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Haha - nice timing by the Yanks and their Swiss counterparts - 2 days before the election of the FIFA President.

https://www.bj.admin.ch/bj/en/home/aktuell/news/2015/2015-05-27.html
Six Soccer officials detained pending extradition
Keywords: Corruption | Extradition

Press Release, FOJ, 27.05.2015
Berne. By order of the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ), six soccer officials were arrested in Zurich today (Wednesday) and detained pending extradition. The US authorities suspect them of having received bribes totaling in the USD millions.

The six soccer functionaries were arrested today in Zurich by the Zurich Cantonal Police . The FOJ’s arrest warrants were issued further to a request by the US authorities. The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating these individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and the present day. The bribery suspects – representatives of sports media and sports promotion firms – are alleged to have been involved in schemes to make payments to the soccer functionaries – delegates of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and other functionaries of FIFA sub-organizations – totaling more than USD 100 million. In return, it is believed that they received media, marketing, and sponsorship rights in connection with soccer tournaments in Latin America. According to the US request, these crimes were agreed and prepared in the US, and payments were carried out via US banks.

Questioning of detainees
The Zurich Cantonal Police will question the detainees today on behalf of the FOJ regarding the US request for their arrest. A simplified procedure will apply for wanted persons who agree to their immediate extradition. The FOJ can immediately approve their extradition to the US and order its execution. However, if a wanted person opposes their extradition, the FOJ will invite the US to submit a formal extradition request within the deadline of 40 days specified in the bilateral extradition treaty.

https://www.bj.admin.ch/bj/en/home/aktuell/news/2015/2015-05-27.html
 
Tax always plays a part and as Paul Keating used to say always bet on the horse called self interest.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...n-charges-live#block-5565688ae4b0cffd869176a9

Details of the FBI investigation which led to today’s arrests emerged in November last year via The New York Daily News - headline “Soccer Rat!” - which claimed Chuck Blazer, the former Fifa executive turned FBI informant, had used a bugging device to record meetings with his Fifa colleagues at the London 2012 Olympics.

The paper claimed how, faced with a multi-million dollar bill for unpaid tax on hidden earnings, Blazer agreed to cooperate with an investigation by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service. He then recorded meetings with Fifa colleagues on a bug hidden inside a key fob while staying at a Mayfair hotel during the Olympics.

The investigation into Blazer’s tax affairs turned up some choice claims about his lifestyle - including the revelation that Concacaf paid $18,000 a month for his Trump Towers apartment, and another $6,000 a month for a second Trump Towers flat, used mainly by his cats.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...n-charges-live#block-5565688ae4b0cffd869176a9
 

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http://www.theguardian.com/football...n-charges-live#block-5565688ae4b0cffd869176a9
18.06
The arrest of Concacaf’s president Jeffrey Webb comes a month after Blatter’s visit to the confederation’s congress in the Bahamas. The event made headlines for a speech by one of the delegates in support of Blatter’s re-election: the Dominican Republic FA head Osiris Guzman, back in the game after his ban in the 2011 Concacaf bribery scandal, comparing Blatter to Moses, Jesus and Nelson Mandela. The Turks and Caicos FA vice-president Olive Smithcalled for delegates to vote for Sepp “en bloc, to continue this mutually beneficial journey”, and Webb summed up by telling the hall: “Concacaf is – more than ever – united by one vision.”
 
http://www.theguardian.com/football...n-charges-live#block-5565688ae4b0cffd869176a9
18.10
The Guardian’s Josh Halliday has this summary of today’s developments, including details of those arrested.

Jeffrey Webb, president of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and a major figure in Fifa politics, was among those detained. His predecessor, Jack Warner,was also arrested, according to the New York Times. The others held by Swiss police are:Eugenio Figueredo, a Uruguayan Association football executive and former footballer; Eduardo Li, president of the Costa Rican football federation; Julio Rocha, a Fifa development officer;Rafael Esquivel, president of the Venezuelan Football Federation;José Maria Marin, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, and Nicolás Leoz, the former South American football president. Another suspect was named as Costas Takkas.Up to 15 officials are understood to be under investigation worldwide, so the arrests on Wednesday morning may be just the
 
http://www.theguardian.com/football...n-charges-live#block-5565688ae4b0cffd869176a9

World Cup votes - criminal proceedings opened
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice has announced it is now questioning 10 people who took part in voting on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids. More to follow.


