FIFA: Hotbed of Corrupt Criminals

[Prydzopolis]

 

 

On your last paragraph Prydz, as much as I think Qatar are completely crooked their bid video was so much more professional and relevant than ours.

Davi, having a **** video doesn't impact the actual bid. Having the best video in the world doesn't take away that the Qatar bid was high risk and didn't deserve to win the vote. Also, you'd think that the millions that qataris had to spare that if they didn't have the best video I'd be pretty mad too, with all the money we wasted on bribes I'm not surprised we didn't have enough left for a decent video!

I still can't figure out which mascot video is shitter the World Cup bid video or the AFC wombat mascot video and im guessing they both used tax money to make probably by the same company at an inflated look after your mates rates.

Would be interesting to find out who made the video and what sort of relationship they had to the bid team? Surely they put it out to tender and picked the best bid!

Prydz, I was expanding on your point about the amount of wasted money that went into our bid. The winner was never going to be decided on the bid video alone but if I was in charge of it I would be talking about things like stadium and infrastructure plans, legacy plans, economic benefits etc (like Qatar did), not a cgi kangaroo and Paul Hogan.

Yep good point, I mean if we were putting this video out to a bunch of kids or adolescents then I could understand what they were getting at but this was supposed to complent our bid not make it a laughing stock. I'm not sure whether the bid team made the decision on the direction of the video or whether it was the fact that they didn't hire a good enough director, production team and/or writer because they were hamstrung by a limited budget and couldn't afford the best! Clearly one of the many things that we got wrong with our bid!

[Zelinsky]

Yeah FIFA could handle it if the FA pulled out but if UEFA pulled out it'd be another matter.

 

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2014/11/16/uefa-could-leave-fifa-over-world-cup-report

That would fix it. UEFA exits first, then the rest follows until all that is left of FIFA is Blatter, Qatar and a few African tribal leaders.

 

Then get a big garden hose, flush the rubble down the drain, and start from scratch. I like! The next couple of WCs are becoming more and more interesting.

[tuco]

for all those talking about the videos;

 

the video was the final thing the voters would have watched before going in for the vote.

the qatar video was actually quite good and talked about football and how the world cup would be beneficial for the whole of the middle east.

plus having zidane in it gave it more legitimacy (even though he was paid an absolute shitload to be the face of the bid).

 

we had a great video at the 2010 world cup that had all the delegates talking about us (the one with nicole kidman).

our final video featured a kangaroo, a has been tax dodger, and a frank lowy circle jerk.

 

as much as i would have loved australia to have won it, the rightful decision would have been the usa.

it's a massive market, has the infrastructure ready and in top shape, and the game is is getting more popular by the day.

 

the next asian world cup will probably go to china, i doubt we would ever get a chance to hold it here.

[Prydzopolis]

for all those talking about the videos;

 

the video was the final thing the voters would have watched before going in for the vote.

the qatar video was actually quite good and talked about football and how the world cup would be beneficial for the whole of the middle east.

plus having zidane in it gave it more legitimacy (even though he was paid an absolute shitload to be the face of the bid).

 

we had a great video at the 2010 world cup that had all the delegates talking about us (the one with nicole kidman).

our final video featured a kangaroo, a has been tax dodger, and a frank lowy circle jerk.

 

as much as i would have loved australia to have won it, the rightful decision would have been the usa.

it's a massive market, has the infrastructure ready and in top shape, and the game is is getting more popular by the day.

 

the next asian world cup will probably go to china, i doubt we would ever get a chance to hold it here.

One more thing about the US, it is beneficial in terms of tv timing to be peaking in Europe for tv audiences. That also plays a big role in who FIFA chooses to host the WC, tv audience affects the price they can get internationally.

 

I heard that our bid was mocked internationally from all corners of the world's media, they weren't impressed by it and didn't do our bid any favours. Maybe they are just making excuses especially when there mind was well made up before the bid video anyway!

[pys]

World Cup: Former FA chief David Bernstein calls for boycottBy David OrnsteinBBC Sport

 

The Football Association has been urged to lobby Uefa for a European boycott of the next World Cup - unless Fifa implements meaningful reform.

 

Former FA chairman David Bernstein told BBC Sport it was time for "drastic" action against the governing body.

 

He believes the tournament could not be taken seriously without Europe's major nations and that a boycott would be supported by the English public.

 

Meanwhile, Bernstein has resigned from Fifa's anti-discrimination taskforce.

 

He described it as "ineffectual" and wishes to end his ties with the organisation.

 

In an exclusive interview, the 71-year-old also said:

 

Fifa is a "totalitarian" set-up that reminds him of "the old Soviet empire" and is "beyond ridicule".The credibility of football is "suffering enormously" under the current Fifa regime.Choosing Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup was "one of the most ludicrous decisions in the history of sport".Fifa president Sepp Blatter will remain in power "unless someone does something about it".

 

Bernstein was speaking after Thursday's report into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was questioned by the man who conducted the investigation, Michael Garcia, just hours following its release.

