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On May 29, [[Sepp Blatter]] won re-election to the FIFA presidency at the subsequent [[65th FIFA Congress]] in Zurich amid growing criticism over his position. However, he subsequently announced his resignation from the presidency two days later. Blatter will continue to serve until a new election is conducted at an Extraordinary FIFA Congress.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/sports/soccer/sepp-blatter-to-resign-as-fifa-president.html|title=Sepp Blatter to Resign as FIFA President|publisher=The New York Times|date=2 June 2015|accessdate=June 2, 2015}}</ref>
On May 29, [[Sepp Blatter]] won re-election to the FIFA presidency at the subsequent [[65th FIFA Congress]] in Zurich amid growing criticism over his position. However, he subsequently announced his resignation from the presidency two days later. Blatter will continue to serve until a new election is conducted at an Extraordinary FIFA Congress.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/sports/soccer/sepp-blatter-to-resign-as-fifa-president.html|title=Sepp Blatter to Resign as FIFA President|publisher=The New York Times|date=2 June 2015|accessdate=June 2, 2015}}</ref>


==Jack Warner's self-defense video==
===Jack Warner's self-defense video===
On May 31, Jack Warner posted a self defense video on his facebook page in which he proclaimed innocence while citing an article from [[The Onion]].<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/01/world/americas/ex-fifa-official-jack-warner-cites-onion-article-in-defense.html?_r=0</ref>
On May 31, Jack Warner posted a self defense video on his facebook page in which he proclaimed innocence while citing an article from [[The Onion]].<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/01/world/americas/ex-fifa-official-jack-warner-cites-onion-article-in-defense.html?_r=0</ref>


==Jérôme Valcke==
===Jérôme Valcke===
FIFA Secretary General [[Jérôme Valcke]] is reported to have been involved in a $10,000,000 bribe for votes for the [[2010 World Cup]].<ref>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</ref>
FIFA Secretary General [[Jérôme Valcke]] is reported to have been involved in a $10,000,000 bribe for votes for the [[2010 World Cup]].<ref>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</ref>


==2002 World Cup==
===2002 World Cup===
There have been allegations of fixed games at the [[2002 World Cup]].<ref>http://www.eurosport.com/football/south-korea-results-from-2002-world-cup-now-under-scrutiny_sto4758133/story.shtml</ref>
There have been allegations of fixed games at the [[2002 World Cup]].<ref>http://www.eurosport.com/football/south-korea-results-from-2002-world-cup-now-under-scrutiny_sto4758133/story.shtml</ref>


Revision as of 00:01, 3 June 2015

2015 FIFA corruption case
Hotel Baur au Lac, Zürich, where seven FIFA officials were arrested on May 27, 2015
Accused
Verdict
People
Corporations

In May 2015, fourteen people were indicted in connection with an investigation by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. The investigation mostly revolved around collusion between officials of continental association football bodies CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (Caribbean, Central and North America), and sports marketing executives. The sports marketing executives were holders of media and marketing rights for high-profile international competitions including the Americas' FIFA World Cup qualifying tournaments, and showpiece tournaments CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa América.

One of the most influential people in soccer, CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb, also serving president of the Cayman Islands Football Association, was arrested in connection with the investigation, as were two sitting FIFA Executive Committee members: Eduardo Li of the Costa Rican Football Federation and Eugenio Figueredo, formerly of the Uruguayan Football Association and a former CONMEBOL president. Former CONMEBOL President Nicolás Leoz and CONCACAF President Jack Warner were also arrested. The investigation lasted several years, with the first arrest, of Warner's son Daryll, made in July 2013.[1][2]

In total, seven current FIFA officials were arrested at the Hotel Baur au Lac in Zürich on May 27. They were preparing to attend the 65th FIFA Congress, which was scheduled to include the election of the president of FIFA.[3] They are expected to be extradited to the United States on suspicion of receiving US$150 million in bribes.[3] There was also a simultaneous raid on the CONCACAF headquarters in Miami.[4] The case has triggered Australia,[5] Colombia,[6] Costa Rica,[7] and Switzerland[8] to open or intensify separate criminal investigations into top FIFA officials for corruption.

