I'm actually starting to lose all love for football. The world governing body is as corrupt as any Mafia family. The Premier League are strangling the life out of all english football outside its own elite club. The football leagues attempt to bring a level playing field with FFP is collapsing while we watch.
Not sure how long I can be bothered to take any interest anymore.
"There have been calls to release the full report in the wake of Garcia's complaint, but Fifa has said it cannot do so for legal reasons.
However, Fifa is meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, this week when it will vote on an amendment to its ethics code that could lead to an edited version of the full report being released."
I wonder if the (definitely not) North Koreans fancy hacking FIFA for a copy of the report?
Bloody hell they'd release the report claiming that they were refused the World Cup because FIFA dont like cheese and that the report also mentions that North Korea are the best footballing nation in the World yet FIFA just dont want to admit it (and yes with Kim Jong-un making Messi look like a Sunday League player)
I wonder if the (definitely not) North Koreans fancy hacking FIFA for a copy of the report?
Bloody hell they'd release the report claiming that they were refused the World Cup because FIFA dont like cheese and that the report also mentions that North Korea are the best footballing nation in the World yet FIFA just dont want to admit it (and yes with Kim Jong-un making Messi look like a Sunday League player)
Probably bears about as much relation to the truth as the FIFA version then.
"For the first two years after my July 2012 appointment as independent Chairman of the FIFA Ethics Committee’s Investigatory Chamber, I felt that the Ethics Committee was making real progress in advancing ethics enforcement at FIFA. In recent months, that changed.
On September 5, 2014, I and Cornel Borbely, the Deputy Chair of the Investigatory Chamber, sent a “Report on the Inquiry into the 2018/2022 Fifa World Cup Bidding Process” (the “Report”) to the Fifa Ethics Committee’s Adjudicatory Chamber. The Report identified serious and wide-ranging issues with the bidding and selection process. (Mr. Borbely also filed separate reports from his inquiries into the activities of the bid teams from Russia and the United States.)
Soon after, the Chairman of the Adjudicatory Chamber, Hans-Joachim Eckert, indicated publicly that only limited information from the Report would be made public. Concerned that insufficient transparency would not serve Fifa’s interests, I issued a public statement calling on the Fifa Executive Committee to authorize the appropriate publication of the Report. The Executive Committee took no action on this subject during its September 2014 meetings — other than to refer me to the Fifa Disciplinary Committee for allegedly violating the Code of Ethics through my public comments, namely, my public request that the Executive Committee authorize appropriate publication of the Report and the on-the-record statement Mr. Borbely and I released concerning watches given to certain football officials. The Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Claudio Sulser, ultimately rejected the Executive Committee’s referral.
On November 13, 2014, Mr. Eckert issued a 42-page “Statement of the Chairman of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Fifa Ethics Committee on the Report on the Inquiry into the 2018/2022 Fifa World Cup Bidding Process prepared by the Investigatory Chamber of the Fifa Ethics Committee” (the “Eckert Decision”). In a cover letter, Mr. Eckert described the statement as his “findings, including certain descriptions of the contents of the Investigatory Chamber’s report.”
The issues raised by Mr. Eckert’s selection and omission of material from the Report, and his additional comments, went far beyond the initial transparency concerns. As my public statement at the time explained, the Eckert Decision contained “numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of facts and conclusions.” Accordingly, I appealed.
A brief I filed with the Fifa Appeal Committee on November 24, 2014, outlined the Eckert Decision’s most serious failings. Among other points, the brief explained why, when viewed in the context of the Report it purported to summarize, no principled approach could justify the Eckert Decision’s edits, omissions, and additions.
Yesterday’s decision by the Appeal Committee declined to address these points. Instead, the Appeal Committee rejected my appeal on procedural grounds, concluding that “it is not necessary for the Fifa Appeals Committee to enter into considerations on the substance of the appeal.” The Appeal Committee found that the Eckert Decision was “merely a personal opinion on the Report” and had “no legally binding effect whatsoever.” It reached this conclusion even though, under Article 36 of the Code of Ethics, only “final decisions” may be made public, as the Eckert Decision, which was published on Fifa’s website, obviously was. The Appeal Committee also overlooked the Eckert Decision’s self-described “findings,” including one stating that “the evaluation of the 2018/2022 Fifa World Cups bidding process is closed for the Fifa Ethics Committee.” Fifa President Blatter recently reaffirmed that “finding” during an interview published by Fifa, stating: “Furthermore, there is no change to Judge Eckert’s statement that the investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups is concluded.”
I disagree with the Appeal Committee’s decision.