 

It is the latest controversy to hit football's world governing body, which has been riddled with allegations of corruption in recent times.

 

Bernstein led the FA for three years from January 2011 - a month afterRussia and Qatar were named hosts for 2018 and 2022 respectively, with England missing out on 2018 - and he wants Fifa to change its ways or face a challenge that it finds impossible to ignore.

 

"My job is to punish people who do bad things"

 

Appointed by President Bush, married to an FBI agent and barred from entering Russia - BBC News profiles American lawyer Michael Garcia, the man behind the Fifa corruption report.

 

Read the full profile

 

"England on its own cannot influence this - one country can't do it," he said. "If we tried to do something like that we'd be laughed at.

 

"I think England within Uefa undoubtedly have the power to influence Fifa, but to do so they would have to consider withdrawing from the World Cup, the next World Cup, unless proper reform - including Mr Blatter not standing [for a fifth term] - is carried out at Fifa.

 

"If I was at the FA now, I would do everything I could to encourage other nations within Uefa - and there are some who would definitely be on side, others may be not - to take this line.

 

"At some stage you have to walk the talk, stop talking and do something."

 

When asked again if we was calling for the FA to unite with Uefa to boycott Fifa and the World Cup, Bernstein replied: "Unless it could achieve the reforms that would bring Fifa back into the respectable world community, yes I would.

 

"It sounds drastic but frankly this has gone on for years now, it's not improving, it's going from bad to worse to worse.

 

"There are 54 countries within Uefa. There's Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Holland - all powerful. You can't hold a serious World Cup without them. They have the power to influence if they have the will.

 

Similar views have been expressed by German Football League president Reinhard Rauball, who suggested Uefa could leave Fifa  if Garcia's findings are not published in full.

 

England's World Cup bid was criticised in the Fifa report with the FA accused of flouting bidding rules, while Qatar was cleared of corruption allegations.

 

Bernstein accused world football's governing body of trying to deflect attention from its own failings.

 

"I don't think much to these accusations. I don't think we should get away from the real issue, the real issue is Fifa governance and trying to achieve real change. But it won't happen easily."

 

Bernstein acknowledges Fifa's power but is adamant the governing body can be pressured into change if the World Cup is targeted.

 

"Fifa is sort of a totalitarian set-up," he said. "Bits of it remind me of the old Soviet empire. People don't speak out and if they do they get quashed.

 

Play media

 

World Cup bid: Simon Johnson, who led England's 2018 bid, denies Fifa claims that they flouted bid rules

 

"The [Garcia] investigation is possibly flawed but when the investigator complains that his own report is being misinterpreted, it's beyond ridicule."

 

Bernstein backs the authorities ("Swiss government, Swiss tax authorities, FBI, Brussels, the European community") and sponsors to hold Fifa to account, but thinks Uefa poses the greatest threat.

 

Much of his anger stems from the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, where blistering summer temperatures means the event could be switched to winter.

 

"The choosing of Qatar was clearly one of the most ludicrous decisions in the history of sport," the former Manchester City chairman said.

 

"You might as well have chosen Iceland in the winter. It was like an Alice in Wonderland sort of decision.

 

"The attempt to change the timing is also absolutely wrong. It's like a false prospectus; you put a bid in on one basis and then when you've won you change to another.

 

"There's also a background of political, social and employment issues that keep emerging and I think there's a danger that Fifa and football might be embarrassed by what emerges in the coming years," he added.

 

"It's certainly not sour grapes. England didn't lose to Qatar, we lost to Russia. Qatar is clearly a totally unsuitable place to hold a World Cup."

 

Bernstein described Blatter as "formidable, very shrewd, very smart" and conceded it would "not be easy" to bring his reign to an end.

 

He went on to reveal he had quit Fifa's anti-discrimination taskforce, which was introduced in 2013 with Jeffrey Webb at the helm.

 

"I've resigned for two reasons: firstly, the body has been pretty ineffectual. I've been on it for more than a year and we only had one meeting; secondly because frankly I don't wish to be personally associated with Fifa any further.

 

"Fifa sets up these things - and we've seen it with their regulation - that look good in theory but don't seem to do very much in practice."

 

David Bernstein was the FA chairman who oversaw the appointment of Roy Hodgson as England coach in 2012

 

Sepp Blatter has been president of Fifa since 1988

 

The Zenit Arena in St Petersburg is one of the new stadiums being built to host the 2018 World Cup in Russia

[Nnnnnathan12]

 

[mack]

That God account isn't verified. Don't believe it's legit.

[Carns]

That God account isn't verified. Don't believe it's legit.

That really depends on which God you're referring to.

[Nnnnnathan12]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/nov/15/fifa-uefa-world-cup-germany-football

 

 

Germany warns Uefa may quit Fifa if World Cup report not published

• German League president attacks ‘complete loss of credibility’
• Report summary clears Russia and Qatar of wrongdoing
• Investigator says his findings were misrepresented
• Bernstein calls for boycott of 2018 World Cup 

Uefa has called on the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, to stand down and is looking for a candidate to take on the Swiss. Photograph: Ito Takashi/AMA/Corbis

The president of the German Football League has warned that Uefa’s 54 member nations could take the ultimate step of quitting Fifa if Michael Garcia’s report into World Cup bidding is not published in full.

