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Finally, FIFA is going to get cleansed (hopefully...)

TarHeelNation11

Hall of Famer
Mar 9, 2007
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Lowell, NC
All of this nonsense sounds like the plot of Burn Notice or the Bourn Identity. Essentially, the crimes and controversy revolve around two events:

1). The selection of the location of the 2018 World Cup (Russia) and the 2022 World Cup (Qatar) and the bribes, kickbacks, and under-the-table dealings that accompanied these two selections. England was considered to be the favorite to win in 2018 and the U.S. and then Australia were considered the favorite and second favorite for 2022. The process is sorta like applying to host the Olympics. You prepare a lengthy report to sell your city/country, and then the finalists are voted upon until a winner is determined. From the moment those two countries were announced winners (2018 and 2022 sites were voted on at the same meeting on the same day), it was pretty much widely accepted that bribery was the only reason they were selected, especially with Qatar. Less so with Russia because Russia at least has a well-known club soccer league as well as a moderately successful international team.

2). CONCACAF, specifically Caribbean nations and a couple Central American nations, taking lots of bribes for various things such as: in exchange for their vote for Qatar for 2022, in exchange for helping secure the United States as the host for the 2016 Copa America tournament, etc etc.

There's tons more involved though. The corruption is rampant, especially in South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. It's ugly stuff and it's so entrenched, I don't even know how it's fixable to be honest with you.

Here are a smattering of articles if you are interested (apologies in advance for linking the NYT, but they do a good job on soccer coverage) :

http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup...stigation-begins-into-2018-and-2022-world-cup

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/s...rruption-charges-blatter-isnt-among-them.html

http://www.espnfc.us/world-cup-soccer/story/2468499/fifa-corruption-the-indicted-defendants

Opinion piece on if any of this will actually lead to change:

http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup...up-2018-and-2022-criminal-investigations-fifa
 
The US is pretty much the perfect host country for such an event while Qatar is pretty much the opposite of that. By the time you pile on the allegations of slave labor in Qatar it paints a really ugly picture.

The irony of the US DOJ arresting someone for corruption does make me chuckle a bit though.
 
I neither follow nor care about soccer (although I hope someday to be a lifelong fan like @UNC71-00) but this is a obviously a huge story. Every governing body in sports -- FIFA, the IOC, the NFL, the NCAA, etc. -- is a bungling, corrupt, money-grubbing nightmare. This story is just the pendulum swinging the other direction momentarily. Won't be long before they're back to business as usual.
 
Oh, and this is horrifying:

imrs.php
 
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