Allegations

The arrests center on the alleged use of bribery, fraud and money laundering to corrupt the issuing of media and marketing rights for FIFA games in the Americas, estimated at $150 million,[2] including at least $110 million in bribes related to the Copa América Centenario to be hosted in 2016 in the United States.[9] In addition, the indictment handed down by the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, alleges that bribery was used in an attempt to influence clothing sponsorship contracts, the selection process for the 2010 FIFA World Cup host, and the 2011 FIFA presidential election.[2] Specifically, an unnamed sports equipment company – identified in multiple sources as Nike, Inc.[10][11][12] – is alleged to have paid at least $40 million in bribes to become the sole provider of uniforms, footwear, accessories, and equipment to the Brazil national team.[10]

In 2011, American soccer executive and CONCACAF official Chuck Blazer pleaded guilty to 10 criminal charges including wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering, and offenses involving income tax and banking. Blazer's guilty plea had aimed to stave off a more serious charge of racketeering, which carried a potential 20-year prison sentence. Blazer would later make secret recordings of meetings with FIFA officials, and allegedly carried a recording device concealed in a key ring during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He had originally been approached by agents from the United States Internal Revenue Service and the FBI who had assembled specific allegations of his involvement in bribery during the bidding process for host countries for the FIFA World Cups from the early 1990s onwards. The information against Blazer (the charging document used in lieu of an indictment for a plea bargain) was revealed on May 27, 2015, the same day that the arrests were made in Zurich.[13][14]

In May 2011, The Sunday Times published claims from a whistle-blower that President of CAF Issa Hayatou had, along with fellow Executive Committee member Jacques Anouma, accepted $1.5 million bribes from Qatar to secure his support for their bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[15]

In 2013, former FIFA President João Havelange and the Brazilian Football Confederation President Ricardo Teixeira were both found to have taken bribes worth millions of dollars. FIFA executive committee member de [Manilal Fernando] was sanctioned with a lifetime ban for bribery and corruption.[16][17]

Indicted individuals and corporations

A total of 18 individuals and two corporations have been indicted, including nine FIFA officials and five businessmen.[2][18]

Individuals

Name Nationality Position Status
Chuck Blazer  United States Former General Secretary of CONCACAF Guilty plea
Alejandro Burzaco  Argentina CEO of Torneos y Competencias Indicted
Aaron Davidson  United States Chairman of the Board of Governors of the North American Soccer League and President of Traffic Sports USA Indicted
Rafael Esquivel  Venezuela President of the Venezuelan Football Federation and member of the CONMEBOL executive committee Arrested
Eugenio Figueredo  Uruguay FIFA Vice President, former President of the Uruguayan Football Association, and former President of CONMEBOL Arrested
José Hawilla  Brazil Owner and founder of Traffic Group Guilty plea
Hugo Jinkis  Argentina President of Full Play Group Indicted
Mariano Jinkis  Argentina Vice-President of Full Play Group S.A.; son of Hugo Jinkis Indicted
Nicolás Leoz  Paraguay /
 Colombia 		Former President of CONMEBOL Indicted
Eduardo Li  Costa Rica President of the Costa Rican Football Federation, member-elect of the FIFA executive committee, and member of the CONCACAF executive committee Arrested
José Marguiles  Brazil Secretary-General of Traffic Sports Brazil Indicted
José Maria Marin  Brazil Former President of the Brazilian Football Confederation and former Governor of São Paulo Arrested
Julio Rocha Lopez  Nicaragua President of the Nicaraguan Football Federation, FIFA development officer, and former President of the Central American Football Union Arrested
Costas Takkas  Cayman Islands Former General Secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association and Attaché to the CONCACAF President Arrested
Daryan Warner  Trinidad and Tobago /
 Grenada 		Son of Jack Warner Guilty plea
Daryll Warner  Trinidad and Tobago /
 United States 		Son of Jack Warner and former FIFA development officer Guilty plea
Jack Warner  Trinidad and Tobago Former Vice President of FIFA, former President of CONCACAF, and former Minister of National Security Arrested[19]
Jeffrey Webb  Cayman Islands President of CONCACAF, President of the Cayman Islands Football Association, and FIFA Vice President Arrested