Dr Reinhard Rauball laid bare the tensions within Fifa over the split between the ethics committee judge, Hans-Joachim Eckert, and Garcia, the US attorney who heads the investigatory arm and spent 18 months probing the race for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Garcia has disowned Eckert’s summary of his 430-page report, which effectively cleared Russia and Qatar.

“The result was a breakdown in communication, and it has shaken the foundations of Fifa in a way I’ve never experienced before,†said Rauball.

“As a solution, two things must happen. Not only must the decision of the ethics committee be published, but Mr Garcia’s bill of indictment too, so it becomes clear what the charges were and how they were judged,†he told the German website kicker.de.

“Additionally, the areas that were not evaluated [in the report] and whether that was justified [should be published]. It must be made public. That is the only way Fifa can deal with the complete loss of credibility.â€

He said that if the report was not published in full – and Eckert has already said that he will not do that, while Fifa argues it cannot intervene – then Uefa should consider its own position within Fifa. “If this doesn’t happen and the crisis is not resolved in a credible manner, you have to entertain the question of whether you are still in good hands with Fifa,†Rauball added. “One option that would have to bear serious consideration is certainly that Uefa leaves Fifa.â€

Rauball’s intervention comes against the backdrop of Uefa’s calls for the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, to stand down, as he promised to do at the end of his current four-year term. Although the Uefa president, Michel Platini, has opted against standing against Blatter in next year’s election, Uefa is continuing to cast around for an alternative candidate to take on the 78-year-old Swiss.

Before the Brazil World Cup, a series of speakers at Uefa’s congress stood up to call for Blatter to make his current term his last, while the FA chairman, Greg Dyke, denounced Blatter for claiming corruption allegations in the media were motivated by racism.

Fifa confirmed on Friday night that it had received formal notification of Garcia’s intention to take Eckert’s summary of his investigation to its appeals committee.

Meanwhile, one of the two whistleblowers discredited in Eckert’s statement, Bonita Mersiades, the head of communications for Australia’s 2022 bid, was scathing in her assessment of Fifa’s handling of the investigation. “It’s an organisation that, in terms of governance, is just a farce,†she said.

“The only people that come out well in that summary report by Eckert is Fifa. [it says] they got their decisions right in respect to Qatar and Russia, and there’s even a sentence and a reference in there that Sepp Blatter ran a wonderful process. It’s almost like high comedy.â€

 

[Prydzopolis]

On all the Europe breakaway talk, you guys know platini who runs UEFA, voted for Qatar, check mate.

[AEK]

Platini can be moved on, whats he gonna do? Get his French army and take on the rest of Uefa?

[ManfredSchaefer]

Platini can be moved on, whats he gonna do? Get his French army and take on the rest of Uefa?

 

Platini's credibility is shot to shite since he decided not to take on Bladder for the presidential vote. And whilst it would be a significant blow if anyone does decide to boycott at least Qatar, or withdraw from FIFA, right now the power balance is with the likes of Bladder and his stooges, plus the likes of CONMEBOL, AFC and CAF. It's in these Confeds where Sepp traditionally looks for his votes, and if anyone expects that UEFA would pull out of FIFA and lose all international status for their matches or tournaments, or not to be able to access the growing markets of Asia, Africa and South America, well they are dreaming.

 

The best way forward is for UEFA to use its economic and political clout behind closed doors and strike direct deals with leading figures in the individual Confeds. It would also help if individual national federations with a nominally higher quality of ethical behaviour (e.g. DFB, FA, our own FFA, USSF, etc etc) be more proficient and more forceful in whatever is negotiated on their behalf or directly with any FIFA related matter.

 

Sadly for all the bluster there is no major economic, political and legal threat to FIFA like there was to the IOC during the SLC2002 scandal. Juan Antonio Samaranch was under amazing pressure when the Olympic movement's corruption broke because the IOC obtains a huge chunk of its revenue from US TV rights, and the American legal and political system went after the IOC in a big way. There is no reliance on one country, no threat from one major legal system or government to put the fear of God up Bladder's arse. Plus no one on the inside of the MaFIFA cabal is willing to do a Marc Hodler (veteran Swiss IOC member who went to the media about Salt Lake City) and call them on the bullshite, though the recent redacted Ethics report could go some way along those lines.

 

As long as you have tinpot dictatorships and wealthy oligarchs forming the bulk of support for the MaFIFA constituency the game gets the global governance it deserves. Ask the poor bastards of Brazil and South Africa how their incompetent and avaricious public figures enabled the hijacking of their countries all to make Bladder and his cronies wealthier and more powerful...

[Burztur]

There is probably some internal conflicts going on in UEFA and FIFA.

 

It's just these cronies trying to hold the pieces together.

