FIFA - How to re-organise. Post #4

[Rev John Ripsher]

The storm clouds gather .......


Fifa president Sepp Blatter will be invited to Parliament to address MP's concerns over the latest World Cup vote-selling allegations, according to the Times, after Fifa's President promised to "act immediately against anyone in breach of our ethical code".
Football's world governing body has found itself embroiled in fresh scandal after both Lord Treisman and the Sunday Times levelled sensational corruption allegations at a total of six Fifa executives in a

Commons committee sources told the Times that while it would pointless asking those named to appear before MPs – they have no obligation to attend – an approach for Sepp Blatter's testimony would be made.
"The committee's work has largely been done by putting these issues out in the open," chairman John Whittingdale said. "It is now up to football authorities to take the lead."
Blatter, who could win an unprecedented fourth term as Fifa president on June 1, has pledged to address the allegations in the next three weeks. "We have to deal with this matter before the congress and not just kick it out of the minds of Fifa," he told Al-Jazeera. "We have to do it now, immediately. We must accelerate the movement, whether it is for the good or for the bad."
International pressure is growing on Blatter to lead a thorough investigation into the claims. Alex Horne, the FA's general secretary, has written to Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke to demand a formal inquiry into the allegations. The FA has also promised to send Fifa a dossier containing details of all the latest corruption allegations.

The sports minister, Hugh Robertson, added his voice to the growing outcry. He said "cleaning up" sports bodies like Fifa should be one of the "key objectives" for Poland, which takes over the running of the EU Council in July.
"I would like to see really concerted pressure from international bodies to get them to reform," Robertson said. "We're pretty wound up about it, the Dutch [and] the Australians are pretty wound up and there are a number of others."
He went on to suggest that a global consensus was forming in favour of a Fifa shakeup similar to the changes forced on the International Olympic Committee in the wake of a vote-selling scandal over Salt Lake City's successful bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

[harrys lovechild]

They run it like a night club , you have to grease a few palms to get in, they treat football as there own thing for those chosen few to manipulate as they wish, some of the guys who are involved are scandalous , that walker guy from the Caribbean is beyond a joke, they run it like there own little fiefdom creaming off what ever when ever they like, why do we panda to these thieves, I think we as an association should keep on ranting till all those high and mighty jackals are made to resign, the whole system is rotten to the core, they want prosecuting in the highest courts ,and booting out, the whole damn lot of them

[Rev John Ripsher]

OK New revelations .... this time they could have been planted by Sepp Blabber himself ?????

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/79465,...CMP=NLC-people



Football's governing body has been rocked by more corruption allegations on the eve of presidential elections, and the man hoping to stop Sepp Blatter from an unprecedented fourth term in office is at the centre of the claims.

Less than a week before the vote Qatari presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam (above) has been ordered to appear before Fifa's ethics committee, along with Jack Warner, the controversial Fifa vice-president from Trinidad and Tobago, after another Fifa official, American Chuck Blazer, accused them of bribery.

Blazer reported Hammam and Warner along with two other officials from the Caribbean Football Union to Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke following a meeting earlier this month in Trinidad where he claimed the organisation's code of ethics was broken.

In a statement, Fifa said the meeting was connected to the upcoming presidential election. The organisation said: "In view of the facts alleged in this report, which include bribery allegations... [Valcke] requested the Fifa ethics committee to open ethics proceedings."

The four officials will appear before the committee on Sunday, three days before the vote.

Hammam and Warner have been dogged by corruption claims in recent months. A fortnight ago Lord Triesman, who headed the England 2018 World Cup bid, accused Warner of asking for funding for projects in return for his vote and the Sunday Times claimed that two other Fifa executive committee members were paid $1.5m to vote for Qatar's controversial and successful 2022 World Cup bid.

The latest allegations are likely to put paid to Bin Hammam's slim hopes of ousting Blatter from the Fifa presidency, and some cynics are questioning why the allegations emerged when they did.

Many bloggers and posters on Twitter were quick to suggest that Blazer had turned on Bin Hammam and his old ally Warner at the behest of Blatter, who has twin aims of winning the election and making it look as though Fifa is clamping down on corruption. Forcing Bin Hammam to appear before the ethics committee would go some way towards satisfying those aims, they suggest.

Jason Davis writing on the US Match Fit blog commented: "This is Fifa. No one with a hint of who they are and what they do can take anything happening today at face value... The motivation for initiating an investigation in Bin Hammam is painfully obvious, hence the chorus of pshaws."

And BBC sports editor David Bond went as far as to ask if next week's vote should be postponed. "Even assuming the ethics committee can get to the bottom of all this by Sunday evening, with so many allegations of wrongdoing now swirling around - is it right for Fifa to press ahead with Wednesday's presidential election?" he asked.

