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 FIFA scandal?
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.
How many FIFA officials and five corporate executives were indicted?
^ a b "Nine FIFA Officials and Five Corporate Executives Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy and Corruption". www.justice.gov. 27 May 2015. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2019. ^ Haynes, Andrew (February 1997).
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.
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When did the FIFA scandal start?
27 May 2015On 27 May 2015, during the FIFA annual meeting at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, authorities charged 14 officials, including nine current or former FIFA executives, including FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb. All faced extradition to the United States.
Does FIFA have corruption?
U.S. Says FIFA Officials Were Bribed to Award World Cups to Russia and Qatar. For nearly a decade, Russia and Qatar have been suspected of buying votes to win hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. On Monday, for the first time, the Department of Justice put things in black and white.
How did FIFA handle corruption?
Fifa, world football's governing body, will receive over $201m (£146.5m) in forfeited funds seized during a global corruption probe, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), said on Tuesday.
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.
Are FIFA and UEFA corrupt?
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 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.
How much 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.
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.
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.
Is the 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.
How did FIFA mismanage the change process?
These executives — from South, Central, and North America —allegedly paid more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks to FIFA officials. As Vox's Amanda Taub puts it, "FIFA officials treated their positions like toll booths, extracting bribes from marketing organizations that needed their signatures or cooperation."
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.
Who was the FIFA president who resigned?
In that sense, Infantino is no different from his predecessor Sepp Blatter, who, back in 2015 after his Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer, a colorful and corrupt administrator with a parrot in Trump Tower and a blog detailing his luxurious lifestyle, turned FBI informant, resigned from the FIFA presidency.
Who was the FIFA executive committee member in 2015?
Joseph S. Blatter during a press conference at the Extraordinary FIFA Executive Committee Meeting at the FIFA headquarters on July 20, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images) Getty Images. In that sense, Infantino is no different from his predecessor Sepp Blatter, who, back in 2015 after his Executive Committee member ...
How much money did Infantino have in reserves?
He heralded a new FIFA and received a firm, first round of applause when he reminded the national federations that FIFA’s reserves had soared to $2.75 billion.
When was FIFA Congress 2019?
President by acclamation during the 69th FIFA Congress at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles on June 05, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) Getty Images. Infantino spoke for much of the congress. The delegates clapped at scripted moments.
Who is the FIFA President?
Share to Twitter. Share to Linkedin. FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final football match ...
Is the conservative country ill fit for the soccer tournament?
Perceptions remain that the conservative country is an ill-fit host for the soccer tournament. As 2022 draws closer, incumbent FIFA president Gianni Infantino is trying to shape the world of tomorrow with expansion the key to his strategy.
Is Qatar a high risk host for the World Cup?
At the time, FIFA’s own inspection committee rated the Gulf state ‘a medium to high risk’ host for the World Cup. Allegations of corruption and human rights abuses in Qatar have been sticky.
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.
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.
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.
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 the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?
That ’s essentially what FIFA is doing to European professional soccer leagues when it shifted the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter. Because the rest of the world adores soccer so much, other prominent countries weren’t willing to take a stand for fear of backlash against its teams.
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 .)
Allegations
Indicted Individuals and Corporations
- A total of 18 individuals and two corporations have been indicted, including nine FIFA officials and five businessmen.
Timeline of Events
- Historical events leading to the arrests
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 Jenningsrelating to alleged corruption within FIFA itself. Following investigations Swiss … - Arrests
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-P…
Response to Indictments
- Convicted defendants
According to the US Department of Justice web site, the following defendants previously pleaded guilty under seal and agreed to forfeit more than $40 million. 1. On 26 May 2015, Zorana Danis, the co-founder and owner of International Soccer Marketing Inc., a New Jersey-based sports ma… - Governmental
1. Australia – On 29 May 2015, the Australian Federal Police announced that it may investigate a $500,000 payment by Football Federation Australia(FFA) to Jack Warner, with the FFA stating that the payment was "mandatory" and part of their failed 2022 World Cup bid. 2. Brazil – Senator an…
See Also
- 2014 protests in Brazil: pointing and partially caused by widespread corruption on the 2014 FIFA World Cup
- 2015 Greek football scandal
- 2018 FIFA World Cup controversies
- ChangeFIFA
External Links