What we know so far
Fifa are facing an unprecedented crisis on the eve of their congress in Zurich after Swiss authorities made early-morning arrests of six officials and opened separate criminal proceedings over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

  • Officers carried out a dawn raid on the five star Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich and arrested a number of officials on corruption charges, including Fifa vice-president Jeffrey Webb from the Cayman Islands.
  • In a separate move, officers raided Fifa’s headquarters in Zurich, seized electronic data and opened criminal proceedings “against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups,” said a statement from the Swiss attorney general.
 
diegodcg The President of brazilian football is in the toilet.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...n-charges-live#block-5565688ae4b0cffd869176a9
10.41 Zurich Time = 19.41AEST
The US Department of Justice statement names nine Fifa officials and five “corporate executives” who have been indicted for “Racketeering Conspiracy and Corruption”. The statement lists the individuals as:

Jeffrey Webb: Current Fifa vice president and executive committee member, CONCACAF president, Caribbean Football Union (CFU) executive committee member and Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) president.

Eduardo Li: Current Fifa executive committee member-elect, CONCACAF executive committee member and Costa Rican soccer federation (FEDEFUT) president.

Julio Rocha: Current Fifa development officer. Former Central American Football Union (UNCAF) president and Nicaraguan soccer federation (FENIFUT) president.

Costas Takkas: Current attaché to the CONCACAF president. Former CIFA general secretary.

Jack Warner: Former FIFA vice president and executive committee member, CONCACAF president, CFU president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) special adviser.

Eugenio Figueredo: Current FIFA vice president and executive committee member. Former CONMEBOL president and Uruguayan soccer federation (AUF) president.

Rafael Esquivel: Current CONMEBOL executive committee member and Venezuelan soccer federation (FVF) president.

José Maria Marin: Current member of the FIFA organizing committee for the Olympic football tournaments. Former CBF president.

Nicolás Leoz: Former FIFA executive committee member and CONMEBOL president.

Four of the defendants were sports marketing executives:

Alejandro Burzaco: Controlling principal of Torneos y Competencias S.A., a sports marketing business based in Argentina, and its affiliates.

Aaron Davidson: President of Traffic Sports USA Inc. (Traffic USA).

Hugo and Mariano Jinkis: Controlling principals of Full Play Group S.A., a sports marketing business based in Argentina, and its affiliates.
 
You can watch the FIFA press conference both statement and Q&A on their you Tube video. For some reason it only starts at 27.50 in the video with FIFA Diectr of Communications Walter De Gregorio. We get a few beauty spin lines in both the statement and Q&A's

Fifa’s spokesperson says world football’s governing body will respond to all requests for information, and draws attention to the attorney general’s line that “Fifa is the damaged party” in the World Cup investigation. Walter de Gregorio repeats that Fifa’s general secretary Jérôme Valcke and president Sepp Blatter are not involved. He adds: “Fifa are suffering in these circumstances. It is a difficult moment for us.”

Not the game but the corrupt organisation is suffering. :rolleyes:

De Gregorio is asked: is this the lowest moment in Fifa’s history? “This for Fifa is good. It is not good in terms of image or reputation, but in terms of cleaning up, this is good … It is not a nice day, but it is also a good day. The process goes on and we are looking forward.”'

How can Sepp Blatter continue in power? “He is not involved. That is important information.” Have you spoken to him since the arrests? “He is focused on the congress. Let’s put it like this. The stress factor is higher today than yesterday but he is relaxed. He is not involved. All the rest, he’ll accept what will happen.”
10 minutes later
Is Blatter really relaxed? “Well he is not dancing in his office. He is very calm, he is fully co-operative with everything. That’s what I meant. He’s not a happy man, saying wow wow.”


 
http://www.theguardian.com/football...n-charges-live#block-5565688ae4b0cffd869176a9
11.13 Zurich time
More from the US Department of Justice’s statement, which revealed that Fifa’s vice-president Jeffrey Webb was among those arrested early this morning.The US attorney general Loretta Lynch said the indictment alleged “corruption that is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States” and that it “spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks”.
 
