(1) McCain & Menendez letter to FIFA demanded Blatter be replaced, to deny Russia the 2018 World Cup (2) Blatter refused requests for 2018 World Cup to be moved (3) Blatter’s Top FIFA Deputy Is Said to Have Transferred Money Central to Bribery Case (4) McCain wants FIFA to elect a president who will take World Cup from Russia (5) Sens. Menendez, McCain Call on FIFA Congress to Elect New FIFA President that Would Deny Russia 2018 World Cup (6) Download the Menendez McCain letter to FIFA (7) Menendez, McCain Sent Letter to FIFA Just Before Indictments (8) McCain says Fifa president should be thrown out for supporting Russia World Cup despite Ukraine (9) US can prosecute FIFA if it "stores its emails on a US server or uses an American bank account" {10) Avaaz petition "Kick out Blatter"; Avaaz is funded by George Soros (11) EU must take on Putin over Ukraine - Soros (who funds Project Syndicate) (12) Avaaz head Ricken Patel associated with Soros' International Crisis Group (13) Avaaz head "worked for the International Crisis Group around the world" (14) Prince William spearheads UK campaign against FIFA, targeting Russia - WSWS Trots (15) Socialist Worker Trots oppose FIFA "dictators", "hubris" (1) McCain letter to FIFA demanded Blatter be replaced, to deny Russia the 2018 World Cup - by Peter Myers on June 2, 2015 The United States is known for its love of Gridiron, Baseball and Basketball. Its sudden interest in Soccer - to the extent of indicting FIFA officials - was somewhat disingenuous. The real reason had nothing to do with sport, and everything to do with politics. George Soros and John McCain, heavyweights on the Left and Right respectively, had it in for Vladimir Putin. They wanted to take the 2018 World Cup from Russia, for its defiance of US policy over Ukraine. US and Swiss investigations of FIFA officials took place just days after McCain and fellow senator Bob Menendez wrote to FIFA demanding that Blatter be replaced over Ukraine. Meanwhile, Soros' Project Syndicate had run his articles against Putin, and Soros' advocacy group Avaaz had run a campaign "Kick out Blatter". (2) Blatter refused requests for 2018 World Cup to be moved http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2018_FIFA_World_Cup_controversies List of 2018 FIFA World Cup controversies As with the 2014 Winter Olympics, the choice of Russia as host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup has been challenged. Controversial issues have included the level of racism in Russian football, and perceived discrimination against LGBT people in wider Russian society. Russia's involvement in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has also caused calls for the tournament to be moved, particularly following the annexation of Crimea and military intervention in Eastern Ukraine, as well as Russia's alleged role in the destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. FIFA President Sepp Blatter has declined requests for the tournament to be moved. [...] * This page was last modified on 30 May 2015, at 14:51. (3) Blatter’s Top FIFA Deputy Is Said to Have Transferred Money Central to Bribery Case http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/02/sports/soccer/sepp-blatters-top-fifa-deputy-jerome-valcke-is-said-to-have-transferred-money-central-to-bribery-case.html By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM and MATT APUZZO New York Times JUNE 1, 2015 Federal authorities believe that Sepp Blatter’s top lieutenant at FIFA made $10 million in bank transactions that are central elements of the bribery scandal engulfing international soccer, United States officials and others briefed on the case said Monday. The revelation puts the money trail closer to Mr. Blatter, FIFA’s president, than had been previously known. Jérôme Valcke, the soccer organization’s secretary general, is the unidentified “high-ranking FIFA official” who prosecutors say transferred $10 million in 2008 from FIFA to accounts controlled by another soccer official, Jack Warner, the officials said. The payment is a key piece of last week’s indictment accusing Mr. Warner of taking a bribe in exchange for helping South Africa secure the right to host the 2010 World Cup. [...] (4) McCain wants FIFA to elect a president who will take World Cup from Russia http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/john-mccain-wants-fifa-to-take-the-world-cup-away-from-russia-20150526 John McCain Wants FIFA to Take the World Cup Away From Russia Robert Menendez and McCain wants the world's top soccer organization to elect a president that will revoke its decision to award the 2018 tournament to Russia. By Patrick Reis May 26, 2015 Sens. John McCain and Robert Menendez want the world's governing soccer organization to fire its president and elect one who will take the World Cup away from Vladimir Putin's Russia. FIFA, the organization that governs the World Cup, is holding leadership elections Friday, and President Sepp Blatter is expected to win a fifth term at the top. But McCain and Menendez are calling on the body's congress to pick a different leader, one who will undo the Blatter-led decision to award the 2018 tournament to Russia. Russia's ongoing military aggression toward Ukraine, McCain