FBI investigate FIFA

I think the Germans are taking the right stance. FIFA sorts itself out or they leave. Enough of the world's 'Big Boys' do that and they'd have no choice. Germany are the perfect people to be leading the charge as well because there's another four years before they aren't the World Cup holders. I say we all walk away if they can't get rid of that old bastard (and some of the bastards near him!!)

 

FBI are the modern day storm troopers of the US, the shock troops of the US senate.

They're 'foreign policy' is to use fear, intimidation or any other means available to insinuate and inject US legislation, which has nothing to do with anyone outside of US, into foreign and international corporate targets.

Football is massive, yielding world wide influence and power. The US currently has little access to or involvement with this power, it is currently 'out of their hands'.

You may think FIFA is corrupt but they're actions are benign compared to the scale of fear, bribery and corruption which WILL ensue if the US unleash their storm troopers who will land and invade European interests dressed in bullet proof pin stripes and armed with brief cases full of US affidavits, extradition papers and their own weapon of mass destruction, brown envelopes.

 

So effectively, what you're saying is "better the devil you know"? Pretty hopeless situation...

 

Better the devil we know than the other devil we know BK.

It'll only be hopeless if member nations dont attempt to grasp the nettle. Maybe top 10/15 nations developing plans for an alternative to FIFA. FIFA would be nothing without them.

Both Sky and BT who have been vociferous with their claims of alleged corruption so, I think they would both back a new controling body.

 

You only have to google FBI FIFA.

 

I was just posting the phrase as it's said, hence the quotation marks. I was implying "we".

The problem is that FIFA is so large as an organisation that they have hands in everyone's pockets. It's very simple for us to sit and say, "15 countries' FAs should leave FIFA", but if it was that simple it would have already been done. Look how hard it was for the Feds to pin down Lance Armstrong. Only one man, but with so much power and control over so many people that it was almost impossible to pin anything against him - it took years and years. FIFA is probably a similar situation but 1000x larger. Nobody will testify against Blatter/FIFA. And those that do, or those that try/threaten to leave FIFA, will probably be punished behind closed doors until they back down.

If any country decides to leave FIFA, FIFA probably have the right to ban football in that country. I'm pretty sure they hold the rights to all things football. No FIFA, no football. Hopeless.

 

cannot possibly see how FIFA can ban football being played in any country regardless of whether they are a FIFA member or not. I am sure Gibralter had their own league before admittance was granted to FIFA as did Andorra blah blah blah

 

The US is a million times more powerful than FIFA, if they can starve Russian politicians of cash you can bet they can do it to a boss of a sport.

 

Personally, I don't think Russian politicians are as powerful as a global organisation like FIFA. It's not just the 'boss' of a sport. It's the sport itself. Like I said before, the Feds couldn't even stop funding to Lance Armstrong even though he had allegations and investigations surrounding him. They couldn't stop sponsors pumping money to him as, technically, he'd done nothing wrong (technically the case with FIFA too - innocent until proven guilty...). They even had testimonies and evidence against him at one stage, but Armstrong's power and contacts led to that federal investigation being completely dropped with no charges for no reason. That's just one man. Imagine the power and contacts that a global organisation like FIFA have. They'll know someone from every corner of the world to get them out of trouble.

Musty, I do agree that there is other football outside of FIFA, but is it important? Not at all. There's a reason why there is no other rival organisation to FIFA. It's because as soon as football becomes important, FIFA take control of it to make sure that they monopolise the football market. Despite there being other football, FIFA will know about every single team and tournament and will, no doubt, be monitoring to see make sure they don't let them grow too much before they take the reigns.

I'm done with this posting to this thread now as, beyond what I've said in my last two posts, I'm getting out of my depth and haven't got the time to research the subject further due to work. Like all of you, I hate FIFA, can feel that they are corrupt and I want football to change, but I hold the opinion that it will definitely not be as simple as is being made out to, firstly, set up a rival football organisation and, secondly, to press charges against FIFA.

 

The extreme majority of people will know that if Russia wanted Sepp Blatter dead then he would be dead, it won't happen the other way around. FIFA is nothing compared to politics, don't forget FIFA was effectively out of existence because of World War 2 and FIFA executives were told fight or go to jail. The same applies today.

 

Football is full of anachronisms and projections of control. For example, the influence of the Home Countries persists despite the fact that the football strength of those entities waned a long, long, long time ago. FIFA exists because regional and national associations choose to affiliate; but only because they choose to affiliate. There is nothing stopping a domestic football association from saying enough is enough and ceasing to affiliate. Now, this is going to bring sanctions on to the clubs of that association playing outside their domestic competitions, however, this may be a temporary situation depending on whether this trade action goes viral and other associations act the same way and subsequently form their own regional or global governing body. If big domestic associations like Germany, England, Spain, Italy and France decide enough is enough then gravity will take over. This is going to be a club driven effect more than the domestic association, which will act on the majority vote of its membership clubs and leagues. Money from sponsorship and media will stick with the clubs and competitions that include the top clubs .... and the associations that sanction those competitions. If FIFA loses members then they will lose money, as the money will go where it needs to in order to preserve its association with the assets (players, clubs and competitions) that can be monetized. FIFA is not something that can be monetized, it has no assets of its own to monetize only those assets on which it tries to project control that choose to affiliate. It's a house of cards.

We have already seen such radical transformations domestically with the formation of the EPL. Initially a group of clubs decided that the Football League was an anachronism and obstruction to their collective best interests, business strategy and model and succeeded from the "union" forming their own league. The FA could do nothing but recognize it and the Football League had to accept the new status quo.

 

There is also some talk of British teams and UEFA boycotting the 2018 World Cup to force changes at FIFA. UEFA should just withdraw from FIFA, set up a rival organization and get other countries to join.

 

Ahem. Called it. ;-)