# FIFA Officials Arrested On Corruption Charges **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 27, 2015, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946 "2015-05-27T06:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/81 "2015-05-28T19:21:23Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > FIFA is probably closer to the IOC in corruption. AFAIK, NFL officials don’t get massive individual payoffs to vote for Superbowl sites. We’ve disagreed in the past about ‘One Country, One Vote’. The “Rotten Boroughs” could still keep Blatter in place. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/82 "2015-05-28T19:39:06Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > FIFA is probably closer to the IOC in corruption. AFAIK, NFL officials don’t get massive individual payoffs to vote for Superbowl sites. There are certainly deals made between team owners, who are the ones picking superbowl sites. There are probably no cash bribes, but there are probably _quid pro quo_ arrangements for future games of the sort that are also being investigated re Qatar and Russia. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/83 "2015-05-28T20:03:39Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > We’ve disagreed in the past about ‘One Country, One Vote’. The “Rotten Boroughs” could still keep Blatter in place. Any thoughts? Prosecute early and often? Blatter and Havelange before him were smart - actually treat the minnows of world soccer in Asia and Africa with respect and they’ll be loyal to you. Breaking one country, one vote is still unacceptable to me. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/84 "2015-05-28T20:14:32Z")
And let’s be honest, the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were NOT chosen by the entire body of FIFA voters, but a 22 man executive committee - which kind of makes it easier to bribe. But they changed the rules in 2011 so the entire body now votes for future World Cups. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/85 "2015-05-28T21:52:35Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > But are they really going to find a way to deal with the small matter of the temperature being hot enough to bake a chicken, even at night? FIFA moved the World Cup to the winter for the games in Qatar. > [@](#): > > FIFA’s executive committee has decided that the 2022 World Cup final will be held on Dec. 18, world football’s organizing body confirmed on Thursday. > > The climax of the winter World Cup will take place a week before Christmas. The final, set for a Sunday, is also Qatar’s National Day, a celebration of independence. > > The 2022 World Cup is to be played in the winter to avoid the fierce heat of June and July, and it will be a shortened tournament over 28 days instead of the usual 32. > > SOURCE: [FIFA approves winter World Cup for Qatar in 2022, sets final for Dec. 18 - ESPN](http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup/story/2356570/fifa-approves-winter-world-cup-for-qatar-in-2022-sets-final-for-dec-18) The [average temperature there around that time is 75-80F as a high.](https://weatherspark.com/averages/32878/12/Doha-Ad-Dawhah-Qatar) I read somewhere else that this change in dates seriously messed with the football clubs’ schedules and they asked to be reimbursed for the added cost they would incur and FIFA told them to piss off. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/86 "2015-05-28T21:58:58Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Prosecute early and often? Blatter and Havelange before him were smart - actually treat the minnows of world soccer in Asia and Africa with respect and they’ll be loyal to you. Breaking one country, one vote is still unacceptable to me. This surely makes it easier for the the corruption that seems to be rife in FIFA. A few island nations in the South Pacific can outvote South America. “Bribe the minnows and they’ll be loyal” makes more sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/87 "2015-05-28T22:00:06Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I read somewhere else that this change in dates seriously messed with the football clubs’ schedules and they asked to be reimbursed for the added cost they would incur and FIFA told them to piss off. Some football clubs’ anyways ;). For Germany, I think they are just making their Winter break 2 months instead of 1… so a minor but not serious messing with the schedule. England, which doesn’t have a winter break has a serious mess. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/88 "2015-05-28T22:01:55Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > This surely makes it easier for the the corruption that seems to be rife in FIFA. A few island nations in the South Pacific can outvote South America. “Bribe the minnows and they’ll be loyal” makes more sense to me. This is where the cure seems worse than the disease to me. We should be striving for more open and democratic principles rather than closing up ranks and creating a more elitist body. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/89 "2015-05-28T22:08:03Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > This is where the cure seems worse than the disease to me. We should be striving for more open and democratic principles rather than closing up ranks and creating a more elitist body. Is it democracy when Nauru has the same number of votes as China? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/90 "2015-05-28T22:09:08Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Is it democracy when Nauru has the same number of votes as China? How many national teams does each send to FIFA competition? ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/91 "2015-05-28T22:11:27Z")