and Menendez say, should disqualify it from hosting. "More than a year has passed since Russian troops and Russian-backed separatists began their dismemberment of Ukraine," the pair wrote Tuesday in a letter to members of FIFA's Congress. "By allowing Russia to host the tournament, FIFA would offer an economic lifeline to the Putin regime in contravention of the multilateral sanctions that have been imposed by the international community." Russia is on something of a roll in winning bids for international sporting events, having hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi—which came just weeks before the military run on Ukraine. McCain and Menendez join a host of voices calling for Blatter's removal, though much of the criticism has centered around the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. Critics have noted Qatar's poor record on workers' rights, expressing fear that the workers tasked with building the host country's stadiums will die—and already are dying—in alarming numbers due to poor working conditions. There also are widespread allegations of bribery and other corruption in the run-up to the selection. (Last year, I wrote a piece noting that while FIFA's bylaws ban discrimination in soccer on the basis of race, religion, nationality, and "sexual orientation," the group awarded the next two World Cups to countries where lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals face state-sanctioned persecution.) But despite his critics, Blatter is expected to win a fifth term. Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan is running against Blatter, but appears to lack the support needed to overcome the incumbent. Each of the 209 FIFA member associations gets one vote. (5) Sens. Menendez, McCain Call on FIFA Congress to Elect New FIFA President that Would Deny Russia 2018 World Cup http://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/sens-menendez-mccain-call-on-fifa-congress-to-elect-new-fifa-president-that-would-deny-russia-2018-world-cup Tuesday, May 26, 2015 NEWARK, NJ – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and John McCain (R- Ariz.) sent a letter encouraging Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Congress to reconsider its support for President Sepp Blatter’s fifth term as FIFA President in light of his continued support for Russia’s hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In the letter, the Senators note the economic support that hosting the World Cup would provide President Putin in contravention of multilateral sanctions that have been imposed against Russia for Putin’s continued aggression in Ukraine. They call for a president that will instead uphold FIFA’s mission and deny Russia the 2018 World Cup, writing: “The next president of FIFA has a responsibility to ensure not only a safe and successful 2018 World Cup, but the endurance of the FIFA mission that claims to promote football “globally in the light of its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.” We strongly encourage you to elect a president who will uphold these values and work to deny the Putin regime the privilege of hosting the 2018 World Cup.” The letter can be found below and downloaded here. FIFA Congress Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) FIFA-Strasse 20 P.O. Box 8044 Zurich, Switzerland Dear Members of the FIFA Congress: President Sepp Blatter is running for a fifth term as FIFA President, with the election scheduled to take place at the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich on May 29, 2015. In light of President Blatter’s continued support for Russia hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup – despite Russia’s ongoing violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and other challenges to the post-WWII security architecture – we ask that you reconsider your support for President Blatter’s fifth term as FIFA President. As you know, more than a year has passed since Russian troops and Russian-backed separatists began their dismemberment of Ukraine, which continues to this day in violation of both Minsk I and Minsk II ceasefire agreements. At the same time, NATO has intercepted more than 100 Russian aircraft in NATO territory since the beginning of 2014. Russia has also opted out of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty that has been a mainstay of European security since 1992. Given Russia’s ongoing violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and Putin’s efforts to undermine the principles of multilateral cooperation, shared norms, and international security agreements, we believe that allowing Russia to host the World Cup would bolster the Putin regime at a time when it should be condemned. More than 40 countries, all FIFA members, have imposed sanctions on Russia in an effort to influence events on the ground in Ukraine. By allowing Russia to host the tournament, FIFA would offer an economic lifeline to the Putin regime in contravention of the multilateral sanctions that have been imposed by the international community. The next president of FIFA has a responsibility to ensure not only a safe and successful 2018 World Cup, but the endurance of the FIFA mission that claims to promote football “globally in