# Can someone explain to me this FIFA thingy? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 28, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076 "2015-05-28T22:06:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/21 "2015-05-29T10:04:02Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > From **Northern Piper** ’s link:Is Sepp Blatter so bad that a middle eastern prince would be less greedy? He’s a Hashemite of Jordan - as Middle Eastern princes go, that bunch is probably the most decent and upstanding. The lack of oil does that to a person. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/22 "2015-05-29T10:28:48Z")
> [@XT](#): > > And why is Putin involving himself and Russia in this? Because turning over the rocks and looking at the slime underneath will implicate some of his friends who were involved in purchasing the 2018 site selection for Russia. > [@filmstar-en](#): > > Putin obviously thinks the US is trying to sabotage his World Cup as well. If there have been no dodgy dealings, then he surely has little to worry about. I suppose that possibility should be mentioned for theoretical completeness, sort of like “if you can figure out a way to fly to the Moon by flapping your arms, you don’t have to worry about building rockets”. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/23 "2015-05-29T11:12:39Z")
The guys at the IOC are getting envious. They’re just as corrupt and they do _lots_ of sports. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/24 "2015-05-29T11:26:49Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > This is a BIG news story that will run and run. > > Reaction to it has been very supportive of the action by the FBI because it has long been known that FIFA is completely corrupt, but no-one seemed to be able to do anything about it. The UEFA, the European football association have been at odds with FIFA for a long time. > > Awarding the 2022 World Cup to Quatar, a wealthy Gulf Oil state, a country not known for its footballing tradition for a tournament to be held during the baking heat of the summer seemed absurd. It has gotten worse, with a growing scandal around the stories of bad treatment and low pay of the workers recruited from the poorest countries to work on building the stadiums. Millionaire players performing for the indulgence of Oil moguls in stadiums built on the backs of the poor. > > For the custodians of the ‘beautiful game’ to make such a decision made many people suspect that upholding image and reputation of the game was not foremost in the minds of the FIFA executives. > > Putin obviously thinks the US is trying to sabotage his World Cup as well. If there have been no dodgy dealings, then he surely has little to worry about. His suggestion is that the US is extending its laws to other countries, extraterritoriality. But, I think the FBI have done their homework on this case and are on sure ground. They obviously waited very patiently to strike in a joint operation with the Swiss authorities. The evidence will need to be solid, these guys can afford the best lawyers. > > The World Cup is the biggest, wealthiest sports tournament in the world. The advertising revenues and TV rights are immense. It has been controlled by a cabal of corrupt ‘executives’ for many years. > > This has rather less to with the game itself than it is to do with plain old bribery and corruption. FIFA seem to be a more of a money laundering operation that a sports body. At the heart of it is money. Control over major sports like live football are a license to print money. A billion people will watch the World cup and broadcasters, sponsors and advertisers pour money into the game. > > Some commentators are saying FIFA should be abolished and replaced with a new organisation with proper oversight. But a big question being asked is: why could not any other government, or the sport itself, take this action? Why was it left up to the US and the FBI? > > This drama has some way to go. I expect the major sponsors might break ranks very soon. I agree with much of this. It’s worth pointing out most of the FBI investigation seems to be about the awarding of earlier World Cup’s(notably to South Africa in 2010) and the awarding of the CONCACAF tournament to the US in 2016(?). From this the investigation may widen. How it’s viewed in Europe? Mostly very positively. We have strongly suspected FIFA was corrupt. The awarding of the WC to Qatar all but confirmed this. I think this investigation is the way Lance Armstrong and his team were busted. Can someone confirm this? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/25 "2015-05-29T12:04:56Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > Qatar can pull a lot of strings in Europe and the Far East, it supplies a lot of Liquified Natural Gas and is a big investor. > > It would not be politick to spoil their World Cup party. It also provides a lot of the money to FIFA and top teams. Qatar Airways and Qatar Foundation have sponsored Barcelona. Basically, since about 2000, a lot of money has come into the sport from the Gulf and Far East. And they want a return on their investments. There is no fucking way that UEFA and Europe are going to let their indignation at Blatter stop their money supply. Who is going to step up? The European market is about saturated (not to mention the continent is under about an ocean of debt) and the US is not…yet going to step up. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/26 "2015-05-29T12:11:50Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > If evidence of that comes out in the prosecutions, there may be calls for those two Cups to be re-assigned. People have been calling for Qatar to be reassigned since two seconds after it was awarded. Sepp Blatter will probably be re-elected today, because he and his cronies have bought off most of FIFA. One of the key things about FIFA - a structural quirk Blatter has brilliantly exploited - is that it’s one country, one vote. So a country of 200 million people like Brazil, 199 million of whom think soccer is more important than God, has exactly the same vote as Guyana, which has fewer than a million people and they mostly love cricket. By using FIFA’s vast pool of money on legitimate things like developmental programs and infrastructure assistance, and illegitimate things like cocaine, whores and envelopes stuffed with money, Blatter can sew up votes from countries like Guyana and Swaziland relatively cost-effectively, and they cancel out countries where soccer is important business. That’s why the conflict between UEFA, which takes its job more or less seriously, and FIFA is so intractable. UEFA would love to hang Sepp Blatter I’m sure, but Germany is cancelled out by Botswana, France is cancelled out by Djibouti, Spain is cancelled out by Laos and then East Timor tips the scales. And to some extent one can hardly blame Djibouti when Uncle Sepp comes with three million bucks for youth soccer programs they couldn’t possibly fund themselves. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/27 "2015-05-29T12:23:54Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > That’s why the conflict between UEFA, which takes its job more or less seriously, and FIFA is so intractable. UEFA would love to hang Sepp Blatter I’m sure, but Germany is cancelled out by Botswana, France is cancelled out by Djibouti, Spain is cancelled out by Laos and then East Timor tips the scales. And to some extent one can hardly blame Djibouti when Uncle Sepp comes with three million bucks for youth soccer programs they couldn’t possibly fund themselves. UEFA? Thats like an Adder accusing a Cobra of being a poisonous snake. True, but not exactly the complete picture. And UEFA also has the same problem, i.e small nations dominate larger nations. Andorra has as much clout in UEFA as Germany. UEFA is as much in bed with Gulf and Far East money as FIFA, in more so because of the major European leagues. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/28 "2015-05-29T13:59:38Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > I agree with much of this. > > It’s worth pointing out most of the FBI investigation seems to be about the awarding of earlier World Cup’s(notably to South Africa in 2010) and the awarding of the CONCACAF tournament to the US in 2016(?). From this the investigation may widen. I really don’t think the USA has to bribe anyone to host the Gold Cup. They’ve hosted every single one of them, with occasional help from Canada and Mexico. Who else is going to host, Aruba? CONCACAF is corrupt as hell, but it isn’t those three countries that are at fault. It’s the minnows. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/29 "2015-05-29T14:20:52Z")
I’m pretty sure it has to do with broadcast rights, which are a real mess. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/30 "2015-05-29T14:41:02Z")
Here’s an interesting article on the voting blocs: [FIFA election: A look at the voting blocs](http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/fifa-election-a-look-at-the-voting-blocs-1.2397000) Really highlights the impact of the minnows: South America, with the two powerhouses of Argentina and Brasil, has fewer votes than Oceania? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/31 "2015-05-29T15:06:34Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Here’s an interesting article on the voting blocs: > > [FIFA election: A look at the voting blocs](http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/fifa-election-a-look-at-the-voting-blocs-1.2397000) > > Really highlights the impact of the minnows: South America, with the two powerhouses of Argentina and Brasil, has fewer votes than Oceania? Although it should be pointed out that the whole FIFA membership rarely votes outside of Presidential votes. Most of the power is vested in the executive committee. Even then it’s not really fully representative. Most of the money in football is earned by the big European teams, however most of the revenue is generated through TV rights and merchandise sales in Asia. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/32 "2015-05-29T15:13:16Z")