The full USA Dept of Justice press release. There is a fair bit of meat in there. I will quote from bits of it

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nine-...ecutives-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and
Nine FIFA Officials and Five Corporate Executives Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy and Corruption
The Defendants Include Two Current FIFA Vice Presidents and the Current and Former Presidents of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF); Seven Defendants Arrested Overseas; Guilty Pleas for Four Individual Defendants and Two Corporate Defendants Also Unsealed

A 47-count indictment was unsealed early this morning in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging 14 defendants with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, among other offenses, in connection with the defendants’ participation in a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer. The guilty pleas of four individual defendants and two corporate defendants were also unsealed today.

The defendants charged in the indictment include high-ranking officials of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the organization responsible for the regulation and promotion of soccer worldwide, as well as leading officials of other soccer governing bodies that operate under the FIFA umbrella. Jeffrey Webb and Jack Warner – the current and former presidents of CONCACAF, the continental confederation under FIFA headquartered in the United States – are among the soccer officials charged with racketeering and bribery offenses. The defendants also include U.S. and South American sports marketing executives who are alleged to have systematically paid and agreed to pay well over $150 million in bribes and kickbacks to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments.
....
The guilty pleas of the four individual and two corporate defendants that were also unsealed today include the guilty pleas of Charles Blazer, the long-serving former general secretary of CONCACAF and former U.S. representative on the FIFA executive committee; José Hawilla, the owner and founder of the Traffic Group, a multinational sports marketing conglomerate headquartered in Brazil; and two of Hawilla’s companies, Traffic Sports International Inc. and Traffic Sports USA Inc., which is based in Florida.

“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” said Attorney General Lynch. “It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. And it has profoundly harmed a multitude of victims, from the youth leagues and developing countries that should benefit from the revenue generated by the commercial rights these organizations hold, to the fans at home and throughout the world whose support for the game makes those rights valuable. Today’s action makes clear that this Department of Justice intends to end any such corrupt practices, to root out misconduct, and to bring wrongdoers to justice – and we look forward to continuing to work with other countries in this effort.”
......
“Today’s announcement should send a message that enough is enough,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Currie. “After decades of what the indictment alleges to be brazen corruption, organized international soccer needs a new start – a new chance for its governing institutions to provide honest oversight and support of a sport that is beloved across the world, increasingly so here in the United States. Let me be clear: this indictment is not the final chapter in our investigation.”
....
“As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world,” said Director Comey. “Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA. I want to commend the investigators and prosecutors around the world who have pursued this case so diligently, for so many years.”

“When leaders in an organization resort to cheating the very members that they are supposed to represent, they must be held accountable,” said Chief Weber. “Corruption, tax evasion and money laundering are certainly not the cornerstones of any successful business. Whether you call it soccer or football, the fans, players and sponsors around the world who love this game should not have to worry about officials corrupting their sport. This case isn't about soccer, it is about fairness and following the law. IRS-CI will continue to investigate financial crimes and follow the money wherever it may lead around the world, leveling the playing field for those who obey the law.”
.....
The Racketeering Conspiracy

The indictment alleges that, between 1991 and the present, the defendants and their co-conspirators corrupted the enterprise by engaging in various criminal activities, including fraud, bribery and money laundering. Two generations of soccer officials abused their positions of trust for personal gain, frequently through an alliance with unscrupulous sports marketing executives who shut out competitors and kept highly lucrative contracts for themselves through the systematic payment of bribes and kickbacks. All told, the soccer officials are charged with conspiring to solicit and receive well over $150 million in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for their official support of the sports marketing executives who agreed to make the unlawful payments.

