victory be so convincing after what's gone on this week.

Because enough are still getting enough of the money with out any accountability.

[mikesiva]

It's a bit more than that....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32928984

'Nowhere is Sepp Blatter's support stronger than across Asia and Africa. So why did most of the representatives from those two continents vote for him again? Here's about as succinct an answer as you're going to get - from Amaju Pinnick, newly elected president of the Nigerian Football Federation, talking to the BBC on Thursday: "Blatter feels Africa, he sees Africa and he has imparted so much - a lot of developmental programmes. "Without Blatter we wouldn't enjoy all the benefits we enjoy today from Fifa. What Blatter pushes is equity, fairness and equality among the nations. We don't want to experiment."...Since 2011, according to Fifa, Chad has benefited from 26 projects undertaken by the world governing body. We're talking about artificial pitches, a technical centre, a new HQ for the federation - but also education seminars on marketing, refereeing, grassroots football and so on. The list is long. That pattern is repeated across Africa and around the world. And it has been Mr Blatter who has pushed the programme. He, both as Secretary General and then as Fifa president, helped encourage the boom in football - and raked in billions of dollars from media and marketing as a result....Fifa's historical Eurocentrism (stronger words than that have been used) has been swept away - and Mr Blatter has been the driving force.'

So, why should African and Asian countries vote for a candidate that will just reinstate the Eurocentrism of the past?

[hopeforthebest]

The rest of the crooks voted for the chief culprit to continue coz he knows too much.

[yuppie]

It's a bit more than that....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-32928984

'Nowhere is Sepp Blatter's support stronger than across Asia and Africa. So why did most of the representatives from those two continents vote for him again? Here's about as succinct an answer as you're going to get - from Amaju Pinnick, newly elected president of the Nigerian Football Federation, talking to the BBC on Thursday: "Blatter feels Africa, he sees Africa and he has imparted so much - a lot of developmental programmes. "Without Blatter we wouldn't enjoy all the benefits we enjoy today from Fifa. What Blatter pushes is equity, fairness and equality among the nations. We don't want to experiment."...Since 2011, according to Fifa, Chad has benefited from 26 projects undertaken by the world governing body. We're talking about artificial pitches, a technical centre, a new HQ for the federation - but also education seminars on marketing, refereeing, grassroots football and so on. The list is long. That pattern is repeated across Africa and around the world. And it has been Mr Blatter who has pushed the programme. He, both as Secretary General and then as Fifa president, helped encourage the boom in football - and raked in billions of dollars from media and marketing as a result....Fifa's historical Eurocentrism (stronger words than that have been used) has been swept away - and Mr Blatter has been the driving force.'

So, why should African and Asian countries vote for a candidate that will just reinstate the Eurocentrism of the past?

Why should they vote for someone that keeps sending them money with no accountability. oh, yes, now that i think about it, if i was in the same situation i would vote for Blatter too. Votes for money. Very simply really, and as long as it continues, they will continue to vote for Blatter.

Perhaps its time for FIFA to audit where all this money went? We know 10 mil went to Warner for just one world cup, and Chuck got a few million as well. So perhaps time to tell where all the money went.

But what happens when those providing the money see it is being wasted, and used as bribes? Well they will get fed up and do something about it. And that will only make it worse for developing nations. But those that voted for Blatter wont care, as im sure all of them are very well of now, unlike the development of football in their respective countries.

[The Waugh Twins]

So He's singled out the USA and England as holding a grudge.

Says this was a bad time to go after the bad guys. At least let them finish their holiday.

Has the backing of Putin.

Have wars begun on less?

Yes they have, yes they have.

,and all of this right in our faces.

Oh the humanity.

[Aidan11]

Oh dear...

[yuppie]

FIFA stating Valcke was not involved and that it was actually Julio Grondono from Argentina who conveniently died last year.

Fifa could actually deny anything with a straight face, even when overwhelming evidence is shown to them.

Here's hoping UEFA decide to boycott the next world cup and this in turn leads to the reform required.

[Aidan11]

UEFA needs to have a mass withdrawal but Russia won't due to them having the next world cup and their "neighbours" will have to take the same stand.

