33 replies to this topic

[RobH]

This is such a significant development that it's worth a new thread. And it's exactly what Andrew Jennings was referring to back in October

FIFA ordered to release ISL papers

FIFA has been ordered by a Swiss court to release documents that could pave the way to finally naming high-ranking officials who allegedly took millions of dollars in kickbacks from World Cup broadcast deals.

Football's world governing body said earlier this month that it had been forced to delay publication of the eagerly awaited documentation relating to the collapse of its former marketing partner ISL in 2001, with debts of $300 million (£188 million/€216 million), because of legal objections from one of the parties involved.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter wanted to make public details of the 10-year-old case as part as part of his plan to clean up the organisation.

Those named in an ISL payments list are alleged to include former FIFA President João Havelange; his ex-son-in-law Ricardo Teixeira, the President of the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) and controversial head of the 2014 World Cup Organising Committee; Nicolas Leoz, boss of CONMEBOL, the South American Confederation; and Confederation of African (CAF) football chief Issa Hayatou.

Teixeira and Hayatou are senior members of FIFA's Executive Committee while Havelange quit the International Olympic Committee (IOC) earlier this month before the result of a probe by the organisation's Ethics Commission into his alleged ISL dealings was known.

Swiss prosecutors initially investigated the case, which was settled after it was reported that two unnamed FIFA officials had paid back 5.5 million Swiss francs (£3.8 million/$5.9 million/€4.5 million) on condition of anonymity.

The relevant papers have since remained behind closed doors but in the latest twist to proceedings, the Supreme Court of the Canton of Zug has asked FIFA to release a court document identifying two officials alleged to have accepted bribes.

The court granted a joint application by the prosecutor's office and the Zurich business publication Handelszeitung, which had apparently appealed several times against publication being blocked.

The document in question is believed to give details of the original settlement.

Dealing with the ISL case has become a major part of Blatter's promised two-year road map to reform in his final four-year term of office following a spate of bribery and corruption scandals over the past 12 months.

As a result, FIFA said in a statement it would not appeal against the Zug court decision, which apparently scraps anonymity protection, "as it corresponds to the position of FIFA and its President, Joseph S Blatter, to open the ISL/ISMM case file".

http://www.insideworldfootball.biz/worldfootball/42-news/10129-fifa-ordered-to-release-isl-papers

Edited by RobH, 29 December 2011 - 09:17 AM.

[tikus_kecil]

If the corruption is uncovered, then would it lead to re-select the 202 host ?

[RobH]

No, can't see that happening. SLC kept the 2002 Olympics despite the scandal surrounding that election (and that was directly related to the vote itself, this isn't). And besides, if 2022 is rerun because of this, 2018 would have to be as well since both had the same electorate.

What this release will do is prove beyond any reasonable doubt what we know of the ExCo and how it operates, demonstrate the continuing ridiculousness of Blatter's tenure at the top of FIFA, and by implication damage the credibility of the 2018/22 process even further.

After the suspension of two ExCo members before the vote for accepting bribes, the removal of Warner and Bin Hamman after the vote for organising bribes, we'll see two more members of FIFA's inner circle walking to the chopping block, and the reputations of the current and former FIFA Presidents will be badly damaged in the process.

At the end of this, out of the 24 men who voted for the 2018/22 hosts A QUARTER will have been found guilty of accepting or organising bribes or kickbacks, and the President will be seen to have tried to cover this up. Little of this relates directly to the 2018/22 process but you don't need to be a genius to see how damaging it is to the credibiility of any host chosen by this clique. The 2018/22 processes won't be re-run I don't think, but this will make Qatar's already difficult job of convincing the world it is a legitimate World Cup host much harder.

Edited by RobH, 29 December 2011 - 10:14 AM.

[MrCatra]

If the corruption is uncovered, then would it lead to re-select the 202 host ?

lol no. 2022 belongs to the Great Nation of Qatar. Just like 2018 belongs to the Great Nation of Russia!

No amount of crying will change that.

[RobH]

Brazil's FIFA member Ricardo Teixeira expected to file appeal in Swiss federal court against publication of infamous ISL bribery file.

Teixeira's legal action could mean FIFA's plans to publish file delayed by as long as six months.

https://twitter.com/#!/martynziegler

[Bezzi]

Well, who don't make anything wrong, don't fear, then ...

[DannyelBrazil]

If the corruption is uncovered, then would it lead to re-select the 202 host ?