Corporations

Name Nationality Description Status
Traffic Sports International  British Virgin Islands Football events management company and subsidiary of Traffic Group Guilty plea
Traffic Sports USA  United States Soccer events management company and subsidiary of Traffic Group Guilty plea

Swiss criminal inquiry into 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups

See also: Garcia Report

A copy of a report commissioned by FIFA by the United States attorney Michael J. Garcia into the bidding processes behind the awarding of the 2018 FIFA World Cup to Russia and the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar was made available to the Attorney General of Switzerland in November 2014 by FIFA who said in a statement that there were "grounds for suspicion that, in isolated cases, international transfers of assets with connections to Switzerland took place, which merit examination by the criminal prosecution authorities".[20]

Sepp Blatter has been president of FIFA since 1998. The Guardian said that FIFA's actions would "... inevitably be viewed with cynicism given Blatter's track record of using the Swiss courts and FIFA's regulatory processes to kick problematic issues into the long grass and deflect attention onto individuals who have already left football".[20]

In May 2015, on the same day as the arrests resulting from the FBI's investigation and in a separate action, the Swiss prosecuting authorities launched a criminal inquiry on "suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering" concerning the 2018 and 2022 bidding processes. The Swiss authorities seized "electronic data and documents" in a raid on FIFA's Zürich headquarters.[21] The Swiss police also planned to question ten members of the FIFA Executive Committee who participated in the December 2010 votes that chose the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 world cups.[21]

Aftermath

Reactions

Governmental
  •  Brazil – Senator and former Brazilian footballer Romário stated that "unfortunately, it wasn't our police that arrested them, but someone had to eventually arrest them one day". He has been an outspoken critic of the alleged corruption of FIFA.[22]
  •  Colombia – The Office of the Attorney General of Colombia, through diplomatic cables, requested access to the investigation files in order to determine if any Colombian nationals are linked to the irregularities of FIFA, and also offered to aid the investigations if requested by United States prosecutors.[23] In recent times, Colombia was selected by the FIFA to host the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the FIFA Futsal World Cup which is to take place in 2016.
  •  Costa Rica – The Attorney General of Costa Rica opened a money laundering probe on Eduardo Li, stating that "even though most of the events took place outside of Costa Rica, it is our responsibility to follow up on that and find out if any crimes were committed here".[24]
  •  Germany – Justice Minister Heiko Maas requested a full investigation on FIFA and stated that "it is clear that FIFA is not above the law either and that the accusations must be investigated. I think every football fan has a right to know that corruption in football and in international football has no room".[25]
  •  Paraguay – The Foreign Ministry of Paraguay announced that they received an extradition request from the United States for Nicolás Leoz, and that they will forward the request to the Supreme Court of Justice for a further review.[26]
  •  Russia – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation condemned the arrest, stating: "Without going into details about the charges that have been brought up, we point to the fact that this is another case of the illegal extraterritorial application of U.S. laws … Once again, we urge Washington to stop trying to set itself up as a judge far outside its borders and to follow the generally accepted international legal procedures".[27]
  •   Switzerland – Ueli Maurer, a member of the Swiss Federal Council, spoke at the opening of the FIFA Congress where he emphasized that Switzerland condemns any form of corruption. On May 28, Maurer also said that FIFA is out of balance and in a need for action to restore its credibility. Calling for reform, he refused to scapegoat Blatter reminding some of his achievements for youth in football.[28]