However if England, Italy, Spain, Germany, France & Holland withdraw and the sponsors & TV companies decide it's not worth putting money in as a result then FIFA might just finally listen.

[sussexpob]

Germany have just come out and stated that they will not boycott the 2018 world cup

[Aidan11]

Crawlers.

[sussexpob]

Since 2011, according to Fifa, Chad has benefited from 26 projects undertaken by the world governing body. We're talking about artificial pitches, a technical centre, a new HQ for the federation - but also education seminars on marketing, refereeing, grassroots football and so on. The list is long. That pattern is repeated across Africa and around the world. And it has been Mr Blatter who has pushed the programme

FIFA have paid for these projects to be build, but there is no administration or direction from the authorities on how they are maintained, actually physically built or how they are financed to be run once they are built. There have been a few articles floating about for a while now that seem to indicate that the actual facilities being built are inadequate, as FIFA only hand over the cash to the federation with no overall accountability. In fact, in the last few days the Guardian visited a Goal project in Zambia, and it is claimed that the facility is not being used by the National Team because the players find the accommodation of a poor standard, and the pitch has become unplayable and overgrown because its one thing to build a pitch, the other to pay for it to be maintained. The project was actually unfinished also, because the local council who had agreed to donate the land for very little cost, all of a sudden decided the land was worth 200 times more than they were getting.

Its easy to see how a system of monetary manipulation feeds this. The Goal project ignores economic disparity, population, participation numbers, and focuses simply on blanket coverage to ensure votes from poor countries. The amount of donations to China is on par with Montserrat, so FIFA view the importance of 5,000 population to be as equally deserving of funding then the a country with endless potential, population 1.6 billion. But then again, voting power in each is perfectly equal, so why spend money improving Chinese football when you could buy a vote elsewhere.

I wonder how much of the actual money is channelled into local hands, through construction projects set up by people close to the FA, or how much money gets lost. After all, it seems FIFA don't really care about that. Chad is ranked as the most corrupt country in the world, I wonder how much of that money goes straight into corrupt hands and is never seen again. Doesn't really matter, the money has already served its purpose.

[Aidan11]

FIFA have called a press conference for 5pm.

Probably so Blatter can tell everyone to stop harrassing them and that England and USA are banned.

[sussexpob]

That pattern is repeated across Africa and around the world. And it has been Mr Blatter who has pushed the programme. He, both as Secretary General and then as Fifa president, helped encourage the boom in football - and raked in billions of dollars from media and marketing as a result....Fifa's historical Eurocentrism (stronger words than that have been used) has been swept away - and Mr Blatter has been the driving force. So, why should African and Asian countries vote for a candidate that will just reinstate the Eurocentrism of the past?

Far from Blatter being the driving force of football, I think it was the Premier League and Champions League pushing its boundaries into Africa and Asia markets that have awakened these areas. 5.7 billion people watched a EPL match this season, that's simply astounding. La Liga, Bundesliga... these are driving the popularity of football week in, week out.... a product like the world cup doesn't exist without these leagues being there, its only a 4 year tournament, and players around the world are getting better because of European Leagues largely facilitating and training people. Name me a world class player or superstar at his peak that isn't playing in Europe? I certainly couldn't name one, anyone in Argentina or Brazil any good get bought next season by European teams.

If Blatter wants an Africa and Asia dominated FIFA then fine, let them have it. Lets see an appropriate and fair TV rights deal based on population size.... after all, France paid 200million Euros for World cup rights, Brazil paid 63 million.... despite the fact it is 4 times bigger in population. So FIFA is successful because it plunders Europe and North America to make its money, but then moans about the organisation being European focused???

When 5.7 billion people are watching Chad's Premier League and the African Club Cup then I'd agree... when African clubs make all the money, and get a massively disproportionate benefit back, then that's fine.

Complaining about Europe's role in FIFA is like asking for your cake and eating it. Its ok for European football's success to fund world football, but not ok for them to have any influence over what to do with it?

[Aidan11]

Blatter's chickened out of the press conference.

[Aidan11]

Rumour is he's resigned but this is just Twitter gossip.