FIFA Corruption - the 9 who have been arrested
At long last someone is doing something about the alleged corruption inside FIFA, something that has been so latent to the man in the street.
England are of course the country that stood up and wanted to unearth it, wanted transparency after suspected vote rigging. What did other delegates do, tell England to be quiet and stop making waves. That is a story i remember from a few years ago now and since then we have had the mockery of voting for two World Cups, one insanely given to Qatar, obviously not for footballing reasons.
FIFA, run by a man who holds a one man election and refuses other candidates after his opponent is allegedly found to have taken and distributed bribes. Were we surprised, not a bit of it, are we surprised there have been arrests today, not in the slightest.
Remember the World Cup, where the son of FIFA's number two was selling tickets to touts. It's hardly surprising that senior officials are now facing extradition from Switzerland to the US to face charges. Swiss authorities are beginning criminal proceedings over the awarding of the 2018 and the 2022 World Cups.
Nine officials have been arrested and Swiss federal authorities want to talk to 10 more FIFA Executive Committee members. The arrests rook place at the hotel hosting their annual conference while a raid took place at Fifa's headquarters. A string of officials and sports industry representatives have also been arrested. This all follows an investigation by US federal authorities that has been going on for years.
In 2013 Jack Warner's sons, Daryl and Daryan Warner pleaded guilty to corruption charges, Chuck Blazer, a former Fifa executive committee member and former Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) general secretary, has admitted taking a string of bribes, José Hawilla, owner and founder of the Brazilian sports management company Traffic Group, has pleaded guilty to corruption charges including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering.
The 9 FIFA officials arrested are:
Jack Warner - former president of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) - he has been implicated in corruption allegations dating back to the 1980's.
Jeffrey Webb - president of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and a Fifa vice-president.
Eugenio Figueredo - a Fifa vice-president and executive committee member, former president of the South American football confederation (Conmebol).
Julio Rocha - the Fifa development officer, former president of the Nicaragua football federation and headed the Central American Football Union (UNCAF).
Eduardo Li - Fifa executive committee member-elect, Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) executive committee member and the president of the Costa Rican football federation (Fedefutbol).
Rafael Esquivel - president of the Venezuelan Football Federation and South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) executive committee member.
José Maria Marin - ex-president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, member of the Fifa organising committee for the Olympic football tournaments.
Costas Takkas - former general secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association, attaché to arrested Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) president Jeffrey Webb
Nicolás Leoz - led South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) from 1986-2013, former FIFA executive committee member
Wanted for questioning:
Issa Hayatou - heads the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Fifa executive, sits on a number of its committees including a 2018 World Cup committee. A Sunday Times investigation allege he was involved in bribes over the awarding of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Ángel María Villar Llona - president of the Spanish Football Federation, member of Fifa’s executive committee and organising committee for the World Cup.
Michel D’Hooghe - honorary president of the Belgium Football Association, Fifa executive committee, president of the Belgian club FC Bruges, Fifa chief medical officer, he accepted an expensive painting from an adviser to Russia’s 2018 bid which he claimed had no value, his son has been employed as a surgeon in Qatar’s Aspetar sports medicine hospital.
Şenes Erzik - honorary president of the Turkish Football Association, Fifa executive committee member, former vice-president of Uefa referees committee.
Worawi Makudi - President of the Thailand Football Association, Thailand completed a gas deal with Qatar shortly before the vote for the 2022 World Cup. Lord Triesman, former chairman of the FA, raised allegations that Makudi demanded television rights to a friendly between England and Thailand in return for his vote.
Marios Lefkaritis - honorary president of the Cyprus FA, Fifa executive committee, Uefa vice-president. Lefkaritis’s family was paid £27 million for a strip of land by the Qatar Investment Authority.
Jacques Anouma - president of the Ivorian FA, Fifa executive committee, federation reportedly received hundreds of thousands of US dollars from private slush funds allegedly controlled by Qatari football chief Mohamed bin Hammam.