the light of its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.” We strongly encourage you to elect a president who will uphold these values and work to deny the Putin regime the privilege of hosting the 2018 World Cup. Sincerely, (6) Download the Menendez McCain letter to FIFA http://www.foreign.senate.gov/download/5-22-2015-rm-letter-to-fifa-congress 5-22-2015 RM Letter to FIFA Congress.pdf (7) Menendez, McCain Sent Letter to FIFA Just Before Indictments http://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/menendez-mccain-sent-letter-to-fifa-just-before-indictments By Niels Lesniewski Posted at 11:31 a.m. on May 27, 2015 Well, this timing was prescient. On Tuesday afternoon, Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and John McCain, R-Ariz., fired off a letter to the FIFA Congress encouraging the international soccer governing body to reconsider granting a fifth term at the helm to President Sepp Blatter. The election had been scheduled for later this week at a meeting in Switzerland, but that plan may have to change after Swiss law enforcement agents swept through a hotel where top FIFA authorities gathered to round up officials on criminal charges in the United States, as The New York Times reported from Zurich. Nine officials with FIFA, as well as a handful of corporate executives have been indicted in Brooklyn on charges involving a racketeering conspiracy, including wire fraud and money laundering. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the former U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, highlighted the breadth of the alleged corruption in statement released early Tuesday. “The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” she said. “It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.” “As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world,” said FBI Director James B. Comey. “Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA. I want to commend the investigators and prosecutors around the world who have pursued this case so diligently, for so many years.” Much of the attention is related to the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, but Menendez and McCain were critical of Blatter for his backing of holding the 2018 contest in Russia, citing actions by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government in the territory of Ukraine. “More than 40 countries, all FIFA members, have imposed sanctions on Russia in an effort to influence events on the ground in Ukraine. By allowing Russia to host the tournament, FIFA would offer an economic lifeline to the Putin regime in contravention of the multilateral sanctions that have been imposed by the international community,” the two senators wrote. “The next president of FIFA has a responsibility to ensure not only a safe and successful 2018 World Cup, but the endurance of the FIFA mission that claims to promote football ‘globally in the light of its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values,'” said Menendez and McCain. “We strongly encourage you to elect a president who will uphold these values and work to deny the Putin regime the privilege of hosting the 2018 World Cup.” (8) McCain says Fifa president should be thrown out for supporting Russia World Cup despite Ukraine http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/11631651/US-senators-call-for-Sepp-Blatter-to-be-ousted-as-head-of-Fifa.html US senators call for Sepp Blatter to be ousted as head of Fifa John McCain says Fifa president should be thrown out for supporting Russia's 2018 World Cup despite fighting in Ukraine By Raf Sanchez, Washington 8:01PM BST 26 May 2015 US senators are calling for Sepp Blatter to be ousted as the head of Fifa over his support for Russia's world cup despite Vladimir Putin's military intervention in Ukraine. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, and another senator wrote a letter to members of the Fifa Congress urging them to deny Mr Blatter a fifth-term as the head of football's global body. "In light of President Blatter’s continued support for Russia hosting the 2018 Fifa World Cup – despite Russia’s ongoing violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and other challenges to the post-WWII security architecture – we ask that you reconsider your support for President Blatter’s fifth term as Fifa President," the senators wrote. Mr McCain and Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, said that "allowing Russia to host the World Cup would bolster the Putin regime at a time when it should be condemned". They added that more than 40 Fifa member nations had imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the fighting in Ukraine, which has claimed more than 6,000 lives according to the UN. The senators urged members of the Fifa Congress to "deny the Putin regime the privilege of hosting the 2018 World Cup". Mr Blatter has been president of Fifa since 1998 but has been under fire for years following allegations of corruption within the governing body. Qatar faced numerous accusations that it paid bribes to secure the 2022 World Cup but was cleared by a Fifa report last year. Mr Blatter has been accused of not taking seriously the claims of human rights abuses in both Qatar and