  •  United Kingdom – The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom, John Whittingdale, stated that he fully supported The Football Association's position "that significant and wide-ranging reforms are urgently needed at the very top of FIFA, including a change in its leadership". Prime Minister David Cameron also backed calls for Blatter to quit as President of FIFA stating "You cannot have accusations of corruption at this level and on this scale in this organisation and pretend that the person currently leading it is the right person to take it forward. That cannot be the case. Frankly, what we've seen is the ugly side of the beautiful game and he should go. And the sooner that happens the better - the faster that organisation can start to rebuild its credibility, which is going to be so important because so many people around the world want to see this game properly managed, properly looked after, so we can all enjoy the World Cups of the future."[29][30]
Continental football organisations
  • CONCACAF (North America, Central America and Caribbean) – This Confederation stated that "The Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) is deeply concerned by today’s developments, in the arrest of several international football officials including those belonging to our Confederation. The Confederation will continue to cooperate with the authorities to its fullest capacity. At present, CONCACAF is not in a position to comment further on the specific allegations, which have been referred to the appropriate legal counsel through the pertinent channels. CONCACAF continues to operate in the ordinary course of business, hosting all of its upcoming tournaments in a successful and timely manner, including the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup"[31]
  • Asian Football Confederation (Asia) – The Asian Football Confederation stated that it is "against any form of corruption in football and fully supports any actions taken by the independent FIFA Ethics Committee where wrongdoing may have occurred, whether such actions affect Asian officials or otherwise." Moreover, it opposed postponing the FIFA congress and reiterated its support for Blatter.[32]
  • CONMEBOL (South America) – CONMEBOL issued a resolution to "repudiate all acts of corruption, and unreservedly support the investigations initiated toward FIFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, and other organizations regarding alleged wrongdoing," and "will agree to collaborate openly and emphatically with such investigations."[33]
  • UEFA (Europe) – The Union of European Football Associations stated "[t]hese events show, once again, that corruption is deeply rooted in FIFA's culture. There is a need for the whole of FIFA to be 'rebooted' and for a real reform to be carried out."[34] UEFA president Michel Platini explicitly demanded Blatter to step down before his re-election.[35]
National football federations
  •  Costa Rica – Rodolfo Villalobos, the next in line for the presidency of the Costa Rican Football Federation, and with the backing of its other boardmembers, announced that he would not vote for Blatter as a result of the ongoing revelations.[36]
  •  England – David Gill, as the newly elected British FIFA Vice-President and FIFA Executive Committee board member, threatened to resign his role if Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA President for a fifth term in protest at his leadership following the corruption scandal. Blatter was re-elected, and Gill immediately rejected his position in protest, saying "I simply do not see how there will be change for the good of world football while Mr Blatter remains in post."[37]
  •  Guinea-Bissau – Manuel Nascimento Lopes, the president of the Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau said that "I'm a Christian and this is blasphemy" in response to people blaming Blatter for the actions of other people. Lopes also said that "It's a state conspiracy. People are always trying to knock Blatter. Africa will vote for Mr Blatter and I will follow that. I agree at some point there has to be change but let Blatter finish his mandate and see what he does."[38]
  •  South Africa – Danny Jordaan, the head of South African Football Association admitted to paying $10 Million to a football body led by Jack Warner in 2008, but denied that it was a bribe for hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[39]