Rafael Salguero - vice-chairman of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), Fifa executive committee
Hany Abo Rida - vice-president of the Egyptian FA, Fifa executive committee, executive committee member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Vitaly Mutko - Russian sports minister, chair of Moscow’s 2018 bid committee
England are of course the country that stood up and wanted to unearth it, wanted transparency after suspected vote rigging. What did other delegates do, tell England to be quiet and stop making waves. That is a story i remember from a few years ago now and since then we have had the mockery of voting for two World Cups, one insanely given to Qatar, obviously not for footballing reasons.
FIFA, run by a man who holds a one man election and refuses other candidates after his opponent is allegedly found to have taken and distributed bribes. Were we surprised, not a bit of it, are we surprised there have been arrests today, not in the slightest.
Remember the World Cup, where the son of FIFA's number two was selling tickets to touts. It's hardly surprising that senior officials are now facing extradition from Switzerland to the US to face charges. Swiss authorities are beginning criminal proceedings over the awarding of the 2018 and the 2022 World Cups.
Nine officials have been arrested and Swiss federal authorities want to talk to 10 more FIFA Executive Committee members. The arrests rook place at the hotel hosting their annual conference while a raid took place at Fifa's headquarters. A string of officials and sports industry representatives have also been arrested. This all follows an investigation by US federal authorities that has been going on for years.
In 2013 Jack Warner's sons, Daryl and Daryan Warner pleaded guilty to corruption charges, Chuck Blazer, a former Fifa executive committee member and former Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) general secretary, has admitted taking a string of bribes, José Hawilla, owner and founder of the Brazilian sports management company Traffic Group, has pleaded guilty to corruption charges including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering.
The 9 FIFA officials arrested are:
Jack Warner - former president of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) - he has been implicated in corruption allegations dating back to the 1980's.
Jeffrey Webb - president of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and a Fifa vice-president.
Eugenio Figueredo - a Fifa vice-president and executive committee member, former president of the South American football confederation (Conmebol).
Julio Rocha - the Fifa development officer, former president of the Nicaragua football federation and headed the Central American Football Union (UNCAF).
Eduardo Li - Fifa executive committee member-elect, Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) executive committee member and the president of the Costa Rican football federation (Fedefutbol).
Rafael Esquivel - president of the Venezuelan Football Federation and South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) executive committee member.
José Maria Marin - ex-president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, member of the Fifa organising committee for the Olympic football tournaments.
Costas Takkas - former general secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association, attaché to arrested Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) president Jeffrey Webb
Nicolás Leoz - led South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) from 1986-2013, former FIFA executive committee member
Wanted for questioning:
Issa Hayatou - heads the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Fifa executive, sits on a number of its committees including a 2018 World Cup committee. A Sunday Times investigation allege he was involved in bribes over the awarding of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Ángel María Villar Llona - president of the Spanish Football Federation, member of Fifa’s executive committee and organising committee for the World Cup.
Michel D’Hooghe - honorary president of the Belgium Football Association, Fifa executive committee, president of the Belgian club FC Bruges, Fifa chief medical officer, he accepted an expensive painting from an adviser to Russia’s 2018 bid which he claimed had no value, his son has been employed as a surgeon in Qatar’s Aspetar sports medicine hospital.
Şenes Erzik - honorary president of the Turkish Football Association, Fifa executive committee member, former vice-president of Uefa referees committee.
Worawi Makudi - President of the Thailand Football Association, Thailand completed a gas deal with Qatar shortly before the vote for the 2022 World Cup. Lord Triesman, former chairman of the FA, raised allegations that Makudi demanded television rights to a friendly between England and Thailand in return for his vote.
Marios Lefkaritis - honorary president of the Cyprus FA, Fifa executive committee, Uefa vice-president. Lefkaritis’s family was paid £27 million for a strip of land by the Qatar Investment Authority.
Jacques Anouma - president of the Ivorian FA, Fifa executive committee, federation reportedly received hundreds of thousands of US dollars from private slush funds allegedly controlled by Qatari football chief Mohamed bin Hammam.
Rafael Salguero - vice-chairman of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), Fifa executive committee
Hany Abo Rida - vice-president of the Egyptian FA, Fifa executive committee, executive committee member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Vitaly Mutko - Russian sports minister, chair of Moscow’s 2018 bid committee
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