Sunday Herald, Sunday August 15:
FIFA wars flare again: Will Asia unseat Blatter?

 

 

Photo of FIFA president Sepp Blatter with Chung Mong-joon

Stony-faced Bin Hammam and Chung -
Blatter manages a sickly smile

 

Investigating Magistrate verdict-1

 

Verdict – 2

 

 

 

The things they say...

‘Neither FIFA nor its President have anything to hide, nor do they wish to.’

Blatter press release, 28 January, 2003

BBC Panorama Reporter Andy Davies:

‘A one million franc bribe … is it not correct that Mr Blatter asked that it be moved to the FIFA official who was named on the payment slip?’

FIFA Director of Communications Markus Siegler:

‘If you do not stop now, then we call the security and we put you out.’

FIFA Press conference, Zurich, Tuesday, 11 April 2006

‘I am deputy chairman of the finance committee of FIFA. I oversee a budget of US$2 billion and I have never seen one iota of corruption.’

Jack Warner, Trinidad Express 12 December 2004

‘Lying and deception and bad faith are standard operating procedure at FIFA.’

Adam C. Silverstein, a lawyer for MasterCard in their successful action against FIFA, New York, December 1, 2006

‘I do not believe a Jew can ever be a referee at that level (Argentine Premier League) because it’s hard work and, you know, Jews don’t like hard work.’

FIFA senior vice-president and chair of Finance Committee, Julio Grondona, 5 July 2003. Buenos Aires

‘FIFA is a healthy, clean and transparent organisation with nothing to hide. There is huge public interest in FIFA, therefore we have to be as transparent as possible. We will try to communicate in a more open way so the world can believe us and be proud of their federation.’

FIFA General Secretary Urs Linsi, January 2003, on fifa.com

 

Scoop! Did a FIFA ticket office employee sell clients’ confidential personal files?

 

 

They even betrayed a Swedish Prime Minister! The Byrom company, based in Manchester, which has the exclusive contract from FIFA, could now face an investigation under the Data Protection Act.

 

  Read the story in English

 

 

 

 

 

FIFA wars flare again: Will Asia unseat Blatter?

 

 

By Andrew Jennings

 

 

Sunday August 15, 2010

 

After 10 years of denials Sepp Blatter has been forced by Zug  Investigative Magistrate Thomas Hildbrand to admit that some senior FIFA Executive Committee members took massive kickbacks from the ISL marketing company.

 

His confession has spurred new outrage at FIFA and speculation that after the vote on December 2 deciding which countries will host the World Cup of 2018 and 2022 the Asian Confederation will renew its campaign, first disclosed in February, to oust Blatter.

 

News of resumption of the war to get rid of Blatter will force the teams bidding for 2018 and 2022 to rethink the loyalty they have pledged to the FIFA president – and to how they lobby for support from the four Asian members of the Executive Committee.

 

The news of a likely challenge for the FIFA presidency in May next year will infuriate Brazilian ExCo member Ricardo Teixeira, son-in-law of former FIFA president Joao Havelange. Teixeira appears to have struck a deal with that he will support Blatter next year to stay in power for four more years in return for Blatter backing him in 2015.

 

The dark horse in the race is UEFA president Michel Platini, who like Chung has never been tarred with the ISL bribes scandal. If he wants to run he will have to get a deal with Asia – and Chung with him.

 

 

Andrew has been lecturing at the annual conference of ABRAJI – the Brazilian Association of Investigative reporters – in Sao Paulo and Rio and his visit received considerable press coverage and major interview with ESPN.

 

 

Website logo of ESPN Brazil

 

Andrew Jennings’ 90 minute interview with sports channel ESPN Brazil

 

 

A ginga perfeita dos donos da bola

Uma jornada pelos subterrâneos do futebol

Andrew Jennings fala sobre corrupção ao Estadão

"Fifa corrompe os países que recebem a Copa"

Andrew Jennings: 'Teixeira não tem chance de presidir a Fifa'

Teixeira não comenta acusação de Andrew Jennings

 

Image of cover of Brazilian magazine Carta CapitalA 10-page special investigation into corruption in Brazilian football by journalist Paolo Manzo – including an extended interview with Andrew Jennings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRONT PAGE