[Rev John Ripsher]

Good article , worth a read .

Fifa gives sweet FA about fans..........

""As we have learnt in the last few days and weeks, Fifa executive members seem to be a motley bunch. And of one other thing we can be fairly certain: none of them has had to dig deep into their pockets to actually buy a match ticket themselves in a very long time. The same will be true of the overwhelming majority of Fifa delegates gathering for their congress in Zurich on Wednesday.

It's the fans who have to pick up the pieces of the mess Fifa is in, yet our voice is entirely absent in the organisation. Of course we don't speak with one voice – our opinions and experiences vary – but since I've been going to World Cups, France 1998, Fifa has been held in the lowest possible regard by almost all of us supporters. Those who run Fifa have successively turned this most wonderful of tournaments into a corporate jamboree.

Not many fans are anti-globalisation campaigners, but when we see the coachloads of sponsors arriving at grounds to take up thousands of seats that should be going to fans we know something is wrong. When we are prevented from hanging our flags because a St George's cross isn't a corporate sponsor's logo we know Fifa values its contracts more. And when we see our game run by businessmen who see football as a way to make a fast buck and politicians who use our game to enhance their reputation we know it is in the hands of the wrong sort of people.

Albert Camus, existentialist author and half-decent goalie, once wrote: "All that I know most surely about morality and obligations I owe to football." Well, not as long as Sepp Blatter and his ilk are the game's guardians.

The re-election of Fifa's president should be postponed. As an England fan, it pains me to suggest it but we should be pleading with Franz Beckenbauer to take temporary charge, with Pelé, Roger Milla and Hidetoshi Nakata as his vice presidents. Players from four corners of the world and different generations. A symbolic move perhaps, but sending out an entirely different message to Blatter being re-elected unopposed.

Fifa should also be reconstituted and reformed over the next year and only then should we return to the 2018 and 2022 decisions to ensure there is absolutely no question of vote-fixing. An independent commission should be appointed to monitor all Fifa elections. The World Cup vote, Fifa's single most important decision, should be made by the congress not the executive. And each Fifa affiliate should elect four delegates to represent their national association, the players, managers and coaches, and us fans. The Fifa executive should be made up of lay representatives, some elected by the congress, some by the regional confederations. It should have fixed terms of no more than four years, and each executive should be paid the same as parliamentarians in their own country, with strictly controlled expenses.""

Worldwide, most fans have three demands: as many tickets for World Cups as possible should go to the fans, not the sponsors, and they should be at the lowest possible price. And all games should be screened on free-to-air TV, not overpriced subscription channels. Above all, serving Fifa should not be a job for life nor a way to get rich quick. If football's bureaucrats, many of whom do an excellent job, but some we know do anything but, were outnumbered three to one at a Fifa congress by the players, coaches and fans, it would transform the organisation for the better overnight.

[Fatboyyid]

Would love this to happen but it never will

The only chance something like this could happen us if the FA's from England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Brazil, Japan pulled out of World Cup 2018 qualification in protest of the way it was decided and how FIFA is run.

The main sponsors will then pull out and FIFA as we know it will fold almost overnight.

Then and only then could a new governing body be formed with properly elected heads and a clear decision making process with transparency.

If the major teams really opposed the way FIFA is run then abstaining from a vote is not going to affect anything. They need to stand up and be counted.

Yes those countries might face expulsion from certain competitions like the champions league but that would also result in the downfall of UEFA who in my opinion are just as bad.

[Rev John Ripsher]

The champs league is owned by UEFA not FIFA .

The only competition that FIFA owns is the mens & womens World Cup .

FIFA only organises internationals on a country to country basis . Nothing to do with clubs .

[Fatboyyid]

The champs league is owned by UEFA not FIFA .

The only competition that FIFA owns is the mens & womens World Cup .

FIFA only organises internationals on a country to country basis . Nothing to do with clubs .

I know Rev but FIFA can suspend a national association (our FA) from FIFA events (World Cup) and recommend that the F.A's elected teams are also suspended from UEFA events (EL & CL).

I could happen like what we have seen with the IPL in Cricket when some teams players were suspended because they played in the IPL rival league.

UEFA & FIFA are so closely intertwined that if an FA was to impact one it would also effect the other.

