http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/...p-bribery-case/

ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) – Former FIFA official Amos Adamu lost his appeal on Friday against a three-year ban from football for seeking bribes during bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

A panel of three arbitrators said the ban ''was even relatively mild given the seriousness of the offense.''

The scandal implicated Adamu and five other senior officials, and plunged FIFA into turmoil weeks before the December 2010 votes.

''The CAS Panel stressed that it was of crucial importance that top football officials should not only be honest but should evidently and undoubtedly be seen to be honest,'' the court said.

http://www.local10.com/news/Best-Beautif...174/-/nsu224/-/

...football is attributed the status of being one of only two entities that are truly global languages. Music is the other. The passion of this sport has been known to halt armed conflicts and to unite rivals, all for the good of the "Beautiful Game."

...football provides opportunities for personal development, social exposure and travel. It is a tool for product marketing and even tourism. It is participatory with no regard to social and economic status.

Discipline is integral to successfully achieving in this sport. Discipline to get there, discipline to maintain your performance, and discipline to sustain your humbleness as the benefits accrue.

We can do much in terms of our formal response. We can be infinitely creative in proactive initiatives. However, what has never been done -- and what will never be accomplished -- is to legislate an attitude.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footbal...redibility.html

In the last year its leading members have become mired in mutual recrimination, awash with allegations of bribery and corruption, of votes being exchanged for cash.

Next month, Fifa’s executive committee meets in Zurich and will hear the case not only for reform but also for an investigation into the allegations about its members. It will be a test of Fifa’s commitment to restoring its credibility.

“We have seen a lot of the ideas out there about reform. I would personally love to be a part of this, coming as someone who is new to this and very keen to help evolve the organisation.

"We need to make sure we are serving the players, the coaches and officials. We need to guarantee that reforms are implemented but also that they are implementable. We need to make sure that it actually happens.

Within Fifa, Prince Ali chairs the Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility, on which sits the FA chairman David Bernstein, and the pair are developing a productive working relationship

http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Federation-...Transcript.aspx

Bid Presentation Transcript: US President Bill Clinton

My work has taken me to more than 100 countries since I left office and everywhere I have seen the power of football to lift people up and bring them together across the lines that would otherwise divide them.

The unifying power of this game to address the major challenges of the 21st century world, with all of its inter-dependence, to reduce its inequalities and instabilities, to transform it into a place of shared responsibilities and shared opportunities is enormous. It’s the main reason I agreed to do this work on the American committee.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business...3-1226287788809

Schwartz is now resolute in his belief that Australia should not put up its hand again to host a World Cup until further changes are made by FIFA to the bidding process.

"I wouldn't recommend that we as a country put our hands up unless FIFA changes," he says. He notes some progress has been made in the past 14 months, with FIFA taking the decision-making away from its executive committee and giving it to all the member countries.

"It makes it a lot more open. But more needs to be done," he says. "Is it fixable? Yes, I think it is. But until it is fixed, I would recommend we stay on the sidelines."
...........................................................................................................................



So tell me, if US Soccer came along and said it was going to bid for the 2024 World Cup what do you think the reaction would be among the US Soccer fans?

http://www.umbc.edu/economics/wpapers/wp_10_121.pdf

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/world_cup_feasibility.pdf

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/07/opinion/la-oe-coates-worldcup-20100907

208 countries would now be needed to be convinced to vote for one bid. Lets say there were 5-6 bids you would most likely need votes from over 90 countries to win. I'm guessing you would have a vote like 93 to 74, 14, 10, 9, 8. In the end the same thing will happen. People will see one or two bids as ones that will actually win , some will still vote for their friends even knowing they won't win because they are neighbors. But in the end many will want something in exchange to vote for one of the top bids that was not their first choice. How has anything changed?

The process now gets even more expensive, needing a large coordinated staff that are well organized with a large network installed. A small country with little influence outside of the world of soccer will have no hope at all for hosting the international event in the future.

The word coercive comes to mind after bribing is eliminated from the mix of influence methods...

The process is far from being corrected. Would we even want to play that game again?
...........................................................................................................................
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/davidbond/2011/07/qatar_spent_big_to_win_2022_wo.html

Al Thawadi says Qatar had to spend big because it was the underdog and had to convince the world it meant business.

"We will not lie, our budget was significantly higher than any of the other bids," he told me. "But if you take into consideration what we had to spend it on. We started behind everyone else, we had to win hearts and minds."
...........................................................................................................................

I wonder if they spent more than we spent in Iraq?


(Only a few of) The spending projects (that we actually know about):

PSG
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/28/sport/football/football-psg-al-khelaifi/index.html

Zidean-Sarcozy-Platini...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/dec/08/russia-qatar-zurich-michel-platini

Barcelona jersey sponsorship...
http://www.qf.org.qa/news-center/fcb-en

Infrastructure projects in Portugal...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704511404576085323292583808.html

JW7, the article from Australia...can you PM me with a copy of it? It's a pay site...

It opened for me using a google search for FIFA News, but is now gone?

I really hope FIFA takes reform seriously. If I were to give them advice I would say something like:

“pick up the pace”
“You have to push yourself, kick your ass.”

“certainly” there is a sense “of concern within FIFA” regarding the (reforms).

“As the person ultimately responsible for this (reform), I’m under a lot of pressure,”... “The (reforms) is key to our entire system.”

“is and will always be the only option to (reform)”

“I’m confident that there isn’t a problem which can’t be overcome with efforts by FIFA..."

FIFA says (Blatter) accepted such changes in the law when he was picked to be (FIFA President) in (2011).



http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dcu...2ItR_story.html

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1031492/fa-encouraged-by-fifa-reform-plans?cc=5901

Football Association chairman David Bernstein believes FIFA is on the right path to reform after talks with the world governing body's president Sepp Blatter.

David Bernstein is pleased with Sepp Blatter's reform plans
Bernstein spent two hours with Blatter over the weekend for discussions...

Bernstein said: "I am quite encouraged from what I hear from Mr Blatter about governance changes at FIFA, and I really do think they mean it this time at this time and quite a lot is happening which sounded very positive.

...although we find some things about FIFA difficult, it was important to work with them."