German Franz Beckenbauer shares a lot in common with Frenchman Michel Platini. Both are the greatest players their countries have ever produced. Both captained and coached their nationalteams. As executives, both brought the World Cup to their respective countries and oversaw the organization of the tournament. And sadly at the twilight of their careers, they […]
fifa scandals
Posted inOff The Post, Story
FIFA plays the China card
In conjunction with its first executive committee meeting since Gianni Infantino was elected president, FIFA tried to make the case that the past is the past, and it was putting years ofscandal behind it and beginning to work out of the financial hole it dug itself into. That included the announcement of China’s Wanda Group […]
Posted inAround The Net in Soccer World Daily, Story
Swiss begin criminal proceedings against former FIFA CEO Valcke
Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General has begun criminal proceedings against former FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke, the law enforcement agency confirmed. It isinvestigating criminal mismanagement and other offenses against the former CEO of soccer’s world governing body. In February, the FIFA Ethics Committee banned Valcke for 12 years for causing”considerable financial damage” to soccer’s […]
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FIFA wants its money back
FIFA filed suit to recover some of the more than $190 million alreadyforfeited by soccer and marketing officials — 12 former executive committee members — who have pleaded guilty in Federal court in the corruption case that mostly involves Concacaf and Conmebolcompetitions. FIFA wants the money — more than $28 million in total — that […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They're Saying: Loretta Lynch
“I am not the Batman, I am the FIFA slayer.” — Attorney General Loretta Lynch on being introduced by Steven Colbert as the top U.S. law enforcement officer. She hasoverseen the indictments against FIFA officials, a case that began when she was district attorney in New York. (The Late Show withStephen Colbert)
Posted inAround The Net in Soccer World Daily, Story
French federation raided in connection with FIFA scandal
At the behest of the Swiss federal prosecutor, the French Financial Prosecution Office raided the French soccer federation headquarters in connection with the Swiss criminal case against former FIFApresident Sepp Blatter. The cases focuses on a secret transaction in which Blatter approved a $2 million payment from FIFA funds for Michel Platini in 2011. Blatter […]
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German soccer scandal tarnishes 'summer fairy tale'
Another internal and costly ($4 million) investigation into a major international soccer scandal ended with another highly unsatisfactory verdict. No evidence of vote-rigging in the awarding of the2006 World Cup to Germany was found. Sounds like 2010, and 2018 and 2022? “We have no proof of vote-buying,” Christian Duve of the Freshfields law firm, commissioned […]
Posted inAround The Net in Soccer World Daily, Story
Florida-based Colombian Trujillo charged in FIFA corruption probe
Federal authorities have charged Miguel Trujillo with a felony in connection with the probe into soccer corruption, bringing to 42 the number of known people and entities charged in thecase. Unsealed papers did not disclose who Trujillo is or what the exact charges are that he faces though he is known as the godfather of […]
Posted inAround The Net in Soccer World Daily, Story
Infantino backs 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts
New FIFA president Gianni Infantino continued his efforts to put the tumultuous final years of the Sepp Blatter administration behind him by saying corruption allegations engulfingthe 2018 and 2022 World Cups are “a lot of speculation” backed up by “not a single fact.” “I was not part of of these processes in those times,” he […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Gulati is just where he needs to be
By Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) By all accounts, Sunil Gulati, president of U.S. Soccer, played a pivotal role in the election ofGianni Infantino as FIFA president. If you watched Fox Sports’ wall-to-wall coverage of Friday’s FIFA Congress in Zurich, you’d have watched via the “SunilCam”Gulati arguing projected vote totals on the executive committee stage with Sheikh […]