FIFA's #2 already flipping.......

[LaJolla Lion]

I just wonder how deep this will actually get. Buying elections in other countries? They need to just blow up FIFA now, get entirely new blood in there (what the PSU BoT should have done) and get a fresh start. The Russia and Qatar world cups were obviously bought and I'm wondering now if they ever come to pass. Qatar for certain simply because they are pretty much killing their slave labor to get stadiums built. Russia is a bit to close in the calendar to back out now, so they may keep their cup.

Sepp will eventually go down, but I'm wondering how many more like Warner will flip on him and that whole corrupt organization. It seems like the arrests last week were just the very tip of the iceberg.



http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cu...vice-president-jack-warner-fears-for-his-life

 

[kgilbert78]

I just wonder how deep this will actually get. Buying elections in other countries? They need to just blow up FIFA now, get entirely new blood in there (what the PSU BoT should have done) and get a fresh start. The Russia and Qatar world cups were obviously bought and I'm wondering now if they ever come to pass. Qatar for certain simply because they are pretty much killing their slave labor to get stadiums built. Russia is a bit to close in the calendar to back out now, so they may keep their cup.

Sepp will eventually go down, but I'm wondering how many more like Warner will flip on him and that whole corrupt organization. It seems like the arrests last week were just the very tip of the iceberg.



http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cu...vice-president-jack-warner-fears-for-his-life

I will say that I had no trouble with Russia getting it. It was about time they got one. *How* they got it is another thing....

 

[JBDLion]

I will say that I had no trouble with Russia getting it. It was about time they got one. *How* they got it is another thing....

Russia getting it made a lot of sense since they could re-use the Olympic facilities. Qatar never made any sense, especially since they're then going to alter the professional calendar to have a winter World Cup. I really hope that one gets moved.

 

[kgilbert78]

Russia getting it made a lot of sense since they could re-use the Olympic facilities.

Not for that reason. The Olympics were in one rather small city--and they won't build a stadium there for soccer (and the remaining Winter Olympic facilities are too small). Perhaps there were some airport infrastructure updates that would help. But Sochi was really in the middle of nowhere.

 

[dwiz]

It seems that a few individuals are the only ones who get rich off these events (Olympics, world cup). The city always loses millions of dollars, they end up with mostly unusable stadiums and other sports arenas. They need to stop selling these events to the high bidder and just put them in places where the stadiums are built. If that means the world cup is in europe every year, so be it.

 

[PennSt8er]

The BoT is a smaller version of FIFA.

 

[JBDLion]

Not for that reason. The Olympics were in one rather small city--and they won't build a stadium there for soccer (and the remaining Winter Olympic facilities are too small). Perhaps there were some airport infrastructure updates that would help. But Sochi was really in the middle of nowhere.

Russia at least has a legitimate professional soccer league so I would hope they would be re-using some of those stadiums.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

It would be so SWEET if they could tie the money trail directly to Putin or a Putin family member. That would put the cherry on top.

That family member is probably already dead or in hiding.

 

[tgar]

I will say that I had no trouble with Russia getting it. It was about time they got one. *How* they got it is another thing....

F2ck Russia getting the World Cup. What have they ever done to deserve one?

 

[Obliviax]

first, nobody cares if Putin is dirty. In fact, he is. Everyone knows it but nobody can do anything about it.

second, after the FIFA officials, there is an army of politicians that let them get away with it. Did people not know? Of course they did. And they've known for decades. Why was nothing done? To me, that is as scandalous as the core FIFA corruption. This could go on for decades once the layers of the onion get pealed away.

Finally, if you've ever done business overseas, this is the way things get done. When I was in Russia, it was explained to me that a certain "official" needed a new flat screen TV. At the time, that was ~ $8,000. If you offered X, out of the gate, they wanted X times two. If you didn't offer anything, you were shunned. The game was in knowing where to start, as to be reasonable, and then where to end. But the start dictated the end.

I do have to give major props to the USA's new AG. She's been a big part of the effort to finally address this obvious problem.

 

[NittPicker]

It seems that a few individuals are the only ones who get rich off these events (Olympics, world cup). The city always loses millions of dollars, they end up with mostly unusable stadiums and other sports arenas. They need to stop selling these events to the high bidder and just put them in places where the stadiums are built. If that means the world cup is in europe every year, so be it.

I'm sure bidding for the Olympics is every bit as corrupt as it is for the World Cup. I agree with the idea those events should be rotated among the same sites. For example, I think the Winter Olympics should be rotated between four permanent sites. 1) Nordic Europe 2) North America 3) Alpine Europe 4) Northeast Asia. The exact sites TBD but the same sites would host on a 16 year rotation. For the Summer Olympics? 1) North America 2) Europe 3) Asia 4) Australia. One caveat is no country can host a summer AND winter games. The World Cup can settle on something similar. If someone is left out?? Too bad.

 

[Obliviax]

My point on Putin is merely to embarrass him. Expose him as the megalomaniac and two-bit thug that he is. He's been working overtime to steal the fortunes that were stolen by the original oligarchs and to restore "The Empire" to what he views as its proper place.

I just want to see him squirm.

Well, I am not sure how much more "exposed" he can possibly be. He is murdering dissidents and doing it with a message. Even though everyone knows he's a thug, he doesn't seem to be too embarrassed by it. Russia really reminds me of the formative years of Nazi Germany; Everyone knows what is going on but, for the most part, its been good for them. So on it goes until there is a major collapse, of some type. We just don't know when or how. When Putin goes, there will be a major power vacuum and history (like nature) doesn't like a vacuum.