Russia. (9) US can prosecute FIFA if it "stores its emails on a US server or uses an American bank account" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/11632230/Fifa-about-to-learn-a-stern-lesson-about-the-vigour-of-American-prosecution.html Fifa is about to learn a stern lesson about the vigour of American prosecution Other countries have been reluctant to investigate football's governing body. But the US is different. Here's why By Ben Wright, Group Business Editor 1:15PM BST 27 May 2015 Once again it is the Americans who are acting as the world’s police. They have led the charge in punishing misbehaving banks in the wake of the financial crisis and now they have turned their sights on Fifa – on Wednesday several officials from football’s governing body were arrested in Zurich on suspicion of corruption at the US Department of Justice’s request. There’s been more than a whiff of malfeasance hanging around Fifa for years now (not least thanks to the Telegraph's own investigation into the bidding process for the 2022 Qatar World Cup in March). And yet most countries appeared powerless to do anything about it, perhaps, as Simon Kuper wrote in the Financial Times this weekend, because they weren’t prepared to make the necessary sacrifices for their principles. But now the US Justice Department and the FBI have rushed in where others feared to tread. What makes America different? Clearly the US isn't as infatuated with football as most of the rest of the world and is therefore prepared to contemplate bringing the whole rotten edifice tumbling down. But a number of other conclusions can be drawn from the vigour with which US regulators have pursued errant banks (not least because, as The New York Times notes, Fifa has $1.5bn in reserves and is as much a financial conglomerate as it is a sports organisation). First, Americans have a deep-seated and historical abhorrence of white-collar crime. There are few fully-satisfactory explanations for this. Some have suggested that it offends the sense of fairness that underpins the American Dream. But, whatever the reason, the upshot is that, if you are found guilty of a white-collar crime in the US, they throw away the key. Federal prosecutors can, for example, count every email a criminal sends in the course of committing their offence as a separate case of wire fraud – and each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Second, the path from law school, to legal firm, to the district attorney’s office or other regulators, and then on to political office is well-trodden in the States. This means that US regulators are staffed by bright, ambitious people who actively go hunting for big scalps. Third, US law gives its agencies a great deal of lateral in prosecuting foreign nationals and companies. If an organisation stores its emails on a US server or uses an American bank account, it's fair game. Which brings us to the fourth and most important point: America has a powerful weapon in its fight against corruption, fraud, tax evasion, money laundering and other financial crimes – the mighty dollar. US regulators are able to effectively force foreign banks to aid their investigations. How come? Because, if the banks don't comply, the US authorities will hit them where it hurts by shutting them out of the largest financial market in the world. In his book Treasury’s War, Juan Zarate details how US Treasury and White House officials, of whom the author was one, began to realise that the “centrality of American financial power and influence” meant that money had become America’s “greatest asset”. Zarate describes how the US has developed and deployed a variety of financial techniques against terrorist groups, organised criminals and enemy states such as Syria, North Korea and Iran. You can now add Fifa to the list. {10) Avaaz petition "Kick out Blatter"; Avaaz is funded by George Soros https://secure.avaaz.org/en/fifa_blattner_en_loc/ Kick out Blatter sign the petition To members of the FIFA Congress and the Executive Committee of FIFA: As citizens concerned about corruption in all its forms, we welcome the arrests of FIFA executives on bribery charges, and call on you not to vote for Sepp Blatter in FIFA's Presidential elections. It's time to reform FIFA from the ground up and get behind a candidate who will usher in a new era of clean football! 722,460 have signed. Let's get to 750,000 Update: 1 June 2015 We got our Zurich actions all over the world’s media, and hit FIFA sponsors hard by phone and online, but two thirds of football associations backed Blatter. An outrageous score! Let’s build our call while looking for other chances to send him off and clean up football! Swiss police just arrested 7 FIFA executives, giving hope to billions of people around the world who love football and hate corruption. But unless we move fast Sepp Blatter will get away with it, and begin his fifth term as FIFA president! Under Blatter, FIFA scandals extend from bribery, ripping off FIFA host countries, and burying the ethics investigation he commissioned into vote rigging to award World Cups to Russia and Qatar! But this isn't just about football -- his FIFA has fostered corruption, abuse of workers’ rights, and the flattening of communities