[harrys lovechild]

Its starting to happen, they have started to fight amongst them selves, very soon I hope the whole house of cards will come tumbling down, warner has started to rat on Blatter and others, I think hes hoping for the whistle blower status on this, , that will be the catalyst for the rest to start defending them selves,
Lets face it there is absolutely no justification for Qatar getting the 2022 world cup it had to be bought, and I wont comment on the Russians, probably the most corrupt society in Europe where the rouble and the gun are bigger than anything,
When you have all those oligarchs in command money has to be the key to success, and for the FIFA boys it must have been like all there Christmas come all at once.
I can imagine there greedy grasping hands thumbing through there cash when money was in both cases no object,
Did you hear about the south American who wanted the F.A. Cup named after him, WTF do these guys have no morality at all,

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...960130,00.html

[Rev John Ripsher]

I know Rev but FIFA can suspend a national association (our FA) from FIFA events (World Cup) and recommend that the F.A's elected teams are also suspended from UEFA events (EL & CL).

I could happen like what we have seen with the IPL in Cricket when some teams players were suspended because they played in the IPL rival league.

UEFA & FIFA are so closely intertwined that if an FA was to impact one it would also effect the other.

@Fatboyyid

What you say is very interesting , I know there have been some countries that have been suspended from FIFA , but mainly because of a political or unstable situation , I don't know about that country's clubs though when in international competition ... aren't they allowed to continue to play their home games in a neutral country ?

[Fatboyyid]

@Fatboyyid

What you say is very interesting , I know there have been some countries that have been suspended from FIFA , but mainly because of a political or unstable situation , I don't know about that country's clubs though when in international competition ... aren't they allowed to continue to play their home games in a neutral country ?

@Rev John Ripsher I believe it was a Eastern Block country a couple of years ago that was hit with a FIFA ban after government intervention (I believe they sacked the FA) and they automatically conceded defeat 3-0 in each game whilst the ban was in place.

If they had been banned during the draw (6 months prior to qualification) they would have been disquallified.

I believe that during this short period (most was during off season) the club teams were also banned from external compertitions.

The only reason it was not major news is because it was not a big team or nation.

The situaltion may be different if say Italy pulled out of FIFA in protest, would UEFA have the balls to ban AC MIlan, Inter, Juve? I dont think so but the option si there in their constitutuon.

[harrys lovechild]

these people were banned

FIFA suspends Brunei for government interference | Brunei NEWS, Brunei HEADLINES from Brunei fm


i think your refering to the poles who were warned by FIFA because of goverment interferance and threatened with a 3-0 score line

FIFA warns Poland on World Cup suspension | World Sport | stv Sport

[Rev John Ripsher]

It is being reported that the front-line sponsors ( Coca-Cola , Visa , Adidas , Emirates ) are voicing their concerns and have an opinion that FIFA needs to put it's house in order and pretty damn quick too . They provide up to 60% of it's income so have a large axe to wield .

[Rev John Ripsher]

Competitions owned by FIFA


Mens competitions

FIFA World Cup™
FIFA U-20 World Cup
FIFA U-17 World Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Futsal World Cup
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
Men's Olympic Football Tournament
FIFA Interactive World Cup
Youth Olympic Football Tournament
Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup


Womens competitions

FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
Women's Olympic Football Tournament
Youth Olympic Football Tournament

[Rev John Ripsher]

So, what can the FA and other malcontents do about Fifa?

You might think that the FA v Fifa is a very new battle. In fact it goes back a long way. The rest of Europe, tired of waiting for England to form an international body to govern football, set up Fifa - without FA representation - in 1904. A year later the FA did join, but the relationship was fraught from the start, with Fifa refusing membership to the Scottish and Irish associations for fear that they would be puppets of the FA.
The FA broke away from Fifa after World War One, and again in 1927, only returning after World War Two.

But while another walk-out might seem tempting today, it would come with a very high price: the English national team would be suspended from international football and English clubs banned from the Champions League.

The latter is unthinkable – both from the point of view of fans and from the clubs, hungry for the cash the big European fixtures bring in.
So, the only option would be for the FA to work with other football associations dissatisfied with the status quo and attempt to form a new, alternative 'Fifa'.

Fifteen countries, alongside England, consciously voted against Sepp Blatter in Zurich this week - including Scotland, Norway, Liberia and Uganda (Vietnam apparently pressed the wrong button by mistake).

The key for England would be to gain the support of three of four of the bigger football nations – certainly Germany, certainly one or two opf the burgeoning footballing powers from Africa and Asia - who might join England in fighting what Graham Taylor called an "insular, undemocratic and untrustworthy organisation".

There is no reason why world football should be governed by just one body.
"In a relatively short history, Fifa has gained enough support and respect to survive any attempts to create splinter groups". Those words were true enough when written back in 1973, but much less so today.

[harrys lovechild]

is that why we didnt enter the first 3 or 4 world cups