What was the FIFA scandal?
From a dawn raid at a five-star hotel to a man hurling stacks of money at Sepp Blatter, the FIFA scandal has had it all. May 27, 2015: Swiss authorities, armed with warrants issued by the United States Department of Justice, arrive at dawn at a luxury hotel in Zurich and arrest several top FIFA officials on corruption charges.
How many FIFA officials have been charged in the Zurich scandal?
"Fifa crisis: US charges 16 more officials after earlier Zurich arrests". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015. ^ "Former President Of Honduran Soccer Federation Pleads Guilty To Racketeering And Corruption Charges." Www.justice.gove. United States Department of Justice, 28 March 2016.
What is the FIFA corruption crisis?
Fifa corruption crisis: Key questions answered. Read more about sharing. Fifa, football's world governing body, has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since summer 2015, when the US Department of Justice indicted several top executives.
What is the World Cup corruption scandal?
It has recently been dogged by accusations of corruption, particularly after awarding the 2022 World Cup to the tiny but rich and influential Gulf state of Qatar. In December 2014, Fifa chose not to release its own investigation into corruption, instead releasing an executive summary which it said exonerated the bidding process.
See more
What caused the FIFA scandal?
In May 2011, The Sunday Times published claims from a whistle-blower that President of CAF Issa Hayatou had, along with fellow Executive Committee member Jacques Anouma, accepted $1.5 million bribes from Qatar to secure his support for their bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
What happened in the FIFA corruption?
More than six years after being ousted in a sprawling soccer corruption scandal, the former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his onetime ally Michel Platini were indicted on fraud charges on Tuesday by the authorities in Switzerland, who accused the men of arranging a secret $2 million payment.
Who exposed FIFA corruption?
Andrew JenningsLONDON (AP) — Andrew Jennings, a groundbreaking investigative journalist who exposed the darker corners of the Olympic movement and soccer body FIFA, has died.
How did FIFA scandal end?
After years of investigations and indictments, the United States Department of Justice on Monday said for the first time that representatives working for Russia and Qatar had bribed FIFA officials to secure hosting rights for the World Cup in men's soccer.
How did Qatar bribe FIFA?
According to leaked documents obtained by The Sunday Times, Qatari state-run television channel Al Jazeera secretly offered $400 million to FIFA, for broadcasting rights, just 21 days before FIFA announced that Qatar will hold the 2022 World Cup.
Is FIFA a criminal organization?
The revelation of the criminal charges set off an international firestorm. Then, in December 2015, authorities made public a superseding indictment that expanded the number of suspects charged, and explained in further detail why prosecutors considered FIFA to be a criminal enterprise.
Who is the boss of FIFA?
Giovanni Vincenzo InfantinoGiovanni Vincenzo Infantino (Italian pronunciation: [dʒoˈvanni vinˈtʃɛntso iɱfanˈtiːno]; born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss-Italian football administrator and the current president of FIFA. He was elected President of FIFA during the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress in February 2016.
Are UEFA corrupt?
UEFA Corruption Perhaps unsurprisingly, FIFA isn't the only footballing body guilty of misbehaviour on a grand scale. It's European counterpart, UEFA, has also been caught up in the mire of corruption that has swept through world football.
Is Qatar World Cup corrupt?
A former employee of Qatar's 2022 World Cup organisers who raised concerns over migrant workers has lost his appeal against a conviction for corruption. A court in Doha sentenced Abdullah Ibhais to three years in prison after it upheld a guilty verdict on the charge of misappropriating state funds.
What did EA Sports do FBI?
The FBI alleges that four hackers are guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, having earned millions of dollars from an illegitimate FIFA coin mining scheme.
How much is FIFA president salary?
1.5 million Swiss francs a yearFIFA president Gianni Infantino's salary has been fixed at 1.5 million Swiss francs a year (1.38 million euros, $1.5 million), world football's governing body revealed on Wednesday. That figure is less than a quarter of the salary commanded by Infantino's disgraced predecessor, Sepp Blatter.
What does FIFA stand for?
International Federation of Association FootballFIFA / Full nameFIFA — Soccer's World Governing Body Founded in 1904 to provide unity among national soccer associations, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) boasts 209 members, rivaling that of the United Nations, and is arguably the most prestigious sports organization in the world.
Why is FIFA a legal takedown?
FIFA is uniquely positioned for this kind of epic legal takedown because the Justice Department kind of gets off on this heavy-lifting display of authority even outside American borders over the past decade. Also, it helps that Americans don't really care about soccer.
Why did Swiss police raid a hotel?
Swiss police on Wednesday raided a Zurich hotel to detain top FIFA football officials as part of a US investigation into corruption. Philipp Schmidli/Getty. Early this morning in Zurich (or late last night for those of us stateside), Swiss plainclothes police entered the Baur au Lac; the five-star hotel was the site of this week's annual meeting ...
Why do sports leagues lock out players?
Endemically American sports leagues—the NFL, NBA, MLB for instance—can get away with holding cities hostage for taxpayer money to rebuild stadiums, or locking out players to get a larger share of league revenue, because Americans care too much about seeing the sport to rise up against the shady business.