[Davo]

If all the UEFA MA's pulled out of a World Cup it would have to make a pretty big dent in the tv revenue for FIFA. In the infamous summary report they list FIFA's revenue in 4 year cycles to coincide with World Cups. The World Cup itself makes up an enormous part of that income and if it's genuinely under threat they would be shitting themselves.

 

This is from the report:

 

 

FIFA World Cup related revenue consistently accounts for 80 to 90% of FIFA's overall revenue. For example FIFA's total revenue for the period of 2007 to 2010 amounted to USD 4.2 billion, with FIFA World Cup related revenue constituting 87% of this total. The numbers make clear that FIFA could not cover expenses without the revenue generated by the FIFA World Cup.

 

I don't think it'll ever come to that but I wonder whether this threat by UEFA is a way to put enough fear into the FIFA money men to make Blatters position untenable.

[Nnnnnathan12]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/fifa-call-the-swiss-police-to-look-at-possible-corruption-in-the-2018-and-2022-world-cup-bids-9868603.html

 

 

Fifa ask Swiss police to launch criminal investigation into Russia and Qatar World Cup bids following allegations of corruption

 

 

 

 

 

Sepp Blatter admits internal inquiries have discovered ‘grounds for suspicion’ bribes were paid

 

A criminal investigation is to be launched into the awarding of hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

In an unexpected development, Fifa has asked the Swiss authorities to launch a criminal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the bidding processes, which ultimately saw the tournaments given to Russia and Qatar.

The move, which follows days of criticism of Fifa for allegedly covering up its own evidence of corruption in the bidding, raises the prospect that some of football’s most prominent current and former administrators could face criminal charges.

Announcing the referral to Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General, Fifa’s president, Sepp Blatter, said internal inquiries had discovered “grounds for suspicion that, in isolated cases, international transfers of assets with connections to Switzerland took placeâ€.

 

Fifa’s own investigation into alleged corruption – by the US lawyer Michael Garcia – did not have the authority to compel people to give evidence. Individuals who could now be interviewed by police include several members of the 22-strong committee who voted in 2010 to award the two tournaments to Russia and Qatar and who have since left Fifa  after different corruption allegations.

The Swiss authorities, Fifa said in a statement, “will have the ability to conduct investigations under application of criminal procedural coercive measuresâ€.

The decision four years ago to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, a country with no football history and not a single suitable stadium, has been described as the most controversial in the history of football. Anger has grown in recent months, with the realisation that Europe’s powerful domestic leagues may have to suspend their seasons so the tournament can be played in the cooler winter months.

In awarding the tournament to Qatar, Fifa ignored the advice of its own medical officers which stated that a tournament in June and July in the desert heat would be dangerous to players’ health. Fifa has since made clear it will have to move the tournament to a winter date.

Human rights campaigners have also been heavily critical of the appalling treatment of migrant workers building the stadiums.

Neither Mr Blatter, nor Hans-Joachim Eckert, the German judge who heads Fifa’s Ethics Committee and who recommended the complaint be lodged, have disclosed the identities of the individuals potentially of interest to investigators, or which of the various bids for the two tournaments the complaints concern.

Russia and Qatar won the double vote for the two tournaments, but Fifa’s summary of Mr Garcia’s investigation into the affair was more critical of England and Australia’s failed bids than it was the two winners.

In making the recommendation to call in the police, Mr Eckert, whose short summary of the investigation has been branded by Mr Garcia as “incomplete and erroneousâ€, said there is “insufficient incriminating evidence to justify calling into question the entire award processâ€, a sentiment echoed by Mr Blatter, who reiterated his view that the bidding process has “concludedâ€.

In the past four years, five of the 22 members who voted for Russia and Qatar have left Fifa amid allegations of corruption. Among them are Mohamed bin Hammam, the Qatari football administrator who had no official role in the bid but who is widely seen as having been instrumental in having secured it.

Others are the Trinidadian Jack Warner and American Chuck Blazer. The Swiss authorities will not have an easy time compelling any of these men to speak to them, though they can investigate whatever bank accounts the men or their families may have held in Switzerland.

But whatever investigations they do make will almost certainly be highly time consuming, with tournament preparations ongoing in both nations all the while, increasing the practical difficulty for the locations to be changed.

Among those still on the committee are the Cameroonian Issa Hayatou, who was accused by Panorama of having taken bribes in the 1990s, which he denied.

The announcement comes before Mr Garcia and Mr Eckert’s scheduled meeting on Thursday. The pair are not believed to have spoken since the American condemned the German’s summary of his report for containing “numerous incomplete and erroneous representations of the facts†.

Mr Eckert dismissed the suggestion made by Simon Johnson, the head of England’s 2018 bid, that the summary had been a “politically motivated whitewashâ€.

“I can only work with the material contained in it,†he said. “And in my view, there was insufficient clear evidence of illegal or irregular conduct that would call into question the integrity of the award process as a whole.â€

This latest development will only increase pressure on Fifa to publish Mr Garcia’s report in full as many have demanded.