FIFA has a noble intention of promoting the game to countries where it is less developed. But the voting system, whilst it seemed fair, was very easy to manipulate. Sitting on a cash inflow from the boom in satellite TV broadcasting that can reach huge markets and the advertising premium put the leadership in a position to buy loyalty from the football associations of poor countries. However, if you look at the way football is managed in the major footballing nations, with strong leagues, the money tends to get concentrated at the top. Lots of millionaire footballers at one end and barely profitable clubs lower down. Some country must have the balance right…Germany, perhaps? Is this scandal big enough to reform the FIFA constitution to make it transparent enough to ensure that this sort of thing does not happen again? I suspect that there is an awful lot of dirty laundry all the way through the game and few people and associations are without their skeletons in cupboards. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/33 "2015-05-29T15:19:56Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > From **Northern Piper** ’s link:Is Sepp Blatter so bad that a middle eastern prince would be less greedy? I think the question is, did Prince Ali (really? Prince Ali? Was he named after a Disney character? 😃 ) know that FIFA was corrupt, and he wanted to stop the illegal practices, OR did Prince Ali know that FIFA was corrupt, and he wanted a piece of the action? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/34 "2015-05-29T15:25:07Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I really don’t think the USA has to bribe anyone to host the Gold Cup. They’ve hosted every single one of them, with occasional help from Canada and Mexico. Who else is going to host, Aruba? > > CONCACAF is corrupt as hell, but it isn’t those three countries that are at fault. It’s the minnows. Sorry, it is the awarding of the Copa America 2016 which is being investigated. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/35 "2015-05-29T15:38:28Z")
xx ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/36 "2015-05-29T15:40:20Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Because turning over the rocks and looking at the slime underneath will implicate some of his friends who were involved in purchasing the 2018 site selection for Russia. Blaming America also fits into his domestic narrative that the America and the West are so much out to get Russia, to the point that they won’t even allow Russia to have a friendly sport tournament. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/37 "2015-05-29T16:49:50Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Here’s an interesting article on the voting blocs: > > [FIFA election: A look at the voting blocs](http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/fifa-election-a-look-at-the-voting-blocs-1.2397000) This is absolutely the greatest quote in the entire history of sports reporting: “At a CONCACAF meeting last month, Dominican Football Federation President Osiris Guzman compared Blatter to Moses, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jesus and Nelson Mandela.” That will never, ever be topped. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/38 "2015-05-29T17:50:19Z")
> [@rsa](#): > > Another reason the U.S. has skin in the prosecutorial game, besides all the others mentioned, is that the U.S. was a contender to host one of those World Cups. > > Besides Qatar getting up to 122 degrees in summer, which required the World Cup to be moved to the fall, which screws up soccer schedules throughout the world, there’s also the little matter of there having been 1200 deaths _so far_ among the migrant workers who are there in slavery type conditions. It’s estimated that there will be 4000 deaths by the time of the World Cup. :smack: This recently happened too: > **[Arrested for reporting on Qatar's World Cup labourers](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32775563)** > > The BBC's Mark Lobel went to Qatar to report on 2022 World Cup migrant construction workers at the invitation of the government. but was arrested and spent two nights in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/39 "2015-05-29T17:56:16Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > This is absolutely the greatest quote in the entire history of sports reporting: > > “At a CONCACAF meeting last month, Dominican Football Federation President Osiris Guzman compared Blatter to Moses, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jesus and Nelson Mandela.” > > That will never, ever be topped. Nothing but a bunch of jews, rabble rousers, and opium addicts. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076/40 "2015-05-29T17:58:06Z")
The primary reason the US has jurisdiction to charge the principals involved in the investigation is because the majority of the charges are _ **money laundering** _ and _ **wire fraud** _ using US banks. Hence these are crimes committed on US ground. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-this-fifa-thingy/721076.md?page=3)