to erect stadiums in host countries. Yesterday’s dawn raids is the best moment we've ever had to kick out Blatter and reclaim our game. But it won't happen without a massive outcry. Let’s create the world’s fastest-growing petition today, hit a million, and then call on FIFA execs to kick him out when they vote in 24 hours. Sign and share this widely. (11) EU must take on Putin over Ukraine - Soros (who funds Project Syndicate) http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ukraine-eu-last-chance-by-george-soros-2015-03 MAR 30, 2015 44 Last Chance for Ukraine and Europe by George Soros LONDON – The European Union stands at a crossroads. The shape it takes five years from now will be decided in the coming 3-5 months. Year after year, the EU has successfully muddled through its difficulties. But now it has to deal with two sources of existential crisis: Greece and Ukraine. That may prove too much. Greece’s long-festering crisis has been mishandled by all parties from the outset. Emotions now are running so high that muddling through is the only constructive alternative. But Ukraine is different. It is a black-and-white case. Vladimir Putin’s Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine, in defending itself, is defending the values and principles on which the EU was built. Yet Europe treats Ukraine like another Greece. That is the wrong approach, and it is producing the wrong results. Putin is gaining ground in Ukraine, and Europe is so preoccupied with Greece that it hardly pays any attention. [...] (12) Avaaz head Ricken Patel associated with Soros' International Crisis Group http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-17199253 Profile: Global campaign group Avaaz 29 February 2012 Avaaz employs a variety of tactics in its campaigns, including publicity stunts Avaaz - meaning "voice" in Farsi as well as several other European, Middle Eastern and Asian languages - describes itself as "a global web movement to bring people-powered politics to decision-making everywhere". According to the group's website, it was launched in 2007 with a mission to "organise citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want". It campaigns in 15 languages and is served by a small core team of 52 full-time staff worldwide and thousands of volunteers in all 192 UN member states, including Iran and China, where its website is illegal. "Our model of internet organising allows thousands of individual efforts, however small, to be rapidly combined into a powerful collective force," it says. Avaaz's founder and executive director, Ricken Patel,told the Times newspaper earlier this month: "There are two types of fatalism. The belief the world can't change, and the belief you can't play a role in changing it." "If, in a few hundred words, you produce a convincing counter-argument, people respond." Member-funded Prior to setting up Avaaz, Mr Patel, a 34-year-old Oxford and Harvard-educated Canadian, worked in war-torn countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan and Afghanistan, and worked with the International Crisis Group, and US political action group, MoveOn. [...] == (13) Avaaz head "worked for the International Crisis Group around the world" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avaaz [...] Avaaz's founding president and executive director is the Canadian-British Ricken Patel.[7] He studied PPE (politics, philosophy, economics) at Balliol College, Oxford University. He received a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University. He worked for the International Crisis Group around the world, including in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan and Afghanistan, where he says "he learnt how to bring rebel forces to the negotiation table, to monitor elections (covertly), to restore public faith in once corrupt political systems and to spot when foreign forces were being manipulated." He returned to the US and volunteered for MoveOn.org, where he learned how to use online tools for activism.[9] Funding, campaigns selection process and management. [...] This page was last modified on 28 May 2015, at 15:52. (14) Prince William spearheads UK campaign against FIFA, targeting Russia - WSWS Trots http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/06/01/fifa-j01.html By Robert Stevens 1 June 2015 The heir to the British throne, Prince William, made an extraordinary intervention Saturday, aimed at putting further pressure on FIFA’s President Sepp Blatter. This follows last week’s arrests and 164-page FBI indictment, on charges of corruption, of seven officials from world soccer’s ruling body. On Saturday, in a speech before the FA Cup final—the showpiece event of the UK’s soccer calendar—the prince said, “There seems to be a huge disconnect between the sense of fair play that guides those playing and supporting the game, and the allegations of corruption that have long lingered around the management of the sport internationally.” The speech was an unprecedented intervention for a senior member of the Royal Family, as he openly sided with those leading the investigation into FIFA. The prince said, “Those backing FIFA, such as sponsors and the regional confederations, must do their bit to press these reforms—we