# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/101 "2015-05-29T11:56:35Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > Oh, no the Right has already questioned why the black attorney general of the black Democrat President is wasting taxpayer dollars with soccer. Headline to a link to an article (which doesn’t even say anything of the sort) on the Drudge Report: > > LYNCH PRIORITIES: WORLD SOCCER? > > No, idiot. Lynch priorities: money laundering, wire fraud, bribery and worse taking place on American soil, and using American institutions. I don’t care if its Irish Hurling, a racket is a racket. Actually in hurling it’s a _camán_. ---
**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, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/102 "2015-05-29T13:55:53Z")
Ahh… problem solved. [Sepp Blatter is going to fix it…](http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/28/sepp-blatter-refuses-to-resign-fifa-corruption-scandal) That sets my mind at rest. The Dear Leader is going to personally investigate any allegations of corruption within the FIFA ‘family’. A joyous day for football… ---
**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, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/103 "2015-05-29T14:32:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Is this being done in the US because we are the one country on the planet that couldn’t give a crap about football? Better chance of getting an unbiased jury, unbribed witnesses and all that? On this subject, the well storied US disdain for soccer is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. It’s a view largely held now mostly by American Football fans who feel their game is more “macho.” They don’t know it, but when they turn their backs after making a dumb joke about soccer, most of us roll our eyes at them. Tens of millions of us, probably more, either played the game or have kids that did and at least have some appreciation for the skill involved in playing it well. Football fans just tend to be louder and more obnoxious. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/104 "2015-05-29T14:44:41Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > On this subject, the well storied US disdain for soccer is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. It’s a view largely held now mostly by American Football fans who feel their game is more “macho.” They don’t know it, but when they turn their backs after making a dumb joke about soccer, most of us roll our eyes at them. Yeah, but 12 year old girls are always rolling their eyes. ---
**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, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/105 "2015-05-29T15:09:40Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > On this subject, the well storied US disdain for soccer is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. It’s a view largely held now mostly by American Football fans who feel their game is more “macho.” It’s not just American Football fans. It’s any sports fan who believes sports are games that require the players to use their hands. OTOH, Irish stepdancing doesn’t require the participants to use their hands, either. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/106 "2015-05-29T17:42:36Z")
As I am working from home today I have been fascinated by this whole ordeal. I just want to say how entertaining watching espn has been because you can tell Bob Ley just haaaaaates this guy. I loved it. ---
**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 29, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/107 "2015-05-29T17:47:54Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Yeah, but 12 year old girls are always rolling their eyes. I chuckled. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/108 "2015-05-29T20:55:26Z")
This is actually a pretty good article on why Blatter wins the vote from third world countries - who cares about corruption when you are finally getting some infrastructure money from FIFA and you are worried the next guy isn’t going to care so much about it (obviously that is one of the reasons Blatter makes it priority): > **[How an obvious crook keeps winning FIFA elections](https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2015/5/29/8688057/sepp-blatter-fifa-corruption-presidential-election-arrests)** > > The third world thinks they need Sepp Blatter, and he's happy to court their votes. In essence Blatter is (or at least acts like) a football socialist. Hence the have-nots in world football tend to support him. To them his individual corruption is irrelevant as they feel that plenty of would be Presidents would just forget about third world soccer ---
**Author:** ![candide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@candide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/candide)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/109 "2015-05-29T22:20:43Z")
Let’s not reform FIFA too quickly. I’m certain that the jokesters in Geneva are already trying to figure some way to rig the draw for 2018 so that Ukraine gets drawn into Russia’s pool, and I for one am looking forward to it. Such shenanigans have happened before. One instance happened in 1974, when in the first round, West Germany, the host nation, had to play East Germany in the third game. West Germany won the ugly trophy, but East Germany won the match. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/110 "2015-05-29T22:26:29Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > In essence Blatter is (or at least acts like) a football socialist. My understanding is that Blatter’s own claim (not independently verified) is that FIFA spends about half a million dollars a day on football development programs, worldwide. If true and ongoing, this would represent, what, something less than a quarter of FIFA’s (untaxed) revenue from each World Cup cycle? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/111 "2015-05-29T22:32:36Z")
As an [illustration](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/05/27/ex-fifa-official-had-6000-a-month-trump-tower-apartment-for-unruly-cats/) of how much money sloshes around these organizations, Chuck Blazer, formerly a senior official at CONCACAF and FIFA, lived in two apartments at Trump Tower, costing $18,000 a month, and he paid an additional $6,000 a month for a third apartment there just for his cats. ---
**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 29, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/112 "2015-05-29T22:40:59Z")
How could any man that spends $6,000 of his [del]ill-gotten gains[/del] own money to house his cats be corrupt? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/113 "2015-05-29T23:46:58Z")
Thanks to those who schooled me, for whatever brain fart reason I assumed it would be a civil issue and the shareholders would have standing to sue. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/114 "2015-05-30T00:40:13Z")
Your brain seems to still be farting about FIFA being a non-profit. There are no shareholders. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/115 "2015-05-30T00:46:48Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Your brain seems to still be farting about FIFA being a non-profit. There are no shareholders. My brain farts a lot, but that comment was referring to the original brain fart comment I made. I did see the earlier comment about FIFA being non-profit(LOL! though) I was explaining the brain flatus. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/116 "2015-05-30T17:34:30Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Is it democracy when Nauru has the same number of votes as China? Nauru and China are both individual actors - it’s more akin (to me) as someone who is 4’11 100 lbs having an equal vote as a 6’6 300 lbs person. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/117 "2015-05-30T17:37:01Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > My understanding is that Blatter’s own claim (not independently verified) is that FIFA spends about half a million dollars a day on football development programs, worldwide. > > If true and ongoing, this would represent, what, something less than a quarter of FIFA’s (untaxed) revenue from each World Cup cycle? Indeed, and now imagine if an anti-corruption crusader also said he’d use much more of FIFA’s revenue for football development than even Blatter does. But for some reason the enemies of Blatter haven’t figured this out (unfortunately they tend to usually be for greater power for UEFA it seems, which doesn’t play well for CAF or AFC countries). ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/118 "2015-05-30T18:32:15Z")
UEFA is as corrupt and uninterested in football as FIFA is. The only thing they care about it, how much can they sell the Asian rights for and how much money will the Gulf sugar daddies give them next. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/119 "2015-06-01T16:51:26Z")
In some respects Sepp Blatter reminds me of “Boss” Tweed – corrupt to the bone, but getting the unconditional support of the poorer masses thanks to his spending some money on them for their benefit. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946/120 "2015-06-01T18:19:44Z")
[Here](http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/669184-sepp-blatter-good-for-africa.html)is an an opinion piece from a Ugandan newspaper on Blatter. Its quite eye opening as to the views held in that continent about Blatter [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-officials-arrested-on-corruption-charges/720946.md?page=7)