FIFA Officials Arrested on Corruption Charges; Face Extradition to U.S.

[britwrit]

What it says on the tin:

ZURICH — Swiss authorities conducted an extraordinary early-morning operation here Wednesday to arrest several top soccer officials and extradite them to the United States on federal corruption charges.

As leaders of FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, gathered for their annual meeting, more than a dozen plain-clothed Swiss law enforcement officials arrived unannounced at the Baur au Lac hotel, an elegant five-star property with views of the Alps and Lake Zurich. They went to the front desk to get keys and proceeded upstairs to the rooms.

The arrests were carried out peacefully, with at least two men being ushered out of the hotel without handcuffs. One FIFA official, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, was led by the authorities from his room to a side-door exit of the hotel. He was allowed to bring his luggage, which was adorned with FIFA logos.

The charges allege widespread corruption in FIFA over the past two decades, involving bids for World Cups as well as marketing and broadcast deals, according to three law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the case. The charges include wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering, and officials said they targeted members of FIFA’s powerful executive committee, which wields enormous power and does its business largely in secret.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/s...p-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Blatter has not been arrested.

Yet.

 

[Webster]

Looks like there are two inquires -- the EDNY one, which is largely focused on TV rights for CONCACAF and COMEBOL events and the Swiss investigation of the 2018 and 2022 bidding process. The EDNY indictments do mention that a major sportswear company -- I assume Nike -- has some issues with the contract to outfit the Brazilian team and that there appear to some looking into bribes regarding the 2010 selection of South Africa as the host country.

I think that Blatter doesn't have much to worry about yet on the EDNY investigation. Yet being the operative word.

 

[Songbird]

How do you take down Blatter? You arrest a ton of guys beneath him and scare the **** out of the entire organization so that he doesn't get many votes in the next election.

These arrests ensured a new FIFA president. You don't have to arrest a king to steal his thunder. Terrific tactical move.

 

[Ace]

So these guys are arrested for accepting tens of millions of dollars they did not earn. And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell legally makes $40+ million a year running a non-profit that can dangle franchises and Super Bowls in front of greedy cities.

Isn't America great?

 

[UPChip]

I'm not so sure anything that doesn't end up with Blatter in a jail cell will do the trick. When there are 200-some FIFA members, the vast majority of which are dirt poor (nations/federations), Sepp's going to get their support as long as the checks clear.

 

[Webster]

I'm not so sure anything that doesn't end up with Blatter in a jail cell will do the trick. When there are 200-some FIFA members, the vast majority of which are dirt poor (nations/federations), Sepp's going to get their support as long as the checks clear.

I do think that there is a difference between the practice of giving developmental cash to less well off FAs to ensure their loyalty and outright bribery.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Sure there is. And in theory, giving such money is what FIFA ought to be doing. But the officials of those poor FAs use FIFA membership to feather their own nests while Blatter turns a blind eye to maintain the power that is his obvious obsession. He may never have taken an illegal dime.

 

[UPChip]

I really think the best that can be hoped for from this is that the evidence of Qatar 2022 corruption is so blatant that they can't help but reopen the bidding, and even with 10 smoking guns, FIFA may refuse to do it out of hubris.

 

[Webster]

It's not like the decision to award WC 2018 to Russia was squeaky clean. It just has the benefit of being far less absurd than the Qatar decision.

 

[jr/shotglass]

So these guys are arrested for accepting tens of millions of dollars they did not earn. And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell legally makes $40+ million a year running a non-profit that can dangle franchises and Super Bowls in front of greedy cities.

Isn't America great?

Ace, there's a reason their criminals get extradited to here. ;)

 

[UPChip]

It's not like the decision to award WC 2018 to Russia was squeaky clean. It just has the benefit of being far less absurd than the Qatar decision.

Agreed. Not to mention the fact that they have Putin and the bomb.

I always kind of figured this might be the sort of endgame on Qatar — they got their hands on a bunch of oil money and now they can pull the abort handle if they so choose.

I mean, that World Cup is still seven years away. Each of the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Cups were awarded six years out, and if you had it in US football stadiums, you probably could pull it off in much less time. Granted the World Cup (and the World) is dramatically different now, but Mexico pulled it off in 1986 three years out after Colombia, shockingly, backed out. And that was Mexico in the mid-1980s.

 

[UPChip]

$110M in bribes on the Copa America Centenario alone. Hoo-boy.

 

[da man]

I am shocked -- SHOCKED! -- to find corruption going on at FIFA!

 

[TigerVols]

Blatter has not been arrested.

Yet.

Tick tock.

"I want to be very clear: this is the beginning," acting U.S. Attorney Kelly T. Curry said during a Wednesday morning news conference, suggesting more charges could follow.

FIFA corruption involved envelopes of cash and a Swiss bank account, officials say - LA Times

 

[TigerVols]

(From the above link)

Lynch, who directed the investigation in her former job as the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn...

Safe to say we have a new "world's most powerful woman in sports..."

Sorry, Condoleeza.

 

[da man]

(From the above link)

Lynch, who directed the investigation in her former job as the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn...

Safe to say we have a new "world's most powerful woman in sports..."

Sorry, Condoleeza.

Just wait 'til Condy becomes NFL commissioner.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Agreed. Not to mention the fact that they have Putin and the bomb.

I always kind of figured this might be the sort of endgame on Qatar — they got their hands on a bunch of oil money and now they can pull the abort handle if they so choose.

I mean, that World Cup is still seven years away. Each of the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Cups were awarded six years out, and if you had it in US football stadiums, you probably could pull it off in much less time. Granted the World Cup (and the World) is dramatically different now, but Mexico pulled it off in 1986 three years out after Colombia, shockingly, backed out. And that was Mexico in the mid-1980s.

I think the takeaway from this on the world stage is stay the **** away from the United States. Salt Lake City did in the IOC and now Copa America does in FIFA.

Bribery is an accepted way of doing business everywhere else.

 

[UPChip]

I think the takeaway from this on the world stage is stay the **** away from the United States. Salt Lake City did in the IOC and now Copa America does in FIFA.

Bribery is an accepted way of doing business everywhere else.

Not to mention that Chuck Blazer flipped to start this whole thing off.

Looking forward to seeing who they cast in "Penalty Kick," the (other) FIFA movie.

For Chuck Blazer, I vote for John Goodman in a fat suit.

 

[Dick Whitman]

There must be a lot of really upset 20-something urban sophisticates today, considering how much they all seemed to love the World Cup a couple years ago.