BREAKING: Top FIFA officials arrested in Switzerland, to be indicted on corruption charges

[Woland]

In real news from the real world... i was in the pub yesterday and the consensus was that they should take the world cup from Qatar in 2018 and that's what should and will happen.

It might, but... Qatar have massive influence in our game right now. My mate is the art curator at the footy museum in Manchester. He said all their big projects are backed by Qatar. He went on a jolly to the Mexico last year paid for by some Qatari fund. He said that loads of the 'grass roots' stuff going on in England is funded from Qatar, and they've been making friends and influencing people for ages. I very much doubt that this is just happening in England, it'll be across the world. So I sort of doubt if many people in the game will want to come out fighting... because projects and art installations and kids competitions can suddenly start looking like bribes in this context.

But maybe I'm just talking shite as usual so carry on.

 

[FoxForceFive]

It's a sensible strategy if you have billions of zillions of oil dollars to throw about.

Whilst they're not bribes per se, they're guaranteeing goodwill from the people who vote

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

*Carries on*

 

[Woland]

Apart from the small fact that they've bought Man City, PSG and sponsor Barcelona for zillions... It must have bought them huge influence in UEFA via these clubs.

I'm not saying it's insurmountable and the pressure from global govts to change things will be huge, but they have firmly planted themselves right in the middle of the wider game, legitimately.

 

[cloggypop]

@Proper_Facts: Sepp Blatter's wife is called Fanny.

 

[Athens]

@Proper_Facts: Sepp Blatter's wife is called Fanny.

The name fani exists here too. It's especially funny when a bloke is called it.

 

[jexykrodic]

The name fani exists here too. It's especially funny when a bloke is called it.

Yeah but Fanny Batter is in a whole other realm.

 

[Athens]

Yeah but Fanny Batter is in a whole other realm.

Ha. That hadn't even crossed my mind! I'm losing my touch.

 

[Woland]

So is Fanny Blatter is a big Greek dude or what?

 

[Athens]

No. Fanis is a Greek dude. But if you're talking to him, you drop the s so he becomes Fani.

 

[Insignificance]

No. Fanis is a Greek dude. But if you're talking to him, you drop the s so he becomes Fani.

Very Fanny....

 

[gkmacca]

Platini just said he no longer wants Blatter as president. There's also been a shift of votes to Prince Ali.

 

[Portly]

The FIFA sponsors like Visa and MacDonalds are being very disingenuous at the moment - expressing shock and disquiet. Everybody knew that FIFA is deeply corrupt but nothing could be done about it because FIFA was answerable to nobody. Surely the sponsors could not have been unaware of that.

 

[peterhague]

It's almost as if McDonalds and VISA don't care about anything else than money.

 

[gkmacca]

It's almost as if McDonalds and VISA don't care about anything else than money.

Oh you cynic - haven't you seen those lovely adverts?

 

[Judge Jules]

Portly: of course not, and TBH I'd have thought it unlikely that they're unaware of how this looks now. They're doing it only because it would look even worse not to.

 

[peterhague]

Oh you cynic - haven't you seen those lovely adverts?

You fool. Watch and learn

 

[gkmacca]

Blatter's speech this afternoon was hilarious. 'We have lost trust...We must earn it back...But now, enjoy the dancing and the singing!'

 

[Judge Jules]

Reading that, I have this horrible mental image of him donning top hat and tails and doing a rendition of "Singin' In The Rain".

 

[gkmacca]

Reading that, I have this horrible mental image of him donning top hat and tails and doing a rendition of "Singin' In The Rain".

It wouldn't have been surprising!

 

[peekay]

In real news from the real world... i was in the pub yesterday and the consensus was that they should take the world cup from Qatar in 2018 and that's what should and will happen.

It might, but... Qatar have massive influence in our game right now. My mate is the art curator at the footy museum in Manchester. He said all their big projects are backed by Qatar. He went on a jolly to the Mexico last year paid for by some Qatari fund. He said that loads of the 'grass roots' stuff going on in England is funded from Qatar, and they've been making friends and influencing people for ages. I very much doubt that this is just happening in England, it'll be across the world. So I sort of doubt if many people in the game will want to come out fighting... because projects and art installations and kids competitions can suddenly start looking like bribes in this context.

But maybe I'm just talking shite as usual so carry on.

The son of the member of the FIFA Executive Committee from Belgium ( who voted for Qatar) was appointed a chief surgeon in a top class orthopaedic hospital in Doha Qatar, three months after Qatar won the world cup bid.

Laurent Platini, son of Michel Platini, started working for Burrda Sports, an arm of the Qatar Sports Investments, three months after Qatar won the world cup bid. Laurent Platini is also responsible for helping PSG navigate the financial fair play restrictions, which have been gradually relaxed, after Laurent was given that responsibility. M. Platini claims there is no conflict of interest there.

I think Blatter will survive this. He may not be FIFA president anymore but I think he will not get the punishment he is due. The main reason being FIFA is so corrupt and he must have dossiers of incriminating evidence against everyone.

 

[Hansern]

Looks like the old cunt will get reelected tomorrow. The support he gets from Asia and Africa is insane.
Or, because of the money he's supported them with over the years its not that insane..

 

[keniget]

I hope there are bigger things to come because as things stand it all feels like something FIFA and everyone associated with them can ride out.

 

[jon545660]

So the pointless FIFA vote is going to happen today. The Guardian has a breakdown of who is expected to vote for who, and shows Blatter has it almost all completely sown up.

Blatter has 160
Prince Ali has 49 (45 European votes + US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand)

'Result' expected to be announced around 4pm UK time.

 

[gkmacca]

Looks like the old cunt will get reelected tomorrow. The support he gets from Asia and Africa is insane.
Or, because of the money he's supported them with over the years its not that insane..

It's not that logical if they thought about it. They've had their money and, now that FIFA is being properly investigated, the 'favours' are over, so they might as well kick him out. The problem is their support has become such a habit they can't grasp the fact that it no longer serves a rational purpose.

 

[DHSC]

Would be fucking disappointed with Singapore if they voted for Blatter.

 

[Judge Jules]

It's not that logical if they thought about it. They've had their money and, now that FIFA is being properly investigated, the 'favours' are over, so they might as well kick him out. The problem is their support has become such a habit they can't grasp the fact that it no longer serves a rational purpose.

Maybe some of that money's still in transit and at a stage where it could still be stopped.

 

[cloggypop]

 

[gkmacca]

It's looking more like a Scorsese movie with each passing day. Someone should play 'Gimme Shelter' while Blatter pushes over Chuck Blazer's mobility scooter and runs into a crowd of African delegates, who move around to hide him like spilt Quink over a cockroach. Meanwhile a large German delegate hurls a Rolex watch at a dancing girl, Platini bangs on the window with a bloodied hand, several South Americans attempt to shoot the lightbulbs out, David Gill plants a union flag in a decorative rose bush and someone from Sky Sports gets up on a table and shouts: 'bribes, freebies, it's just a shot away, it's just a shot away!'

 

[Comical Aly]

They get 15 minutes each to address the conference. Ali's got to go in with both feet on blatter surely. I hope he does and it's televised.