are doing football and its fans no favours if we do not.” Prince William supported the decision by David Gill, vice-chairman of the English Football Association (FA), who refused to attend the first meeting of FIFA’s executive committee following Friday’s re-election of Blatter. The arrests of the FIFA officials were part of an overt attempt to prevent the election of Blatter. Speaking of the role of the FA, William said, “Over the next few years, if we want credibly to influence the debate on reform in FIFA, we must continue to strive for excellence in our own organisation. It’s not easy to do so, but it is worth it—and, to that end, I commend the process you are on, and I’ll be watching it closely.” Referring to previous allegations of corruption that hit the International Olympic Committee, William said, “The events in Zurich this week represent FIFA’s Salt Lake City moment, when the International Olympic Committee went through a similar period of serious allegations. FIFA, like the IOC, must now show that it can represent the interests of fair play and put the sport first.” As president of the FA, William was part of a team, along with Prime Minister David Cameron, who helped to spearhead England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup. The bid was lost to Russia, and William said he had been “bitterly disappointed” by FIFA’s decision. As the FIFA arrests were being carried out in a dawn raid, the Swiss authorities announced an investigation into corruption at FIFA in which the decision to award Russia the 2018 and Qatar the 2022 World Cup will be scrutinised. Blatter said the move against the FIFA officials was “an attempt to interfere with the congress.” He added, “No one is going to tell me that it was a simple coincidence, this American attack two days before the elections of FIFA. It doesn’t smell right. This has touched me and FIFA. There are signs that cannot be ignored. The Americans were the candidates for the World Cup of 2022 and they lost. The English were the candidates for 2018 and they lost, so it was really the English media and the American movement.” William was backed by Greg Dyke, the chairman of the FA, who he sat next to him during the FA Cup final. Following the arrests of the FIFA officials, Dyke said that England would consider boycotting the 2018 World Cup. He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr on Sunday, “I was talking to him [Prince William] about it at the FA Cup final on Saturday. He is obviously upset by what’s happened and he feels quite strongly about it.” Dyke said he did not think Blatter would last out his four-year term, and that last week’s events were “the beginning of the end.” He called on European football’s ruling body, UEFA, to support a boycott and said it “would be ridiculous” for the English FA “to try to do it on your own because all we’d do is pull out of the World Cup and everyone would say ‘well done’ and they’d forget all about us. We’ve got to do it alongside other large footballing nations.” The English Premier League is the most lucrative soccer competition on the planet, with its broadcasting rights sold in 212 countries. In February, the Premier League signed a three-year contract worth £5.1 billion with the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sky Sports. Each game broadcast will be worth £11 million. Once international rights are factored in, the contract is likely to top £8.5 billion over three years. Setting out a possible battle strategy, Dyke said, “Only the smaller countries would have voted for [Blatter] because they rely totally on FIFA for their income… We, at the FA, we don’t need FIFA. We don’t need them at all. We can say what we like. And I understand he is now saying ‘I forgive, but don’t forget.’ Well, let me tell him back, we neither forgive nor forget either.” William’s call for sponsors to act to “press” for “reforms” is significant in the campaign against Blatter, as sponsors are the lifeblood of FIFA. In the four years up to 2014, FIFA’s six top-tier “Global Partners”—Adidas, Gazprom, Hyundai-Kia, McDonald’s, Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Visa—paid a total of $177 million annually, or around $30 million a year each. On the same day the arrests were carried out, Visa issued a statement saying FIFA should “make changes now,” and should it “fail to do so, we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship.” At this stage, only the Russian gas conglomerate Gazprom has said the move against the FIFA leadership will not influence its agreement. The campaign to destabilise FIFA targets Blatter because he is most closely connected to the decision to grant Russia and Qatar hosting rights to the most lucrative sporting event on the planet. It is part of the geo-political manoeuvres of the United States and its imperialist allies against Moscow in particular. Prime Minister David Cameron has already called for Blatter to stand down as FIFA leader. Speaking on Sunday to the BBC, Andy Burnham, the lead candidate to be the next leader of the Labour Party, made an explicit connection between the importance of changing FIFA’s leadership and the need to oppose Russia. He said, “I’ve long had my doubts about Russia holding the next