We’ve disagreed in the past about ‘One Country, One Vote’. The “Rotten Boroughs” could still keep Blatter in place. Any thoughts?
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.
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.
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.
FIFA moved the World Cup to the winter for the games in Qatar.
The average temperature there around that time is 75-80F as a high.
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.
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.
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.
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?
How many national teams does each send to FIFA competition?
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.
What do you mean by a FIFA competition? Is the UEFA Europa League a FIFA competition?
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?
China sends either three or four, depending how you feel about Taiwan 
The UK sends four too.
I mean national-teams competition organized and branded by FIFA. So, no.
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.
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.
Yes, in most US states, including New York, 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.
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.
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.
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.