Mr Blatter said that to do so, even in redacted form, would be illegal given the promise of anonymity that was given to those who took part. “The people who are demanding in the media and elsewhere that Fifa publish the report are obviously of the opinion that Fifa should or must ignore the law in this regard,†he said. Mr Blatter said he had not seen the report, but confirmed that it will be passed in its entirety to the Swiss authorities.

 

[Prydzopolis]

Can anyone explain to me how, FIFA can find no evidence of corruption in the awarding of 18 & 22 WC but then ask the Swiss government to bring a criminal inquiry into the process?

 

How will they be able to investigate ex-co members when they dont live in Switzerland? Family bank accounts held in Switzerland will be investigated, great what if the money is held in other off shore bank accounts? I'm sure nobody in Qatar or any others bribing would be stupid enough to transfer money to ex-co members accounts which have FIFA money in it.

[Zelinsky]

It's FIFA's version of going on the offensive. Isn't it interesting that Blatter claims he hasn't seen the report? Laughable.

[Burgerman]

Can anyone explain to me how, FIFA can find no evidence of corruption in the awarding of 18 & 22 WC but then ask the Swiss government to bring a criminal inquiry into the process?

How will they be able to investigate ex-co members when they dont live in Switzerland? Family bank accounts held in Switzerland will be investigated, great what if the money is held in other off shore bank accounts? I'm sure nobody in Qatar or any others bribing would be stupid enough to transfer money to ex-co members accounts which have FIFA money in it.

Probably to save face with the public by installing a proper police investigation after they done there own review making sure they worked out all there angles and I wouldn't be surprised if the police charge sum yuppie to take the wrap for septic blatter to keep his stink intact. Unfortunately money and power makes the world go round and Fifa seem to be untouchable.

[Zelinsky]

FIFA whistleblower living in fear.

 

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0J326D20141119?irpc=932

[Smoggy]

FIFA whistleblower living in fear.

 

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0J326D20141119?irpc=932

 

The whole thing just gets grubbier by the day. FIFA corrupt to the core and untouchable, **** they are like some pre war mafia outfit. When Blatter finally dies (lets face it he will never step down) I think the corruption will become public and I think criminal charges will be made. Blatter himself I am sure could be investigated for criminal actions, but that will never happen in his life time, only after he has gone.

 

Blatter sits at the top of FIFA like a dictator in charge of his country. He shows paranoia and an obsession with holding on to power and his legacy, all trade marks of an unstable and dangerous individual.

 

I am sure there is lots and lots to come out over the coming years that will shock, going right back to when Blatter took over.

Edited November 20, 2014 by WSWBoro

[Davo]

Good article by Les including some interesting revelations from his time on the ethics committee.

 

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blog/2014/11/19/unfinished-dirty-business-stains-world-cup-integrity

[Pablo]

In case people missed it on Monday, I had this letter to Editor published in Comments section of SMH

 

"FIFA's failings far exceed Australia's"
 

scroll down via
 

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/abbott-drops-the-ball-with-cringeworthy-speech-to-the-g20-20141116-11noif.html

(ps: no comment re Abbott!)

 

this was in response to Editorial in the weekend edition

 

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/world-cup-2022-fifa-and-australia-stand-condemned-20141114-11mj12.html

[Prydzopolis]

Good article by Les including some interesting revelations from his time on the ethics committee.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blog/2014/11/19/unfinished-dirty-business-stains-world-cup-integrity

It seems to me the Garcia report would not paint the whole picture even if it was released, it seems like he was incompetent when putting the report together! There is so much stuff that he has missed and I'm sure it's only a fraction of the total information that was not published in the report!

[Prydzopolis]

Interesting blog on the WC bids and investigations, more questions than answers thrown up

 

http://declanhill.com/blog/item/australia-s-humiliation?utm_content=bufferd96ea&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[pys]

Interesting blog on the WC bids and investigations, more questions than answers thrown up

http://declanhill.com/blog/item/australia-s-humiliation?utm_content=bufferd96ea&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

you would think for someone like him, cracking open corruptionin fifa would be the biggest story of his life but he has obviously has not come across any knock out information I found les article well argue

[Prydzopolis]

Another day, more FIFA scandal

 

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/fifa-financial-monitor-facing-fraud-charge-20141121-11rl76.html

 

Michael Garcia (left) and Joachim Eckert in 2012.

Michael Garcia (left) and Joachim Eckert in 2012. Photo: AP

The integrity of FIFA's financial monitoring panel, which will assess a secret report into corruption, has been brought into question after a key member was charged with fraud in a non-football-related criminal investigation in the Cayman Islands.

 

The FIFA ethics report into corruption in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be independently reviewed by the chairman of the organisation's audit and compliance committee, Domenico Scala. The review of a third party follows a dispute between the investigator Michael Garcia and a FIFA ethics judge, Hans-Joachim Eckert over the accuracy of a 42-page summary of the full report of the investigation.