Most of the schemes alleged in the indictment relate to the solicitation and receipt of bribes and kickbacks by soccer officials from sports marketing executives in connection with the commercialization of the media and marketing rights associated with various soccer matches and tournaments, including FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the CONCACAF region, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the CONCACAF Champions League, the jointly organized CONMEBOL/CONCACAF Copa América Centenario, the CONMEBOL Copa América, the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil, which is organized by the Brazilian national soccer federation (CBF). Other alleged schemes relate to the payment and receipt of bribes and kickbacks in connection with the sponsorship of CBF by a major U.S. sportswear company, the selection of the host country for the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 FIFA presidential election.
......
The Convicted Individuals and Corporations

The following individuals and corporations previously pleaded guilty under seal:

On July 15, 2013, the defendant Daryll Warner, son of defendant Jack Warner and a former FIFA development officer, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging him with wire fraud and the structuring of financial transactions.

On Oct. 25, 2013, the defendant Daryan Warner waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a three-count information charging him with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and the structuring of financial transactions. Daryan Warner forfeited over $1.1 million around the time of his plea and has agreed to pay a second forfeiture money judgment at the time of sentencing.

On Nov. 25, 2013, the defendant Charles Blazer, the former CONCACAF general secretary and a former FIFA executive committee member, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a 10-count information charging him with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, income tax evasion and failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). Blazer forfeited over $1.9 million at the time of his plea and has agreed to pay a second amount to be determined at the time of sentencing.

On Dec. 12, 2014, the defendant José Hawilla, the owner and founder of the Traffic Group, the Brazilian sports marketing conglomerate, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a four-count information charging him with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Hawilla also agreed to forfeit over $151 million, $25 million of which was paid at the time of his plea.

On May 14, 2015, the defendants Traffic Sports USA Inc. and Traffic Sports International Inc. pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.

All money forfeited by the defendants is being held in reserve to ensure its availability to satisfy any order of restitution entered at sentencing for the benefit of any individuals or entities that qualify as victims of the defendants’ crimes under federal law.
......

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nine-...ecutives-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and
 

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http://www.theguardian.com/football...n-charges-live#block-5565688ae4b0cffd869176a9
11.32 Zurich time
US attorney general Loretta Lynch added that the pattern of alleged corruption had “profoundly harmed a multitude of victims, from the youth leagues and developing countries that should benefit from the revenue generated by the commercial rights these organisations hold, to the fans at home and throughout the world whose support for the game makes those rights valuable. Today’s action makes clear that this Department of Justice intends to end any such corrupt practices, to root out misconduct, and to bring wrongdoers to justice – and we look forward to continuing to work with other countries in this effort.”

FBI Director James Comey said: “As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world. Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became a way of doing business at Fifa. I want to commend the investigators and prosecutors around the world who have pursued this case so diligently, for so many years.”
 
Fifa, meanwhile, have issued their own statement on today’s events, mirroring Walter De Gregorio’s press conference line that this is, despite what you might read elsewhere, a really good day for Fifa.

Fifa welcomes actions that can help contribute to rooting out any wrongdoing in football ... We are pleased to see that the investigation is being energetically pursued for the good of football and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that Fifa has already taken.
 
HaroldOliver said:
Unfortunately I'm well aware how bad the second half of the season was. Until Mike Ashley decides to leave I can't see the Mags having any great success.
Click to expand...

I wish John Carver would stop talking as if he's the manager elect.
 
Short version of all above - Yanks going after 24 years of corruption by CONCACAF related officials who did deals in USA and used US dollars. Using US dollars anywhere in the world gives US DOJ the right to go after you.
 

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RussellEbertHandball said:
Short version of all above - Yanks going after 24 years of corruption by CONCACAF related officials who did deals in USA and used US dollars. Using US dollars anywhere in the world gives US DOJ the right to go after you.
Click to expand...

Y'know I actually feel a bit sorry for FIFA.



Hahahaha as if!

Chuck Blazer? C'mon, did his parents use the pr0n star game to name him?
 
Ford Fairlane said:
Y'know I actually feel a bit sorry for FIFA.



Hahahaha as if!

Chuck Blazer? C'mon, did his parents use the pr0n star game to name him?
Click to expand...
Chucky boy doesnt care. he has made his tens of millions. He is 70 so you can see why he became FBI informant. To be fair to his folks they did call him Charles.