I hope not.
All the bribery and the scandal should be investigated and the bad guys, if proved, should be sent to jail.
But, no changing of World Cup host, or the future will be the hell about fake scandals...

[Sir Rols]

Gotta agree, FIFA made their choices ... now they can just live with them!

[MrCatra]

Well, who don't make anything wrong, don't fear, then ...

actually that's a very wrong proverb.

One that didn't do anything wrong when faced with false accusations won't know how to defend himself. He can only say "I didn't do anything wrong". or "Wasn't me" or "I'm innocent".

Let me throw an accusation towards you: you robbed little girls when you were younger, at least 3 told me you did but only if I promised I wouldn't reveal their identities. Since they were minors, the official registries can't be published unless the supreme court approves, which never happened before.

Now prove that you didn't...

Kinda hard, isn't it?

So as I said in a different thread:

"Actori incumbit onus probandi". Simple as phucking that. You accuse then you phucking prove it and if you can't prove what you say then what you say have no value whatsoever.

The ones that DID do something wrong they already have tons of excuses ready for when they get caught.

I'm serious now. I don't trust teixeira but you have to prove what you say otherwise you just make him look better, like many did in the past..

So he can say "I was investigated by the brazilian congress, by the federal police, by the scotland yard, by CIA and what the fatty journalist said couldn't be proved, so I'm the most innocent person in the world, nobody has been investigated like I was and still came up clean".

This is what a baseless accusation can do.

[Sir Rols]

"Exasperating" ISL dossier to be revealed by end of January, says Blatter

January 24 - The infamous ISL files naming high-ranking FIFA officials who allegedly took bribes could be released at the end of January according to FIFA President Sepp Blatter (pictured).

Late last year FIFA was ordered by a Swiss court to release documents that could pave the way to finally naming those who are claimed to have taken millions of dollars in kickbacks from World Cup broadcast deals.

Football's world governing body had previously said that it had been forced to delay publication of the eagerly awaited documentation relating to the collapse of its former marketing partner in 2001, with debts of $300 million (£188 million/€216 million), because of legal objections.

Blatter himself has been accused of deliberately dragging his feet for fear of incriminating colleagues named in the dossier, understood to include Ricardo Teixeira, President of the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) and controversial head of Brazil 2014; former FIFA President João Havelange; Nicolás Leoz, boss of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL); and Confederation of African Football (CAF) chief Issa Hayatou.

But Blatter insists he is as frustrated as anyone that FIFA has still not been able to release the infamous files.

"I've been trying to release this exasperating ISL dossier for a long time," he said.

"I'd be ready to do that today if only the court would allow it.

"If there are no new legal objections, it could happen at the end of January."

Blatter admitted he knows much of what the files contain.

"I'm roughly aware of the contents, but I don't know any of the legal details," he said.

"But this is a fact: I've not received any payments of any sort, as confirmed by the court back in 2010."

In a wide-ranging interview with Kicker magazine, Blatter also had another dig at the English media, partially blaming them for the vote-rigging scandals that marred the 2018 and 2022 World Cup ballots.

"Investigative journalists in England set traps, and people fell into them," said Blatter even though FIFA's own Ethics Committee ultimately banned a number of prominent powerbrokers over corruption charges and Blatter himself is leading FIFA's current reform programme.

And in what appeared to be another jibe at the English Football Association for attempting to get last June's FIFA election called off, Blatter added: "Only a tiny minority couldn't agree with their head.

"I was re-elected with more than 91 per cent of the votes, which is proof of the unity within the football family."

Turning to former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner's (pictured left) much-publicised claims that he was assigned World Cup rights by FIFA for a mere $1 (£0.64/€0.77) when Blatter was first elected President in 1998, Blatter responded: "That's not true.

"We had no influence on the assignment of these rights.

"He acquired them in 1986 from OTI (Organización de Telecomunicaciones Iberoamericanas).

"These stories are passed on unchecked."

And on the ongoing controversy over Qatar staging the 2022 World Cup in mid-summer, Blatter said time was running out to make any switch to the winter months.

"If there was to be any change, Qatar would have to submit a request to FIFA," he said.

"There's been no such request.

"If it was to come, the Executive or Congress would have to decide.

"It would have to happen soon, as we're in the process of drafting the international calendar from 2014 onwards.

"We can't draw up a calendar without knowing when the World Cup will be played."

... more: insideworldfootball