> [@jsquire](#): > > The reasons are fairly clear to me. Attending a sporting event is at least as much about the atmosphere as it is about the actual contest itself. That intense, passionate atmosphere in overseas football hasn’t come to the USA, at least not yet. So it’s actual soccer fans at US matches, rather than people looking to be part of a loud, boozy and aggressive group of like minded people. Here that role is filled by football (college even more so than NFL) and, in some places, the NHL. I think it has more to do with the fact that other spectator sports in the US were already well established by the time participation in youth soccer started to take off. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/92 "2015-05-28T22:13:35Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > How many national teams does each send to FIFA competition? What do you mean by a FIFA competition? Is the UEFA Europa League a FIFA competition? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/93 "2015-05-28T22:14:58Z")
Is it actually illegal to bribe, or take a bribe, when you’re a private company? I thought only government officials could take a bribe. If I say to McDonalds hey carry my toys in your happy meal, and they say no. It is illegal to offer a couple million to change their mind? If FIFA stockholders are cool with the higher ups taking bribes, who cares? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/94 "2015-05-28T22:27:41Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > How many national teams does each send to FIFA competition? China sends either three or four, depending how you feel about Taiwan 😉 The UK sends four too. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/95 "2015-05-28T22:56:23Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > What do you mean by a FIFA competition? Is the UEFA Europa League a FIFA competition? I mean national-teams competition organized and branded by FIFA. So, no. > [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > China sends either three or four, depending how you feel about Taiwan 😉 > > The UK sends four too. I would be fine with votes apportioned on that basis. Sending teams to FIFA competition is the most meaningful measure of ‘citizenship’ I can see here. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/96 "2015-05-29T00:12:48Z")
> [@grude](#): > > If FIFA stockholders are cool with the higher ups taking bribes, who cares? FIFA is a non-profit. It’s not generally illegal to pay a private entity to do something that benefits you. It is very illegal to conspire with others to conceal such payments, launder the money, structure transactions, and evade taxes. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/97 "2015-05-29T01:55:02Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Is it actually illegal to bribe, or take a bribe, when you’re a private company? I thought only government officials could take a bribe. > > If I say to McDonalds hey carry my toys in your happy meal, and they say no. It is illegal to offer a couple million to change their mind? > > If FIFA stockholders are cool with the higher ups taking bribes, who cares? Yes, in most US states, including New York, [Commercial Bribery](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_bribery) is a criminal offense. It may also be considered a violation of the federal mail and wire fraud acts, and as particularly relevant here, a predicate criminal act under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/98 "2015-05-29T02:00:31Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > This is where the cure seems worse than the disease to me. We should be striving for more open and democratic principles rather than closing up ranks and creating a more elitist body. I understand the principle behind that. The fact is though, that the practice of the upper echelons of FIFA have systematically used it to line their own pockets. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/99 "2015-05-29T05:13:25Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Is it actually illegal to bribe, or take a bribe, when you’re a private company? I thought only government officials could take a bribe. > > If I say to McDonalds hey carry my toys in your happy meal, and they say no. It is illegal to offer a couple million to change their mind? > > If FIFA stockholders are cool with the higher ups taking bribes, who cares? It’s illegal for an individual to accept a bribe to act against their company’s interests. A salesperson might have discretion to give a customer a discount to get a sale, but that decision can’t be made on the basis of the customer splitting the discount with you. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/100 "2015-05-29T05:34:28Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Yeah, I wouldn’t want to have to be the one to tell the Russians that the tournament they won is being rescinded, despite all the “gifts” that were undoubtedly given. I’m betting many such gifts originated from men you don’t screw over. Agreed, as I said, whoever tells them needs “balls”.😃 One more story to look out for----Russia learned a lesson from 1980 and kinda timed out the invasion of the Ukraine perfectly, waiting until AFTER the Sochi Olympics; I wonder if they can show the same discipline as it relates to the World Cup? Surely, additional shenanigans between now and then could force countries with major soccer teams to consider a boycott. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946.md?page=6)