Chuck-Blazer-006.jpg


http://www.businessinsider.com.au/chuck-blazer-reportedly-informed-fbi-in-fifa-investigation-2015-5
How Blazer became an FBI informant
Blazer reportedly turned on Jack Warner, the former president of FIFA’s governing body for soccer in North America and the Caribbean, when he realised that he might be linked to Warner’s ethics violations.

Blazer was reportedly Warner’s right-hand man, and likely turned Warner in to ethics investigators to avoid being labelled a co-conspirator once Warner’s transgressions became so obvious that it was likely he’d be caught, according to the Daily News. Warner was among the officials arrested on Wednesday.

The FBI and IRS reportedly convinced Blazer to cooperate by telling him they knew that he’d been evading taxes for decades.

To help the FBI build its case, Blazer reportedly took a keychain with a tiny microphone embedded in it around with him to meetings with FIFA officials, according to the Daily News. Some of these meetings took place at the London Olympics in 2012. Blazer reportedly emailed the officials the FBI was targeting and arranged to meet them at the games.


Blazer’s lavish lifestyle
Blazer himself was reportedly enjoyed the perks of his position. The Daily News wrote about the millions of dollars he charged to credit cards to fund his extravagent lifestyle, which reportedly included a Trump Tower apartment just for his cats.

From 1996 to 2011, Blazer reportedly made $US15.3 million in commission from sponsorships and TV rights, revenue from match tickets, and sales of luxury suite rentals, parking and venue concessions, according to the Daily News. Blazer allegedly hid the money in shell companies. He also earned millions more for his position with CONCACAF, the governing body of soccer in North America and the Caribbean.

CONCACAF reportedly paid thousands of dollars for fancy apartments and a Hummer car for Blazer, who racked up millions in personal expenses that CONCACAF paid for.

Blazer was known for eating at expensive restaurants frequented by celebrities and flying on private jets. He had a luxury condo in the Bahamas and had reportedly met Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton, Pope John Paul II, and Nelson Mandela, according to BuzzFeed.

CONCACAF investigated Blazer and in 2013 found that he defrauded the confederation, according to BuzzFeed
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/chuck-blazer-reportedly-informed-fbi-in-fifa-investigation-2015-5
 
He looks like George RR Martin! Game of Balls!

George-RR-Martin-Game-Of-Thrones-Book-Show-Special.jpg
 
From the Miami Herald

FBI raids Miami Beach office of CONCACAF as part of international investigation
ZURICH - Swiss prosecutors opened criminal proceedings into FIFA's awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, only hours after seven soccer officials were arrested Wednesday pending extradition to the U.S. in a separate probe of "rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted" corruption.

In Miami Beach, FBI agents raided the North American office of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) at 1000 Fifth Street as part of the international investigation, according to a Justice Department statement.

FIFA, meanwhile, said Friday's presidential election would go ahead as planned with Sepp Blatter going for a fifth term. Blatter was not named in either investigation. FIFA also ruled out a revote of the World Cups won by Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. The Swiss prosecutors' office said in a statement they seized "electronic data and documents" at FIFA's headquarters on Wednesday as part of their probe. And Swiss police said they will question 10 FIFA executive committee members who took part in the World Cup votes in December 2010.
..........
Nine of the 14 that were indicted by the Justice Department are soccer officials, while four are sports marketing executives and another works in broadcasting. Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president from Trinidad and Tobago, was among those indicted. Also indicted is 44-year-old Miami resident Aaron Davidson, president of Traffic Sports USA, a soccer marketing and media company that until recently owned the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Davidson is also on Board of Directors of the NASL, league Strikers play in.
......
In Florida, a small group of agents from the FBI and IRS executed search warrants at CONCACAF headquarters in Miami Beach. Neither agency offered comment on the investigation.
......
The North American regional body, known as CONCACAF, reported itself to U.S. tax authorities in 2012. Then based in New York, the organization had not paid taxes over several years when its president was Warner and secretary general was Chuck Blazer of the United States.
.....
A statement in German added that the probe involved tournaments in the United States.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article22409883.html#storylink=cpy
 

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