World Cup. I voiced those doubts when the situation developed in Ukraine. I said I couldn’t see how it was possible that the whole world could just go to Russia as if nothing had happened.” He added, [W]ith all these new allegations swirling around FIFA … there is a pretty overwhelming case for England taking a stand and saying we should not participate in the next World Cup…” The FA “should be a bit stronger and should say … it’s not acceptable … when you look at both of these situations, the corruption within FIFA and the situation between Russia and Ukraine. We have had a country here whose FA’s sovereignty has been breached. How can the football world just say that doesn’t matter?” Burnham stressed, “If enough people take that stand and follow our lead, then we will see new arrangements for the 2018 World Cup which I believe is what we need.” Asked about Qatar being allowed to host the 2022 tournament, he said, “Qatar too—but that’s an issue that’s further down the line.” (15) Socialist Worker Trots oppose FIFA "dictators", "hubris" http://socialistworker.org/2015/06/01/down-goes-fifa Down goes FIFA! The beautiful game has been sullied by the corruption of its supposed overseers. Dave Zirin June 1, 2015 IT HAS been called "the day that FIFA has long dreaded": the day that decades of graft and a level of ostentatious excess that would make Caligula blush caught up with the international soccer body. Fourteen people, including nine top FIFA officials, have been arrested on corruption charges levied by the U.S. Justice Department. Seven were taken into custody in a dramatic arrest by Swiss law enforcement at a luxury hotel in Zurich. As the late Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano wrote two decades ago, "There are visible and invisible dictators. The power structure of world football is monarchical. It's the most secret kingdom in the world." Well, the kingdom has been cracked open, and no one is sure what we will find out once all the deals have been cut and the whistleblowers have played their tunes. Make no mistake: We may look back upon today as the beginning of the end of FIFA as we know it. All of the 209 member representatives of FIFA had gathered in Zurich for their congress, which was expected to be "a boring affair," in which President Sepp Blatter would coast to re-election. Boring is the last word on anyone's mind now. The charges brought include money laundering, wire fraud and international racketeering that alleges $150 million in bribes going back to the 1990s made by big sports-marketing honchos to get their brands associated with major soccer tournaments, but this will be just the tip of the iceberg. Here is what was said by Attorney General Loretta Lynch: "The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States. It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks." (Lynch said the selection of the United States to host next year's Copa América was facilitated by $110 million in bribes.) For those wondering how the Justice Department was able to facilitate these arrests in Switzerland, it used a prosecutorial authority often present in international terror cases. As the New York Times described: Those cases can hinge on the slightest connection to the United States, like the use of an American bank or Internet service provider. Switzerland's treaty with the United States is unusual in that it gives Swiss authorities the power to refuse extradition for tax crimes, but on matters of general criminal law, the Swiss have agreed to turn people over for prosecution in American courts. In this case, the U.S. connection is CONCACAF, headquartered in the United States and, of FIFA's six regional confederations, the one that includes North America. Described as "an organization clearly in crisis" by Lynch, they are as of now the central focus of the investigation. (This part is important for those following the possible FIFA vote on sanctioning or even expelling Israel for its practices related to detaining players and coaches in the Palestinian Football Association. It is impossible to tell the fate of that vote or any votes based upon the chaos produced by the latest charges, but CONCACAF was viewed as Israel's most reliable defender in the FIFA body.) The indictments however, will seek information well beyond the workings of CONCACAF and could be the string that, if pulled, will tear FIFA's cashmere sweater to pieces. The indictment also makes mention of bribery related to the much-criticized awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. The oil-rich fiefdom of Qatar has been under fire for its use of slave labor and a shocking pace of deaths of South Asian migrant workers who are building new stadiums without adequate water or safety regulations. Russia has conducted its own damning internal audits related to its soccer leadership. Yet already, in a show of staggering arrogance, FIFA has issued a statement that no matter what the investigation roots out, there will be no revote on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. The hubris would be gobsmacking if we hadn't heard it so many times in the past: the statement of blithely unaware confidence by a dictator right before the fall. -- Peter Myers |
Archives >