Leagues

The North American Soccer League Board of Governors suspended Chairperson Aaron Davidson and business relations with Traffic Sports. Carolina RailHawks, a team owned by Traffic Sports, was allowed to "continue to operate in the ordinary course of business".[40]

Blatter's resignation

On May 29, Sepp Blatter won re-election to the FIFA presidency at the subsequent 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich amid growing criticism over his position. However, he subsequently announced his resignation from the presidency two days later. Blatter will continue to serve until a new election is conducted at an Extraordinary FIFA Congress.[41]

Jack Warner's self-defense video

On May 31, Jack Warner posted a self defense video on his facebook page in which he proclaimed innocence while citing an article from The Onion.[42]

Jérôme Valcke

FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke is reported to have been involved in a $10,000,000 bribe for votes for the 2010 World Cup.[43]

2002 World Cup

There have been allegations of fixed games at the 2002 World Cup.[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ "FIFA Indictments". Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Nine FIFA Officials and Five Corporate Executives Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy and Corruption". United States Department of Justice. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Fifa officials arrested on corruption charges as World Cup inquiry launched". The Guardian. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  4. ^ Matthew, Jennie (May 27, 2015). US prosecutors allege 'World Cup' of soccer fraud. AFP. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  5. ^ "Fifa crisis: Australian police agree to look into $500,000 paid to Jack Warner". the Guardian.
  6. ^ "Colombia joins investigation into FIFA corruption". colombiareports.com.
  7. ^ TCRN STAFF. "Costa Rica Prosecutors Open Investigation into Arrest of FIFA Official Eduardo Li". The Costa Rica News.
  8. ^ "Fifa scandal: What took Switzerland so long to investigate?". BBC News.
  9. ^ Bryan Armen Graham (May 27, 2015). "Fifa in crisis amid corruption arrests and World Cup voting inquiry – live updates (15:51)". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Claire Phipps and Damien Gayle (May 28, 2015). "Fifa scandal: Visa sponsorship threat compounds calls for Blatter to quit". The Guardian. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  11. ^ Darren Heitner (May 27, 2015). "Nike Implicated In Soccer Bribery Scheme". Forbes. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  12. ^ Lucy McCalmont and Ben Walsh (May 27, 2015). "Nike Just Became Part Of The FIFA Corruption Scandal". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  13. ^ Dan Roberts (May 27, 2015). "Fifa arrests: how a well-placed insider and stashed cash helped US build case". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  14. ^ Matt Apuzzo, Michael S. Schmidt, William K. Rashbaum and Sam Borden (May 27, 2015). "FIFA Officials Arrested on Corruption Charges; Sepp Blatter Isn't Among Them". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "FIFA demands evidence of corruption". ESPN Soccernet. May 11, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  16. ^ David Conn. "Fifa corruption intrigue deepens as Brazil's Ricardo Teixeira resigns". the Guardian. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  17. ^ Richard Conway. "BBC Sport – Joao Havelange, Fifa's honorary president, resigns over bribes". BBC Sport. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  18. ^ "Fifa corruption: arrests made following hotel raid". Daily Telegraph. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  19. ^ Rupert Neate, Owen Gibson and agencies (May 28, 2015). "Jack Warner : former Fifa kingpin spends night in jail after corruption arrest". The Guardian. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Fifa lodges criminal complaint with Swiss courts over World Cup bids". The Guardian. November 14, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  21. ^ a b "Fifa corruption inquiry". BBC News Online. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015. Cite error: The named reference "BBCMay2615" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  22. ^ "THE LATEST: Warner to spend night in jail after arrest". hawaiinewsnow.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  23. ^ "Fiscalía colombiana pidió información sobre la investigación de Fifa". ElTiempo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  24. ^ "FIFA scandal: Costa Rica opens money laundering probe of Eduardo Li". TicoTimes.net. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  25. ^ "FIFA: Maas fordert umfassende Aufklärung des Skandals". focus.de (in German). Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  26. ^ "THE LATEST: Former FIFA vice president Warner surrenders". federalnewsradio.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  27. ^ "Russia calls FIFA probe an 'illegal' application of U.S. laws". Yahoo Sports. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  28. ^ "Bundesrat Ueli Maurer ruft an FIFA-Kongress zu Reformen auf". cash.ch (in German). May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  29. ^ "Fifa: David Cameron backs calls for Sepp Blatter to quit". BBC News. BBC. May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  30. ^ "Fifa's Sepp Blatter should go, says David Cameron". BBC News. May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  31. ^ concacaf.com CONCACAF Statement
  32. ^ "AFC opposes any move to delay FIFA elections – AFC". the-afc.com. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  33. ^ "Press release to the general public". conmebol.com. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  34. ^ "UEFA shows this FIFA the red card". UEFA.com. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  35. ^ Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN (May 28, 2015). "FIFA President Sepp Blatter: Punish the 'few' offenders – CNN.com". CNN. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  36. ^ "Costa Rica no votará por Joseph Blatter en elecciones de FIFA". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved May 28, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  37. ^ "David Gill confirms he will not take up FIFA executive committee post". Sky Sports. May 30, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  38. ^ "Fifa corruption scandal live: Sepp Blatter urged to resign". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  39. ^ "Fifa crisis: South Africa 'admits $10m football payout'". BBC News. May 31, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  40. ^ "NASL STATEMENT ON U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATION". NASL.com. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  41. ^ "Sepp Blatter to Resign as FIFA President". The New York Times. June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  42. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/01/world/americas/ex-fifa-official-jack-warner-cites-onion-article-in-defense.html?_r=0
  43. ^ 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
  44. ^ http://www.eurosport.com/football/south-korea-results-from-2002-world-cup-now-under-scrutiny_sto4758133/story.shtml

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