 

[TheHumbleBuckeye]

first, nobody cares if Putin is dirty. In fact, he is. Everyone knows it but nobody can do anything about it.

second, after the FIFA officials, there is an army of politicians that let them get away with it. Did people not know? Of course they did. And they've known for decades. Why was nothing done? To me, that is as scandalous as the core FIFA corruption. This could go on for decades once the layers of the onion get pealed away.

Finally, if you've ever done business overseas, this is the way things get done. When I was in Russia, it was explained to me that a certain "official" needed a new flat screen TV. At the time, that was ~ $8,000. If you offered X, out of the gate, they wanted X times two. If you didn't offer anything, you were shunned. The game was in knowing where to start, as to be reasonable, and then where to end. But the start dictated the end.

I do have to give major props to the USA's new AG. She's been a big part of the effort to finally address this obvious problem.

(slow clap)

My wife is from a former Soviet state. She said the exact same thing ("That's how things are done over there"). The faux outrage is hilarious.

 

[wbcincy]

Russia should keep its bid, we're too close now and its at least a country with a legitimate soccer program and the necessary facilities to host it.

However, Qatar is an absolute joke and needs to be corrected now. Forget the bribery thing entirely. Forget the fact that it'll have to be moved to the middle of the professional seasons. That's all nominal compared with what's happening there. They're slaughtering human slaves to build this stuff. More slave workers will die building their stadiums than died in the 9/11 attacks in this country. They take their passports when they arrive, then force them to work in horrid conditions for as long as they want until they decide to let them leave. The world is just going to be ok with that? It's f'ing insane and needs to be corrected yesterday.

 

[tgar]

If they go through with hosting the World Cup, I hope it further bankrupts that country. Spending insane amounts of money for stadiums, infrastructure and bribes to host the WC and the Olympics to make them more relevant is 1950s behind the Iron Curtain thinking. Russia doesn't deserve the WC.

 

[psuro]

Sochi is also hosting a Formula One Car Race this year. First one in Russia I think.

 

[tgar]

Has anybody looked at the bunch of 45,000 seat stadiums they are using? Is this the 2018 World Cup or the one from 1970?

 

[kgilbert78]

FWIW, FIFA reminds me of UCI, the world pro cycling governing body. Also located in Switzerland, BTW. UCI was completely clued in to Armstrong's doping for years and years. They turned a blind eye to "Fancy Pants Lance" and punished others.

The only reason they went after Lance is because the French didn't like Lance winning more than the 5 one of their French heroes won. They would have been ok otherwise--as everyone was cheating.

 

[psu00]

Sochi is also hosting a Formula One Car Race this year. First one in Russia I think.

Sochi is also close to a ghost town now with many of the Olympic venues and Olympic village in stages of disrepair. There was an TV show about it not long ago (given the record $51 billion price tag to stage the games) that looked back 1 year post games- pretty shocking.

I have no idea what Russian soccer stadiums are like or what construction they've done for the World Cup. Odd there's been very little press on the preparation- especially given the coverage of Brazil construction and even Qatar with the construction deaths and slave like labor.

 

[Obliviax]

Sochi is also close to a ghost town now with many of the Olympic venues and Olympic village in stages of disrepair. There was an TV show about it not long ago (given the record $51 billion price tag to stage the games) that looked back 1 year post games- pretty shocking.

I have no idea of what Russian soccer stadiums are like or what construction they've done for the World Cup. Odd there's been very little press on the preparation- especially given the coverage of Brazil construction and even Qatar with the construction deaths and slave like labor.

This is really a great example of why free-market/capitalist countries do better over the long run. These events are simply ego boosts for the uber wealthy oligarchs. Once the thrill is gone, the investment drags down the country because it is, for the most part, wasted. This happens in the west, as well, but the outrageous waste is avoided. There are problems with only engaging in new projects when there is a sound business case, it keeps massively wasteful projects from being initiated.

 

[psu00]

This is really a great example of why free-market/capitalist countries do better over the long run. These events are simply ego boosts for the uber wealthy oligarchs. Once the thrill is gone, the investment drags down the country because it is, for the most part, wasted. This happens in the west, as well, but the outrageous waste is avoided. There are problems with only engaging in new projects when there is a sound business case, it keeps massively wasteful projects from being initiated.

Very true. I think London did a pretty good job of 'post games' planning in terms of their facilities for when the games were over. This is obviously a bigger issue for the Olympics given the variety of venues needed that likely won't be used after (and why just about every democratic country won't bid for them anymore). . In terms of the World Cup- all you need are stadiums (stadia?) that exist in every major country already. If they took the WC from Russia or Qatar tomorrow- most of Europe, Australia, America, Canada etc could host it immediately.

 

[kgilbert78]

Very true. I think London did a pretty good job of 'post games' planning in terms of their facilities for when the games were over. This is obviously a bigger issue for the Olympics given the variety of venues needed that likely won't be used after (and why just about every democratic country won't bid for them anymore). . In terms of the World Cup- all you need are stadiums (stadia?) that exist in every major country already. If they took the WC from Russia or Qatar tomorrow- most of Europe, Australia, America, Canada etc could host it immediately.

That said, Germany for one, used the opportunity to rebuild a lot of their stadums in 2006. Very few of the stadiums used in 2006 were the same as those used in 1974 (though some were on the same sites, they had been drastically rebuilt).