It now appears that, at least for the foreseeable future, the Eckert Decision will stand as the final word on the 2018/2022 Fifa World Cup bidding process. While the Appeal Committee’s decision notes that further appeal may be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I have concluded that such a course of action would not be practicable in this case. No independent governance committee, investigator, or arbitration panel can change the culture of an organization. And while the November 13, 2014, Eckert Decision made me lose confidence in the independence of the Adjudicatory Chamber, it is the lack of leadership on these issues within Fifa that leads me to conclude that my role in this process is at an end.
Accordingly, effective today, December 17, 2014, I am resigning as independent Chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the Fifa Ethics Committee."
I've no idea how good Garcia's own ethics are, but it's a shame he cannot see a way to stay on and keep fighting. He did a good job of being on the inside of the FIFA tent, pissing out, in a way that exposed the crap served up by Eckert that would have gone unchallenged.
Don't know if it's already been mentioned previously but just catching snippets in the press here and there. For me the whole of FIFA now needs to be disbanded and a new governing body put together from scratch. It may sound extreme but the organisation is a running joke. The only thing that keeps those still there hanging on is the fact that corruption is so widespread and the opaque nature of how those in power carry out their day to day roles, any investigation is doomed to fail as soon as it starts.
You've probably got more chance of infiltrating the upper echelons of the IS leadership than you have of determining what goes on in FIFA. And that's not me being disrespectful to all those that have suffered at the hands of IS, it's merely referencing that FIFA is equally as rotten to the core.
Bit strong but for me this is the world governing body of the sport I love. Workers have died in Qatar on their watch, hence the comparison above. Just how I feel. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing Blatter end his life in a prison cell. It's the very least the people that lost their lives working in Qatar a country that should never have even been given the WC, deserve.
Totally agree with this but I reckon there is one major problem...
Every Nation in the World has a seat (rightly) on the FIFA panel... Yet there are so many countries in the world where corruption is a common practice that regardless of who is in charge of said FA that the corruption will always remain because for them its just an ordinary way of life, then you also have the smaller nations in the world (i.e. Seychelles / Tonga etc...) where they could be so poor that if someone (Qatar) came along offering them £10m to ensure a World Cup vote they'd grab at the chance because that sort of money could probably change that whole Nations lives.
If England was a country that had 100% poverty and you were their representative in FIFA... Could you honestly turn down money which could change the lives of your people and by doing so going down in History as the person who changed the fortunes etc... of the English people
This will end up like the Lance Armstrong saga. Constant denials, then once it comes out in the open it will start an avalanche.
Will that ever happen? The one guy who seemed to be fighting to get the truth told has just walked away.
But has he walked away because he has no stomach for a fight, or does he think he'll be better off doing that from without? He might be hoping that his resignation might kick-start someone else into asking awkward questions, or better still giving awkward answers. Maybe it frees him up to put the boot in if he's not on their pay-roll: Could he have a book coming out, with a message to FIFA, 'if you don't like it sue me and everything I know about you will be heard in a public court'. I don't personally have a clue whether this could/would be possible, but I'm just trying to keep a glimmer of hope alive that someone will do something to stop these game-killing racketeers.
Garcia sounds like a defeated man to me. I'd like to think his full version of events and his report will be put out but I can't really see that happening in the near future.
I wonder if there is anyone very high up who would give serious consideration to blowing the whistle? On the face of it, you'd have to say no as they'd have too much to lose, but there must be people there who find the situation morally repugnant, but find themselves too entrenched in the corruption?
What if there was an offer of immunity to the first ones to come out? Unfortunately, as I'm not an expert, I don't even know who could make that sort of offer, let alone how it would be carried out or even if it's a possibility!
Totally agree with this but I reckon there is one major problem...
Every Nation in the World has a seat (rightly) on the FIFA panel... Yet there are so many countries in the world where corruption is a common practice that regardless of who is in charge of said FA that the corruption will always remain because for them its just an ordinary way of life, then you also have the smaller nations in the world (i.e. Seychelles / Tonga etc...) where they could be so poor that if someone (Qatar) came along offering them £10m to ensure a World Cup vote they'd grab at the chance because that sort of money could probably change that whole Nations lives.
If England was a country that had 100% poverty and you were their representative in FIFA... Could you honestly turn down money which could change the lives of your people and by doing so going down in History as the person who changed the fortunes etc... of the English people
I see where you are coming from FA. Below are the list of the SVP and VPs
Senior Vice President Issa HAYATOU Cameroon
Vice President Ángel María VILLAR LLONA Spain Michel PLATINI France David CHUNG Papua New Guinea H.R.H Prince Ali BIN AL HUSSEIN Jordan Jim BOYCE Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Jeffrey WEBB Cayman Islands Eugenio FIGUEREDO Uruguay
I know football is a world sport and FIFA is a global body, but when we have Papua New Guinea and the Cayman Islands with decision makers on an executive board, WTF????