 

Scala will become the third independent assessor to review Garcia's 430-page report into alleged corruption and ethical violations and will decided whether the full report will be made available to the FIFA executive committee and other authorities. The FIFA audit and compliance committee's objectives state they shall "ensure the completeness and reliability of the financial accounting and review the external auditors' report at the request of the executive committee". However, integrity concerns of the unit were raised because a member, Canover Watson, now faces criminal proceedings in his native Cayman Islands after being charged with fraud, money laundering and breach of trust.

 

Watson was arrested in September after a probe into a 2010 contract to supply local hospitals with a card billing system found evidence of fraud. The 43-year-old was charged by the Cayman Islands anti-corruption unit on Thursday night. Watson was temporarily suspended by FIFA in September pending the criminal investigation.

 

It is not alleged that Scala had any involvement in the criminal investigation in the Cayman Islands, but Watson's charges are a blow to the ethical standards of the audit and compliance committee.

 

Despite the charges of a member of the committee, Garcia and Eckert welcomed the independent assessment of Scala and vowed to assist him with any further questioning.

 

"Both chairmen agreed that it is of major importance that the FIFA executive committee has the information necessary to evaluate which steps are required based on the work done by the FIFA ethics committee," Garcia and Eckert said in a statement.

 

A dispute between Garcia and Eckert arose after the FIFA ethics judge published a summary of the report that condemned Australia's and England's World Cup bids while it cleared Qatar and Russia's bidding committee of any wrongdoing. Garcia's 430-page report dealt with the bidding process, but additional reports into ethic violations by specific individuals within FIFA are expected to be submitted. Garcia initiated proceedings, but it is not expected the ensuing reports will be made public by FIFA.

 

[Prydzopolis]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/nov/20/fifa-widen-access-world-cup-ethics-report-refuse-make-public

 

Fifa’s ethics committee has promised to widen the pool of people with access to its 430-page report into the controversial bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups following talks between its twin chairmen in Zurich.

 

Michael Garcia, the US attorney who heads the investigatory arm of Fifa’s ethics committee, met with Hans-Joachim Eckert, the German judge who is chairman of the adjudicatory chamber, at Fifa’s headquarters a week after the former had disowned the latter’s summary of his £6m, 18-month probe.

 

In a joint statement they said they would make Garcia’s full report available to Domenico Scala, the head of Fifa’s audit and compliance committee, who in turn would decide how much information should be made available to the full 26-strong Fifa executive committee.

 

Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, has insisted the report cannot be published in full for legal reasons but several members of the executive committee, including the Concacaf president, Jeffrey Webb, the US Soccer Federation president, Sunil Gulati, and the Uefa president, Michel Platini, have called for full disclosure.

 

“The investigatory chamber has already opened a number of formal cases against individuals as a result of that inquiry,†said Garcia and Eckert in a joint statement. “Neither the recent referral of the reports to the Swiss Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office nor the request to the chairman of the Fifa audit and compliance committee will interfere with those ongoing proceedings.

 

“Both chairmen stressed the vital role of the Fifa ethics committee in ensuring the highest standards of ethics and governance at Fifa. Irrespective of the independence of the two chambers, the two chairmen regard good communication as key to fulfilling that role.â€

 

Communication was in short supply in the runup to the publication of Eckert’s 42-page summary, which effectively cleared Russia and Qatar of serious wrongdoing and praised Fifa’s “robust†process. Garcia wanted as much of his full report published as possible and dismissed Eckert’s summary as a misrepresentation of the facts and conclusions within it.

 

While their decision makes it more likely more details from Garcia’s full report will seep out, it will do little to quell fears the process has been less than transparent. It also sets in train a bizarre set of circumstances in which the Fifa executive committee will be deciding what action to take against itself and former colleagues.

 

Even if Garcia’s full conclusions do emerge, he was still hamstrung in his investigation by the fact he could not compel witnesses no longer in football to talk and had no power to seize emails or phone records. The Russia 2018 bid claimed their computers had been destroyed and Garcia was unable to speak to six of the 11 members of the Fifa executive committee who have since quit football’s beleaguered governing body. The latest developments in the farcical saga came on a day that began with a former Fifa ethics committee member claiming one of the executive committee asked for a $5m cash bribe during the bidding process. Les Murray, an Australian broadcaster, said an unnamed executive had asked for “hard cash†and he had passed his concerns to the committee.

 

Canover Watson, a member of Fifa’s audit and compliance committee, has been charged with fraud, money-laundering and breach of trust by police in the Cayman Islands. The cases relate to Watson’s time as the head of Cayman’s Health Service Authority with no suggestion of football-related crimes. Watson, a vice-president of the Caribbean Football Union, has previously denied the allegations.

 

[Prydzopolis]

http://www.prweek.com/article/1323131/fifa-world-cup-reputation-assignment-hot-two-pr-firms

 

FIFA World Cup reputation assignment too hot for two PR firms

Added 21 hours ago by Chris Daniels , Be the first to comment

Other agencies are weighing the risks of representing the embattled world soccer body, as well as the controversial host nations: Russia and Qatar.