Who played Blatter in Moneyball?
Imagine if Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane shook down the city of Oakland for enough tax dollars to pay Brad Pitt’s salary for playing Beane in Moneyball ---that’s what Roth playing Blatter looks like on a grander scale. Blatter is basically NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, if he acted like a foreign dictator.
Which countries have the same say in the federation?
That means that the Maldives, Trinidad & Tobago, or Andorra have the same say in federation decisions as Brazil, Germany, or England.
Is FIFA a federal case?
This is a federal case, and the indictment deals chiefly with alleged fraud and corruption in North and South America. Until now, FIFA has deflected widespread corruption allegations by finding and suspending scapegoats, rather than acknowledging any problems at an institutional level.
Is FIFA a nonprofit?
But while he maintains that FIFA is but a humble nonprofit doing humanitarian work to bring sport to the world, he’s basically the head of a shadow nation-state that doesn’t "govern" world soccer so much as it plunders countries that want to host the World Cup. (Like, say, Qatar .)
Who was indicted for bribing FIFA?
1. Sepp Blatter. Nine FIFA officials were indicted last week by the U.S. Department of Justice for taking $150 million in bribes while awarding FIFA broadcast rights. This kicked off a Swiss investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 Russia World Cup and the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Which countries have a single vote in FIFA?
Africa. Each of the 209 FIFA member nations casts a single vote for the body’s president. This system gives smaller countries outsized influence—a vote from Lesotho weighs exactly the same as a vote from Germany.
How much money will Qatar spend on the 2022 World Cup?
Qatar is expected to spend about $200 billion over a 12-year period upgrading its infrastructure and building stadiums.
Does FIFA have sovereign power?
No sovereign power oversees FIFA so its members must essentially govern themselves, leaving countries to investigate highly sensitive activities involving other countries. But for many Americans, there is a silver lining: scandals involving international bureaucrats are a lot more fun than watching soccer.
Why did Swiss authorities seize documents from FIFA offices?
Swiss authorities seize documents from FIFA offices as part of a separate criminal investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
Who is the FIFA president who accuses the US of reaching beyond its borders?
Mbalula accuses the U.S. of reaching “beyond its borders.”. May 29: Advertisement. Blatter is elected to a fifth four-year term as FIFA president. “I take the responsibility to bring back FIFA,” Blatter says. Blatter outpolls rival, Ali 133-73 in the first round of voting.
What did Putin say about the Russia investigation?
Russian President Vladimir Putin describes the criminal investigations as “yet another evident attempt to derail Mr. Blatter’s reelection” and says the U.S.-led arrests had an ulterior motive — to throw into question Russia’s 2018 World Cup.
Who is Blatter pitted against?
A FIFA election in which Blatter, 79, is pitted against the candidate Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan for the presidency, will go ahead as planned. “I can’t monitor everyone all of the time. If people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it,” Blatter says.
Who is the secretary general of FIFA?
FIFA announces that its secretary general, Jerome Valcke — Blatter’s top lieutenant — won’t attend the women’s World Cup in Canada. A few hours later, the New York Times reports federal authorities believe Valcke was behind the $10 million in bank transactions that are at the center of FIFA’s corruption scandal.
When did Blatter resign?
A rundown of some of the notable events that led to Tuesday’s announcement that FIFA President Sepp Blatter will resign: December 2010: FIFA, soccer’s governing body, awards Russia the 2018 World Cup and Qatar the 2022 World Cup. June 2011: Former FIFA executive committee member Mohamed bin Hammam is found guilty of bribery ...
How many FIFA officials were arrested?
Fourteen FIFA officials were arrested and indicted in connection with an investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and US Justice Department into wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering, spanning a period of 24 years.
When did FIFA reforms start?
FIFA officially started the process when it convened a special session of the FIFA Congress on February 26, 2016, in response to the corruption case.
What are the reforms in FIFA?
Some of the reforms included separating the management part of the organization from the political, limiting terms of office, performing consistent integrity checks, and greater transparency in day-to-day operations. FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee also received an extended mandate to investigate violations of FIFA’s Code ...
Is soccer a beautiful sport?
Soccer (or “football” depending on your geographic orientation) is often referred to as the “beautiful game.”. Of late, as recently as this month, the sport has become a bit less beautiful. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (known as FIFA), the international governing body of soccer, has been embroiled in a corruption scandal ...
When did FIFA go bankrupt?
In 2001, FIFA affiliate International Sports and Leisure went bankrupt in what were viewed in some circles as suspicious circumstances. In 2002 a FIFA whistleblower contacted British journalist Andrew Jennings relating to alleged corruption within FIFA itself.
How many FIFA officials were arrested in 2015?