I believe that those involved in making decisions in the sport should be those from countries where the game is played to a high standard. I'm not saying there aren't corrupt people in England, but Cayman Islands, come on
If I was in charge of PR at one of FIFAs big sponsors my current thought process would be "Either I can pay hundreds of millions of dollars to have my product associated with an organisation that is now known to be irredeemably corrupt OR I could publicly withdraw our sponsorship, NOT pay hundreds of millions of dollars and have my product visibly distance itself from an irredeemably corrupt organisation, which is free PR. What's Blatter's phone number?".
Lets break them down and we'll see what their roles are within FIFA
- Ángel María VILLAR LLONA - Spain (Big side there for a reason) - Michel Platini - France (Big side there for a reason) - David Chung - Papua New Guinea (Small Nation... there to take bribes) - Ali Bin Al Hussein - Jordan (Rich Nation... there to pay the bribes) - Jim Boyce - Northern Ireland (We dont want a country from the Home Nations but seeing that they created the game think we'd better) - Jeffrey Webb - Cayman Islands (Small Nation... there to take bribes) - Eugenio Figueredo - Uruguay (First Winners of World Cup, bit of nostalgia)
Why not have one Nation from each Continent and its whoever is the best nation in that Continent so...
- Europe (Germany)... South America (Argentina)... Africa (Algeria)... North America (Costa Rica)... Asia (Iran... Okay maybe not the best idea)... Oceania (New Zealand)
Of course the Vice Presidency would change on World Rankings (Make it Yearly for them rather than Monthly), yet it means that if the Nation doesnt perform well then it means that they're possibly out of a job of a temporary (or possibly a permanent job)... Means that the money they make will have to go back into Football rather than their pockets to ensure talent is always coming through
Lets break them down and we'll see what their roles are within FIFA
- Ángel María VILLAR LLONA - Spain (Big side there for a reason) - Michel Platini - France (Big side there for a reason) - David Chung - Papua New Guinea (Small Nation... there to take bribes) - Ali Bin Al Hussein - Jordan (Rich Nation... there to pay the bribes) - Jim Boyce - Northern Ireland (We dont want a country from the Home Nations but seeing that they created the game think we'd better) - Jeffrey Webb - Cayman Islands (Small Nation... there to take bribes) - Eugenio Figueredo - Uruguay (First Winners of World Cup, bit of nostalgia)
Why not have one Nation from each Continent and its whoever is the best nation in that Continent so...
- Europe (Germany)... South America (Argentina)... Africa (Algeria)... North America (Costa Rica)... Asia (Iran... Okay maybe not the best idea)... Oceania (New Zealand)
Of course the Vice Presidency would change on World Rankings (Make it Yearly for them rather than Monthly), yet it means that if the Nation doesnt perform well then it means that they're possibly out of a job of a temporary (or possibly a permanent job)... Means that the money they make will have to go back into Football rather than their pockets to ensure talent is always coming through
How are they elected? Is it always people from these countries?
So World Rankings get released on a monthly basis...
If over the course of the year between European Teams... - Germany hold the "top spot" 3 times / Spain 3 times / England 6 times then the Head of the English FA becomes the European representative - Germany hold the "top spot" 5 times / Spain 7 times then the Head of the Spanish FA becomes the European representative
Totally agree with this but I reckon there is one major problem...
Every Nation in the World has a seat (rightly) on the FIFA panel... Yet there are so many countries in the world where corruption is a common practice that regardless of who is in charge of said FA that the corruption will always remain because for them its just an ordinary way of life, then you also have the smaller nations in the world (i.e. Seychelles / Tonga etc...) where they could be so poor that if someone (Qatar) came along offering them £10m to ensure a World Cup vote they'd grab at the chance because that sort of money could probably change that whole Nations lives.
If England was a country that had 100% poverty and you were their representative in FIFA... Could you honestly turn down money which could change the lives of your people and by doing so going down in History as the person who changed the fortunes etc... of the English people
I doubt very much if all/most/any of any money goes toward development either sport or societal. I would guess that it goes into several pockets for personal use.
So World Rankings get released on a monthly basis...
If over the course of the year between European Teams... - Germany hold the "top spot" 3 times / Spain 3 times / England 6 times then the Head of the English FA becomes the European representative - Germany hold the "top spot" 5 times / Spain 7 times then the Head of the Spanish FA becomes the European representative
It's a good idea. Without wanting to sound like a narrow minded bigot, I don't want countries such as Papua New Guinea anywhere near a global football governing body, I can't see how they add any constructive input
So World Rankings get released on a monthly basis...