 

News Analysis

 

 

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An image of the stadium planned for Nizhny Novgorod, one of 11 host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

An image of the stadium planned for Nizhny Novgorod, one of 11 host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Two of the five top-tier global PR agencies that FIFA invited to pitch for an assignment burnishing the reputation of the next two World Cups have pulled themselves out of contention, PRWeek has learned.

 

The firms have not divulged their reasons for doing so, but industry insiders say the winning shop could face reputational risks to its own business.

 

The stakeholder relations and crisis management brief is focused on the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where its hostilities with Ukraine and anti-gay stance make it a tough sell to corporate sponsors and soccer fans.

 

Part of the work would also focus on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which has come under fire for reportedly dreadful conditions for the workers building stadiums for the event. That’s not to mention the fact that many players believe Qatar is just too hot to host the outdoor tournament.

 

One source described the brief to PRWeek as "mission impossible."

 

To complicate matters, Russia and Qatar have been accused of buying votes to win their hosting bids. On Thursday, FIFA reopened its review into the allegations, only a week after clearing the two countries of collusion and corruption. After its initial report, lead investigator Michael Garcia complained that his findings were erroneously represented by FIFA.

 

Soccer’s international governing body had invited Bell Pottinger, Edelman, Weber Shandwick, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, and Burson-Marsteller to pitch for the business. However, Edelman is "not participating," says Michael Bush, SVP of global marketing and communications at the firm.

 

David Wilson, chairman of Bell Pottinger, says his London-based agency will also not participate.

 

"There was an initial discussion, but it has not gone any further," he told PRWeek in an e-mail. "We aren’t talking with FIFA anymore."

 

Executives from Weber, H+K, and Burson declined to confirm or deny their participation.

 

Delia Fischer, head of media at FIFA, declined to comment on the specifics of the brief.

 

"FIFA works on a regular basis with agencies across a broad spectrum of communications briefs related to the FIFA World Cup," she said, in a statement. "This has been standard practice for the previous four-year cycle and continues for the new cycle."

 

Risk vs. reward

Given FIFA’s reputational challenges and those of the two host countries, how much of a risk would it be for a PR agency to take on this account? PRWeek spoke to a half-dozen PR pros – including some with insider knowledge of the account – who were divided in their opinions.

 

Ashley McCown, president of Solomon McCown, contends that "an agency that takes on FIFA risks violating their own core principles as company. I would be more worried about that rather than thinking about whether or not you’d have a credible shot of doing great work for them."

 

She notes that FIFA during the tenure of president Sepp Blatter has consistently shown a lack of credibility and ethics, and the assignment would call for the wining firm to rally behind "host countries with ongoing human rights violations."

 

In addition to Russia’s policies on LGBT individuals, hundreds of migrant Nepali workers have died during the construction of Qatar’s World Cup stadiums, according to various reports including a damning ESPN documentary. It also has a poor record on women’s rights and gay rights.

 

"I see this as a larger issue in terms of global agency holding companies and their shareholders making a stand on values," says McCown.

 

Another source notes that the agency also risks becoming a target of the media, given how hard the British press has gone after FIFA.

 

"UK journalists get syndicated absolutely everywhere; to say the British tabloid press is antagonist doesn’t even begin to describe how they feel about the state of the organization," says one source. "Whoever takes them on will be dealing with a rabid pack."

 

Asked why any agency would take on the work, he replied: "money."

 

Another high-ranking PR executive notes that an agency has to decide whether it can help cultivate change in how FIFA communicates and possibly even how it operates.

 

"As an agency, you have to ask yourself: is this the belief or behavior you want to be aligned with professionally? What you may find is sometimes the answer is yes, because you think it is a belief that can be changed," the source says. "Or you can say, ‘I don’t agree with this, I think it is morally or ethically wrong. I am not going to be a part of this because it will reflect poorly on me.’"

 

"I think whoever takes it on will have to wrestle with those basic questions of propriety, ethics, legality, and morality," says the source.

 

Those familiar with the brief say the winning firm will be handicapped in doing an effective job, in part because the Russian government will have direct input into FIFA’s 2018 World Cup messaging. Last year, Ketchum got the attention of US mainstream media outlets when it placed an op-ed in The New York Times penned by Russian President Vladimir Putin that warned against US military action against Syria.

 

Yet others are more optimistic, noting that some factors could work to the advantage of the agency that takes on the brief. One is the low expectations the industry has for any firm to affect change at FIFA.

 

"Expectation management is such a critical part of any new campaign – not only what the client expects from you, but what other potential clients and people in the industry expect you might be able to accomplish," says one source. "There’s significant awareness around just how badly this might go wrong and how sticky this situation might possibly get. That actually mitigates some of the potential downside to the firm that ultimately wins this work."

 

Another source notes that the World Cup in Russia is more than three years away, and the one in Qatar more than six years in the future, and the geopolitical climate could change for the better in that time. In a best-case scenario, the agency could ultimately be seen as helping create positive change within FIFA and credited for its handling of the events in Russia and Qatar.

