Three cheers for the FBI.

Here we go......

Fifa corruption: Swiss banks 'reported possible money laundering'


Swiss prosecutors are investigating 53 cases of possible money laundering in their inquiry into bidding for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups.
Attorney General Michael Lauber said the incidents had been reported by Swiss banks.
He said his office was analysing a "huge amount" of seized Fifa data in its inquiry.
The Swiss investigation is running in parallel to one being carried out by the US.
The 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively. But leading Fifa official Domenico Scala has said the awards could be cancelled if evidence emerges of bribery.
Both countries deny any wrongdoing.

'Complex' inquiry.

Fifa is facing claims of widespread corruption after Swiss police raided a hotel in Zurich - where Fifa is based - and arrested seven of its top executives last month.
The seven were held at the request of the US justice department which has charged 14 current and former Fifa officials and associates on charges of "rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted" corruption.
The charges follow a three-year inquiry by the FBI.
Also in May, Swiss prosecutors opened separate criminal proceedings "against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering" in connection with the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
However, until now, much less has been revealed about the Swiss investigation than the inquiry being led by the FBI.
Mr Lauber told a news conference that the investigation was "huge and complex on many levels" and would take a long time.
"We note positively that banks in Switzerland did fulfil their duties to file suspicious activity reports. Partly in addition to 104 banking relations already known to the authorities, banks announced 53 suspicious banking relations via the anti-money-laundering framework of Switzerland," he said.
Mr Lauber said he did not rule out interviews with Fifa president Sepp Blatter as part of his investigation.
Mr Blatter has denied any wrongdoing and announced earlier this month that he will resign.
Mr Lauber said his investigation was separate from that being carried out by the FBI and that documents and data would not be shared automatically with the US.
He added: "The world of football needs to be patient. By its nature, this investigation will take more than the legendary 90 minutes."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33163918

One of the reasons i said i thought the $150,000,000 figure was low was that there were a lot of opportunities for grafting and other forms of corruption apart from the efforts of national governments to get the venue for the cup. So, as an example, contractors who could expect to get lucrative contracts if their home country were selected would have a motive for passing large quantities of cash under the table to help assure a successful bid. Hotel owners and others who could expect to profit would have the same motive. I suspect that what U.S. and Swiss investigations have and will turn up represent just the tip of the corruption ice berg. There are many billions of dollars in play here.

Agreed. I also think that this investigation will spark another and another, for years to come.
They won't get everyone, but the many hundreds of key players in this saga will have a very uncomfortable few years ahead, thinking that any minute someone will be banging on their door.

I can see a wholesale clearout at FIFA, and the entire thing starting up again from scratch.
Havelange started all this filth and corruption back in 1971, some 44 years ago, so I definitely think it's right to think in billions, rather than millions.

A Modern Nursery Rhyme from Private Eye:

Little Jack Warner
Sat in the corner
A finger in every pie.
A surprise was in store
With a knock at the door
O look! It's the FBI!

There's stuff you wouldn't even think of. National teams (mostly African) are contracted to play games behind closed doors with the officials also provided by the contractor resulting in huge bets in illegal gambling dens in places like Hong Kong.

And with the final score already determined before the kick off in most cases, if truth be known.

That's why the contractor chooses the match officials (which is illegal btw, but still goes on.)

It's hardly cricket.

I wonder what lawsuits Morocco, and Russia and Qatar will land them with (assuming the Russian and Qatar bids are annulled?

The scale of it takes the breath away.

If promises of games are pulled after extensive monies are spent to hold the games you can kiss the modern olympics goodbye. No one is going to take that kind of risk. Let the olympic committee and FIFA build their own ******* facilities we will say.

The Americans and the Europeans might best think twice before we pounce, our drive to hurt Russia and play the make believe holy roller will come at great cost. But then our ability to properly evaluate has long sucked, we are too delusional and too stupid.

It's not the Olympics, and it's not a back handed way of going for Russia. You don't seem to comprehend the enormity of what's going on, try to think a bit bigger for once.

I think that the lawsuits would be difficult to prove/win, if there is clear evidence that bribes were given to get that tournament in the first place.

I think that Russia will keep it, purely because of the psycho Putin factor.

Qatar can revert to their annual camel race, for all I care.

The olympics committee plays the exact same game as FIFA does. And promises must be kept unless there is an extremely good reason not to, the world order as we know it collapses if this does not happen. When the corruption has been going on this long punishing only the most recent partakers of the system is unjust. I swear, the Western Elite are so stupid that they would cut off their own heads and never realize what they were doing. Smarter saner heads must prevail.

Richard Pound already sorted out the Olympic mess. That's why he's been suggested to take a six-month kick at FIFA as well.

The whole Western elite shtick sounds kinda goofy coming from an American business owner. >>>You<<< are the elite.

Truth can come from anywhere. Being as concerned as you are about who the speaker is almost always a truth avoidance mechanism.

you're entertaining when you puff up

Sounds like someone's trying to get out.

avoidance.

Was that a titter that just ran thru the room?

oh I'm not saying you're not speaking the truth when you say this



I'm saying I find it amusing coming from a member of the Western Elite.