If over the course of the year between European Teams... - Germany hold the "top spot" 3 times / Spain 3 times / England 6 times then the Head of the English FA becomes the European representative - Germany hold the "top spot" 5 times / Spain 7 times then the Head of the Spanish FA becomes the European representative
It's a good idea. Without wanting to sound like a narrow minded bigot, I don't want countries such as Papua New Guinea anywhere near a global football governing body, I can't see how they add any constructive input
Well if Papua New Guinea became a Powerhouse in Asia then I'd be all for it because they'd be the top Nation but to for that to happen it means that the Papua Governing Body would have to invest in decent facilities so kids have the opportunity to become good players rather than spending the FA money on buying an expensive desk or expensive car because they think they've made it...
The only way to force change is for the big European countries to pull out, which will hit FIFA hugely financially. All they care about. Unless some high up whistleblower leads to a big investigation by real legal authorities, which I can't see happening any time soon, I can't see any other way.
Comments
Not sure how long I can be bothered to take any interest anymore.
seriously, I agree, he should publish his report in full, put it out there, what could they do to him?
However, Fifa is meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, this week when it will vote on an amendment to its ethics code that could lead to an edited version of the full report being released."
lol
You've probably got more chance of infiltrating the upper echelons of the IS leadership than you have of determining what goes on in FIFA. And that's not me being disrespectful to all those that have suffered at the hands of IS, it's merely referencing that FIFA is equally as rotten to the core.
Bit strong but for me this is the world governing body of the sport I love. Workers have died in Qatar on their watch, hence the comparison above. Just how I feel. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing Blatter end his life in a prison cell. It's the very least the people that lost their lives working in Qatar a country that should never have even been given the WC, deserve.
Every Nation in the World has a seat (rightly) on the FIFA panel... Yet there are so many countries in the world where corruption is a common practice that regardless of who is in charge of said FA that the corruption will always remain because for them its just an ordinary way of life, then you also have the smaller nations in the world (i.e. Seychelles / Tonga etc...) where they could be so poor that if someone (Qatar) came along offering them £10m to ensure a World Cup vote they'd grab at the chance because that sort of money could probably change that whole Nations lives.
If England was a country that had 100% poverty and you were their representative in FIFA... Could you honestly turn down money which could change the lives of your people and by doing so going down in History as the person who changed the fortunes etc... of the English people
What if there was an offer of immunity to the first ones to come out? Unfortunately, as I'm not an expert, I don't even know who could make that sort of offer, let alone how it would be carried out or even if it's a possibility!
Senior Vice President
Issa HAYATOU Cameroon
Vice President
Ángel María VILLAR LLONA Spain
Michel PLATINI France
David CHUNG Papua New Guinea
H.R.H Prince Ali BIN AL HUSSEIN Jordan
Jim BOYCE Northern Ireland Northern Ireland
Jeffrey WEBB Cayman Islands
Eugenio FIGUEREDO Uruguay
I know football is a world sport and FIFA is a global body, but when we have Papua New Guinea and the Cayman Islands with decision makers on an executive board, WTF????
I believe that those involved in making decisions in the sport should be those from countries where the game is played to a high standard. I'm not saying there aren't corrupt people in England, but Cayman Islands, come on
- Ángel María VILLAR LLONA - Spain (Big side there for a reason)
- Michel Platini - France (Big side there for a reason)
- David Chung - Papua New Guinea (Small Nation... there to take bribes)
- Ali Bin Al Hussein - Jordan (Rich Nation... there to pay the bribes)
- Jim Boyce - Northern Ireland (We dont want a country from the Home Nations but seeing that they created the game think we'd better)
- Jeffrey Webb - Cayman Islands (Small Nation... there to take bribes)
- Eugenio Figueredo - Uruguay (First Winners of World Cup, bit of nostalgia)
Why not have one Nation from each Continent and its whoever is the best nation in that Continent so...
- Europe (Germany)... South America (Argentina)... Africa (Algeria)... North America (Costa Rica)... Asia (Iran... Okay maybe not the best idea)... Oceania (New Zealand)
Of course the Vice Presidency would change on World Rankings (Make it Yearly for them rather than Monthly), yet it means that if the Nation doesnt perform well then it means that they're possibly out of a job of a temporary (or possibly a permanent job)... Means that the money they make will have to go back into Football rather than their pockets to ensure talent is always coming through
If over the course of the year between European Teams...
- Germany hold the "top spot" 3 times / Spain 3 times / England 6 times then the Head of the English FA becomes the European representative
- Germany hold the "top spot" 5 times / Spain 7 times then the Head of the Spanish FA becomes the European representative