 

"People look at the strategic issues through the lens of what is happening right now on CNN. They don’t realize that these are issues that play out over time and can change relatively quickly," says the executive. "Perception of the issues can also change significantly. You have to take a long term view of this."

 

 

 

[Prydzopolis]

Another day, another investigation

BECKENBAUER AND FIFA EXCO MEMBERS UNDER INVESTIGATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Three current FIFA executive committee members plus former member Franz Beckenbauer are under investigation by ethics chief Michael Garcia after his probe into World Cup bidding.

Source: PA Sport

28 NOV 2014 - 7:02 AM UPDATED 7 HOURS AGO

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Spain's Angel Maria Villar Llona, Michel D'Hooghe from Belgium and Worawi Makudi from Thailand are among the names being looked at by Garcia for possible ethics code breaches, according to sources close to the world governing body.

 

Beckenbauer is also under investigation by American attorney Garcia along with Harold Mayne-Nicholls from Chile, who headed the inspection team which compiled reports into the countries bidding for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

 

Garcia and German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA's ethics committee, released a joint statement last week confirming a number of individuals were under investigation.

 

It is understood that FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini are not under investigation by Garcia.

 

Eckert's findings into Garcia's report on the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, won by Russia and Qatar, did not even mention Spain and Portugal, though it is understood one line relates to that bid stating: "With regard to one specific bid team however, the report noted that the relevant federation was particularly un-cooperative in responding to the investigatory chamber's requests.''

 

Villar Llona, who is also chairman of the Spanish FA, had been reluctant to even meet Garcia.

 

D'Hooghe, who was on the FIFA executive committee in 2010 along with Villar Llona, Makudi and Beckenbauer at the time of the World Cup vote, said he had "simply had to clarify some well-known cases" to Garcia.

 

D'Hooghe said his son Pieter's move to take a job as a surgeon in Qatar's renowned Aspetar sports medicine hospital in 2012 was entirely unrelated.

 

He said in a statement via email: "The nomination of my son was a purely medical decision, without any involvement of myself and without any relation with the bid."

 

D'Hooghe also told the Daily Telegraph in a separate email: "I have given all the necessary correct answers and suppose my case is closed."

 

In 2011, the Belgian confirmed he had accepted a painting from a senior figure involved in the Russia 2018 bid. He later described it as a "poisonous gift" and said it had no value.

 

A spokesman for Beckenbauer told German newspaper Die Welt he could not comment due to ethics committee regulations. The German World Cup winner was suspended in June for refusing to co-operate with Garcia, before agreeing to do so.

 

In relation to Mayne-Nicholls, Garcia is looking at emails between the Chilean and Qatar's Aspire Academy regarding the possibility of unpaid internships for family members.

 

The 53 year-old Mayne-Nicholls told Dubai paper The National: "As a committee, they have the right to ask all the questions they need to in order to be sure about the final decision that will be taken. The ethics committee needs to have a very clear picture about everything that happened in the 2018 and 2022 bids.

 

"I get relaxed with this because if they are investigating such a small thing then I can imagine how they are investigating the real, big things and that will give us transparency."

 

The joint Garcia-Eckert statement of 20 November also said that Garcia's full report into his investigation into bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups would be passed to Domenico Scala, the chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee.

 

That committee would determine how much of the information should be made available to FIFA's executive committee.

 

Given that three members of the executive committee are being investigated by Garcia, it is unclear how much, if any, of the information contained in the report can be shared.

 

Earlier this month Eckert cleared Russia and Qatar to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups saying rule breaches by the bidding countries were ''of very limited scope''.

 

Garcia responded by notifying FIFA that he intended to lodge an appeal against the decision due to ''numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of the facts''.

 

FIFA has also lodged a separate criminal complaint with the Swiss attorney general.

 

UK Conservative MP Damian Collins, who described the Eckert report as a "whitewash", told the Commons on Friday (AEDT) that the "chaos" at FIFA surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding shows it is not fit to govern the world game.

 

UK Sports minister Helen Grant replied: "In his letter to (FIFA president) Sepp Blatter, Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said: 'FIFA could restore credibility by publishing Michael Garcia's report and the failure to do so would further damage its own credibility and the reputation of football'."

 

FIFA did not make any comment on the latest news.

 

Meanwhile, the governing body has announced the former general secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Alberto Colaco, has been banned from football for three years for accepting money for his vote in an Asian confederation election.

 

A FIFA statement said: "Mr Colaco accepted a payment in the context of the elections for the FIFA executive committee at the AFC Congress in May 2009 - won narrowly by Mohamed bin Hammam - while he was serving as the general secretary and voting delegate of the All India Football Federation."

 

He was found guilty of violating rules governing accepting gifts and bribery and corruption.

 

 

 

Of course the people that matter aren't under investigation

[Davo]

Beckenbauer was being suggested by a lot of people as someone who could replace Blatter. Now he's under investigation...