http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dcu...kewR_story.html

ZURICH — FIFA should investigate Sepp Blatter’s re-election as president and should publish documents relating to a kickbacks scandal, a group that advises European lawmakers said Wednesday in a new report on sports.

"Moreover, the sports scandals that come to light are only the tip of the iceberg: experts are fully aware that the hidden part, unknown to the public, is even bigger and of a more worrying dimension," the report said.

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/footballgovernance/news/newsid=1595956/

Response to 'Good governance and ethics in sport'

FIFA has taken note of the draft resolution published today by the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Council of Europe titled "Good governance and ethics in sport". The resolution contains certain inaccuracies which FIFA would like to address.

Yes, I know it's off topic, so sue me...

The start of the 17th MLS season is near.

And I'm currently living in the MLS town with the richest league Championship/Playoff history (going for their fifth team crest star in 2012).

GO DC UNITED!








Hey wait a minute that's not RFK...
But the colors are right...?





87795

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dcu...UO7R_story.html

ZURICH — Two former FIFA executive committee members have lost their appeals of two-year bans for corruption during bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Diakite and Fusimalohi were suspended based on evidence provided by British newspaper The Sunday Times. They advised undercover reporters posing as lobbyists how to bribe FIFA officials with $1 million.
..............................................................................................................................

So, it is now officially official that members of the FIFA Executive Committee were in fact involved in attempting to sell votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

-The system was corrupt from the beginning of the process, FIFA knew about it (from a history of past bribery problems) and let it happen anyway.

That was never a real bid process. It was a complete fraud.

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/footballgovernance/news/newsid=1599029/

With these two CAS decisions, all of the decisions taken by the FIFA Appeal Committee on 3 February 2011 have now been confirmed

The confirmation of these FIFA decisions by CAS underlines once more FIFA’s zero tolerance and clear stance against any breach of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
..............................................................................................................................

The process was corrupt.
The question now is what is FIFA going to do about it?

If I was involved in spending the bid money for my country, I would now sue FIFA and ask for my bid money to be paid back. There was never a real bid process.

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/latin...s-health-031212

Ricardo Teixeira stepped down from his posts as head of the Brazilian football federation and the 2014 World Cup organizing committee on Monday, ending a contentious 23-year stint in charge of Brazilian football.

The announcement ends an era that mixed success on and off the field for Brazil with allegations of irregularities and corruption involving Teixeira, including that he took kickbacks from former FIFA marketing partner ISL in the 1990s.

There was increased pressure for Teixeira's resignation last month after the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, Brazil's largest, reported that prosecutors had allegedly found evidence linking him to a company that organized a friendly between Brazil and Portugal in 2008 in Brasilia. The company is being investigated for irregularities in organizing the match.

He was also accused of unethical behavior by a former chairman of England's Football Association, David Triesman, who said during a British parliamentary inquiry that Teixeira and other FIFA executive committee members engaged in improper conduct during bidding for the 2018 World Cup.

It remained unclear if Teixeira will also leave the FIFA executive committee, which is a position elected through CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation. Teixeira has been an executive member of football's governing body since 1994.

''Today we can celebrate,'' Romario posted on his Twitter and Facebook pages. ''We exterminated a cancer from Brazilian football. Finally, Ricardo Teixeira resigned.''


"I was criticized in the losses and undervalued in the victories.'' -R Texeira

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17376986

The IGC, chaired by the Swiss academic Mark Pieth, is due to finalise its report in the next few days before it is presented to the Fifa executive committee for approval at a meeting at the end of this month.

The IGC's report is due to be submitted to Fifa's executive committee on 29 and 30 March before a final decision is taken by the Fifa congress in Budapest in May.

"We have looked closely at the way allegations regarding those World Cup host selections have been dealt with and we have not been satisfied with the level of investigation which has taken place.

Other members of the IGC have told the BBC that, in order to re-open investigations into past allegations of misconduct involving members, it will first be necessary to establish a new investigatory and ethics unit. It is understood that will form one of the key recommendations of the IGC's report which, if adopted, could have far reaching implications for world football 15 months on from the votes.

The findings are likely to re-open the public debate about the bids and prompt fresh calls for a re-run of the votes.

...any move to re-examine allegations surrounding the way they won will be met with fierce resistance and possibly legal challenge.
But members of the IGC believe the serious allegations of vote rigging and bribery were not investigated thoroughly enough and need another examination.

Step by step we go...

A little follow up to MLS week one in RFK stadium with the DC United fans. *Sorry for the poor quality of the video from my tiny digital camera.






**I guess I should also apologize for the poor finishing by DC United in their 1-0 loss (which came in the 93 minute of the game).
90618

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/so...0519/index.html

SAO PAULO (AP) -Romario criticized Brazil's World Cup preparations again on Sunday, saying FIFA and the local government are misleading the Brazilian people by saying the nation will host the greatest tournament of all time.

Romario also expressed his concerns over the misuse of public funds and overspending in work related to the World Cup and next year's Confederations Cup. He said the projects are not being done ahead of time and will end up being categorized as "emergency work'' as the tournaments gets closer, being completed without the need for bidding processes.

"It will be the greatest heist in the history of Brazil,'' Romario said. "Then I'll want to see if the people who were smiling in the photograph in that meeting will want to show up again. Brazil is a circus and you already know who the clowns are.''