One of the first things to go when the FIFA crisis hit last year after the arrests of seven FIFA officials and Sepp Blatter‘s decision to step down was the World Cup 2026 hosting bid process,which was put on hold. One of the first things new FIFA president Gianni Infantino plans to do is relaunch […]
fifa scandals
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They're Saying: Professor Stefan Szymanski
“These people didn’t suddenly have a conversion to honesty and fair dealing. They were told very clearly by the lawyers: This is do or die.” — Stefan Szymanski,a professor of sports management at the University of Michigan, on the FIFA Congress’ passage of reforms deemed necessary to show FIFA’s cooperation with the U.S. Department of […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Friday was a good day for soccer
By Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) FIFA needed a day like Friday. The FIFA Congress overwhelmingly passed sweeping reforms and it elected 45-year-old Swiss lawyer Gianni Infantino as its new president. Passage of the reforms doesn’t mean the culture of the organization will change overnight or that they will eliminate corruption, but they are a big step […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They're Saying: Sepp Blatter
“I have also worked double than Platini — they should have given me four years’ reduction, not two. He is 60 and I am 80.” — FIFA president Sepp Blatter, on thereduction of soccer suspensions FIFA’s ethics committee handed Michel Platini and him from eight years to six years on appeal for their “service to […]
Posted inOff The Post, Story
How Concacaf president spun own Webb of deceit
If one has just a little skepticism about the effect of the proposed FIFA reforms and election of a new president at FIFA’s Extraordinary Congress in Zurich, it’s because we’ve seen what happened atthe Concacaf level. Following the demise of the Jack Warner regime Cayman Islands native Jeffrey Webb was installed as president. “The credibility of […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They're Saying: Sheikh Salman
“To choose an election day, I don’t think that’s fair. It’s going to send the wrong signals to all the members and people won’t be happy that FIFA is going to be targeted in that way.” –FIFA presidential candidate Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, who says it would be wrong for more arrests […]
Posted inAround The Net in Soccer World Daily, Story
Jeffrey Webb hired private eyes to snoop on Sunil Gulati
In the most detailed investigation into the years after Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer were ousted from Concacaf, Bloomberg reports that Jeffrey Webb, Warner’s successor aspresident, spent the confederation’s money freely, leaving it dangerously short of funds when he was arrested in May on corruption charges. Webb, who has since pleaded guilty and is awaitingsentencing, […]
Posted inAround The Net in Soccer World Daily, Story
Sheikh Salman denies latest claims of irregularities
British Member of Parliament Damian Collins, an outspoken critic of FIFA, used parliamentary privilege on Tuesday to accuse FIFA presidential favorite Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim AlKhalifa of taking FIFA Goal funds to finance a bid in 2009 to be elected to the FIFA executive committee — an election he lost to Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam […]
Posted inOff The Post, Story
FIFA election campaigning, 9/11 and the Zika virus
At the end of the day, there aren’t a whole lot of issues that will decide Friday’s election for FIFA president. It isn’t like the telephones at federations around the world are ringingoff the hook from players and coaches and referees and administrators weighing in on who to vote for. It’s very much an insider’s […]
Posted inOff The Post, Story
The FIFA election, the sanctity of the secret vote and case against ballot selfies
In nine days, we will know who the next FIFA president is, and given the reputation of soccer’s world governing body, doubts about the integrity of the election are running high. If youwere wondering, the election for FIFA president will be conducted by secret vote. Not all FIFA-related elections are by secret ballot. When Sunil […]