My Google search today

Corrupt bid process
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Corupt+bid+process&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#q=Corrupt+bid+process&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvns&ei=83rdTt-DNenIsQKvsKHeBg&start=0&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=e00a958adde4af51&biw=1018&bih=601

Absolutely amazing how many times the FIFA 2018-2022 World Cup Bid comes up...



"Although some claim corruption reduces costs by cutting red tape, an emerging consensus holds that the availability of bribes induces officials to contrive new rules and delays".

Quelle sera la prochaine?




Alexander Navalny - "Crooks and thieves"

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/soccer/fi...f7214f582e.html

FIFA says legal problems have postponed its promised publication next week of a Swiss court document naming soccer officials who took millions of dollars in kickbacks from World Cup broadcast deals.
FIFA says the planned Dec. 17 publication, relating to the 10-year-old ISL scandal, has been held up by "legal measures ... taken by one of the parties involved."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footbal...gal-action.html

'I remain fully committed to publishing the files as soon as possible as an important part of my many reform plans for FIFA, which include handling the past as well as preparing the future structure of the organisation.'

FIFA president Sepp Blatter insisted he was committed to publishing the file but the intended date of December 17 has now been put back to early next year, probably February.

FBI launches investigation into World Cup 'dirty tricks’ campaign

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footbal...s-campaign.html

It is understood that the FBI has “substantial evidence” of outside organisations attempting to hack the email accounts of the United States bid for the 2022 tournament, and believe the English bid may have also been affected.

The FBI’s interest in the World Cup election is thought to be linked to an ongoing investigation into payments made to Chuck Blazer, the Fifa executive committee member who first revealed the bribery allegations against Bin Hammam and Warner.

In his role as general secretary of the Concacaf confederation Blazer received commission payments from Concacaf accounts totalling more than $500,000 (£320,000), some of which were linked to television contracts.

Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe and member of the culture, media and sport select committee, welcomed the FBI’s interest:
“I think it’s good that government agencies which have responsibility for law enforcement take the allegations very seriously and are investigating them properly.

“Fifa executives have to abide by international law and if they break those laws they should be investigated by any appropriate authority. It puts in stark comparison the arrogance of the Fifa committee who believe there is nothing to investigate at all and shows there are maybe lots of issues which should have been looked at more by Fifa themselves.”

FIFA adviser Pieth pledges to examine past scandals as part of Blatter’s anti-corruption drive

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dcu...0sbO_story.html

Pieth says he will meet soon with investigative journalists who are “experts on FIFA’s past.”

The Basel University professor says his Independent Governance Committee has “absolutely no objection to an investigation.”

Responding to attacks on his integrity, Mark Pieth says looking at FIFA’s past is “necessary” to understand the “risk scenarios.”

http://www.nesn.com/2011/12/fbi-probes-f...-elections.html

The revelations of FBI involvement come on the heels of recent reports that people connected with Russia's successful 2018 bid tried to spy on the communications of their English and American counterparts.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating FIFA. The Telegraph reports the FBI suspects criminal acts were committed during its World Cup bidding process last year and elections for FIFA president in June

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/so...0173/index.html

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -German football federation's outgoing president has again sharply criticized FIFA's decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar

Theo Zwanziger said Qatar had been rated as the worst of all the candidates bidding for the 2022 World Cup.

"Political interests should not prevail if the fundamentals, the sporting conditions, have been somewhat perverted,'' Zwanziger said Wednesday.

Just for fun...





Manchester Goliath goes home from the CL in December!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footbal...-2018-race.html

The Russia 2018 World Cup organising committee says it has no knowledge of the ongoing FBI investigation into alleged computer hacking and other “dirty tricks” arising from the Fifa bidding process.

the LOC (local organising committee) has not been contacted regarding any investigation, nor have we been made aware that any such investigation exists,” they said.
“We at Russia 2018 are proud of the way we conducted ourselves throughout a long and highly competitive campaign; as an LOC, we are driven by exactly the same transparency, commitment to excellence and spirit of Fair Play that underpinned our successful bid.