On the morning of 27 May 2015, seven FIFA officials were arrested just before the start of the 65th FIFA Congress. Two days later Sepp Blatter comfortably defeated Prince Ali bin Hussein to remain as President of FIFA. David Gill threatened to resign his newly elected role as FIFA Vice-President and member of the FIFA Executive Committee. 41 arrests in total had been made with both organizations and individuals being arrested Within these arrests 14 people have been convicted. Out of these 14, there are 12 individuals and 2 organisations. They were all charged with things like "racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies". The investigations continued with the chance of more arrests remaining likely, on which Washington, D.C., Attorney General Loretta Lynch stated that the Department of Justice was aware that there are more corrupt officials and organizations, and expressed its commitment to catch all who were involved.
How much did Blatter sell the 2010 World Cup?
In September 2015, Swiss public television channel SRF published that Blatter would have sold the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup rights in North America for US$600,000, a small fraction of their market value.
What was the purpose of Blazer's guilty plea?
Blazer's guilty plea had aimed to stave off a more serious charge of racketeering, which carried a potential 20-year prison sentence. Blazer would later make secret recordings of meetings with FIFA officials, and allegedly carried a recording device concealed in a keyring during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
What was the purpose of the bribery indictment?
District Court in Brooklyn, New York, alleges that bribery was used in an attempt to influence clothing sponsorship contracts, the selection process for the 2010 FIFA World Cup host, and the 2011 FIFA presidential election.
What is the FIFA?
In 2015, U.S. federal prosecutors disclosed cases of corruption by officials and associates connected with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ), the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer .
Why was the 2014 World Cup so controversial?
Brazilian residents were unhappy with the amount of public money spent in order to build stadiums and other necessary facilities to host the World Cup. Many protests were held by citizens claiming poor financial management from the Brazilian government. Furthermore, there were additional issues with regard to safety, misconduct, and officiating with underperformance referees.
What is the corruption crisis in football?
Fifa corruption crisis: Key questions answered. Fifa, football's world governing body, has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since summer 2015, when the US Department of Justice indicted several top executives. It has now claimed the careers of two of the most powerful men in football, Fifa President Sepp Blatter ...
Which country hosted the 2006 World Cup?
Germany offers the best option, having hosted the 2006 World Cup. Qatar is more vulnerable and has been dogged with controversy and allegations of corruption ever since it was awarded the tournament.
What is the role of Concacaf?
One of its key roles is helping to agree World Cup TV and sponsorship deals in the US.
Why did Michael Garcia resign?
The report's independent author, American lawyer Michael Garcia, resigned in protest. The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world, larger even than the Olympics. It generates billions of dollars in revenue from corporate sponsors, broadcasting rights and merchandising.
Did the FIFA executive committee accept bribes?
he and others on the Fifa executive committee agreed to accept bribes in connection with the selection of South Africa as the host of the 2010 World Cup. one of his co-conspirators received a bribe in Morocco for its bid to host the 1998 tournament, which was eventually awarded to France.
Is FIFA a corruption organization?
Fifa is the body responsible for running world football. It has recently been dogged by accusations of corruption, particularly after awarding the 2022 World Cup to the tiny but rich and influential Gulf state of Qatar. In December 2014, Fifa chose not to release its own investigation into corruption, instead releasing an executive summary which it ...
Did Blatter pay Platini?
They have both maintained that the payment was for work by Mr Platini as the president's advisor in 2002. Mr Blatter has maintained that Fifa did not have enough money to pay Mr Platini at the time, so they agreed to delay payment.
When did Blatter pay Platini?
October 16: Blatter discloses details of a two million Swiss francs payment to Platini in 2011 for work carried out for FIFA, the reason behind their bans.
Why did Sepp Blatter resign?
With a corruption scandal engulfing the organization, Sepp Blatter announced his planned resignation before being banned from all football-related activities for eight years after allegations of a "disloyal payment" made to Michel Platini. UEFA president Platini, previously a contender to replace Blatter in the top job at FIFA, ...
Did Qatar buy the 2022 World Cup?
February 19: In an interview with The Times, Blatter insists Qatar did not buy the 2022 World Cup. February 23: Prince Ali appeals to CAS to have Friday's elections suspended, after his request for transparent voting booths to be used was refused. CAS subsequently rejects the appeal.
What is the FIFA investigation?
The FIFA Investigation, Explained. Several top officials of FIFA, soccer's governing organization, are expected to be charged in the ongoing corruption investigation. Credit... More soccer officials have been charged by United States authorities with racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering and other offenses.
Where were the FIFA officials arrested?
At least two top FIFA officials were arrested early Thursday morning in Zurich, part of the latest sweep in an investigation into corruption in world soccer. Charges for those two officials and possibly 10 others are expected to be unsealed on Thursday.
When was the first sweep of FIFA?
First Sweep, in May. FIFA was plunged into crisis when, just before Sepp Blatter’s re-election as president in May, several top FIFA officials and a group of marketing executives were arrested in Zurich on corruption charges brought by the United States.
Who is the attorney general of FIFA?
Loretta E. Lynch, the United States attorney general, announced new indictments of officials from FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. Loretta E. Lynch, the United States attorney general, announced new indictments of officials from FIFA, soccer’s world governing body.
