2015 FIFA corruption case

2015 FIFA corruption case

Hotel Baur au Lac, Zürich, where seven FIFA officials were arrested on May 27, 2015
Outcome

Sepp Blatter removed from office

Accused


Verdict
People
Corporations

In 2015, U.S. federal prosecutors disclosed cases of corruption by officials and associates connected with FIFA, the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer.

Near the end of May 2015, fourteen people were indicted in connection with an investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) into wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. The United States Attorney General simultaneously announced the unsealing of the indictments and the prior guilty pleas by four football executives and two corporations.

The investigation mostly revolved around collusion between officials of continental football bodies CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (Caribbean, Central and North America), and sports marketing executives. The sports marketing executives were holders of media and marketing rights for high-profile international competitions including the Americas' FIFA World Cup qualifying tournaments, and showpiece tournaments CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa América.

CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb, also serving president of the Cayman Islands Football Association, was arrested in connection with the investigation, as were two sitting FIFA Executive Committee members: Eduardo Li of the Costa Rican Football Federation and Eugenio Figueredo, formerly of the Uruguayan Football Association, and former CONMEBOL President Nicolás Leoz. The investigation lasted several years, with the first arrest, of former CONCACAF president Jack Warner's son Daryll, made in July 2013.[1][2]

In total, seven current FIFA officials were arrested at the Hotel Baur au Lac in Zürich on May 27. They were preparing to attend the 65th FIFA Congress, which was scheduled to include the election of the president of FIFA.[3] They are expected to be extradited to the United States on suspicion of receiving US$150 million in bribes.[3] There was also a simultaneous raid on the CONCACAF headquarters in Miami,[4] and later, two further men handed themselves in to police for arrest: Jack Warner and marketing executive Alejandro Burzaco.[5][6] Two further arrests of FIFA officials at the hotel occurred in December 2015.[7]

The arrests case triggered Australia,[8] Colombia,[9] Costa Rica,[10] Germany[11] and Switzerland[12] to open or intensify separate criminal investigations into top FIFA officials for corruption.

Allegations

The 2015 arrests center on the alleged use of bribery, fraud and money laundering to corrupt the issuing of media and marketing rights for FIFA games in the Americas, estimated at $150 million,[2] including at least $110 million in bribes related to the Copa América Centenario to be hosted in 2016 in the United States.[13] In addition, the indictment handed down by the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, alleges that bribery was used in an attempt to influence clothing sponsorship contracts, the selection process for the 2010 FIFA World Cup host, and the 2011 FIFA presidential election.[2] Specifically, an unnamed sports equipment company – identified in multiple sources as Nike, Inc.[14][15][16] – is alleged to have paid at least $40 million in bribes to become the sole provider of uniforms, footwear, accessories, and equipment to the Brazil national team.[14]

In December 2010, federal law enforcement agents secured the undercover cooperation of American soccer executive and CONCACAF official Chuck Blazer.[17] The FBI's New York office had begun its probe as a spin-off of an unrelated organized crime investigation, and in August 2011, IRS-CI's Los Angeles office began investigating Blazer's alleged failure to file personal income tax returns.[18] In December 2011, IRS-CI became aware of what the FBI was up to from news reports and the two offices began a joint investigation of Blazer.[18] They were investigating Blazer's involvement in the bidding process for host countries for the FIFA World Cups from the early 1990s onwards. (The United States is one of two countries that broadly exercise worldwide jurisdiction to tax the net income of its citizens from any source in the world; it also requires taxpayers to report and pay tax on illegal income, and exercises worldwide jurisdiction over all financial institutions with U.S.-based account holders.) Blazer agreed to cooperate almost immediately after two agents approached him in New York and confronted him with proof of his tax crimes.[17]

In November 2013, Blazer pleaded guilty to 10 criminal charges including wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering, and offenses involving income tax and banking. Blazer's guilty plea had aimed to stave off a more serious charge of racketeering, which carried a potential 20-year prison sentence. Blazer would later make secret recordings of meetings with FIFA officials, and allegedly carried a recording device concealed in a key ring during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[17] The information against Blazer (the charging document used in lieu of an indictment for a plea bargain) was revealed on May 27, 2015, the same day that the arrests were made in Zurich.[19][20]

In 2011, Phaedra Al-Majid, who was part of the successful 2022 Qatari World Cup Bid, came forward as a whistle-blower. She claimed that Qatar paid $1.5 million to African Football Confederation president Issa Hayatou, Ivory Coast Fifa member Jacques Anouma and Nigeria's suspended official Amos Adamu to vote for Qatar; all three denied the allegations. She later stated that she had fabricated her claims for media attention.[21][22] Al-Majid co-operated with the Garcia Report.[23] In November 2014, she stated that she was coerced into withdrawing her allegations as she feared for her safety and due to her lack of legal representation.[24] As of June 2015, she was in FBI protective custody, when she stated, "The FBI have everything... There are people who are annoyed with me [for speaking out], and what really irks them is that I'm a female, Muslim whistleblower.... I just don't think Blatter actually intends to quit. Everything he does is very calculated. He'll try very hard to save himself, I'm sure of it."[23]

In May 2011, The Sunday Times published claims from a whistle-blower that President of CAF Issa Hayatou had, along with fellow Executive Committee member Jacques Anouma, accepted $1.5 million bribes from Qatar to secure his support for their bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[25]

In 2013, former FIFA President João Havelange and the Brazilian Football Confederation President Ricardo Teixeira were both found to have taken bribes worth millions of dollars. FIFA executive committee member Manilal Fernando was sanctioned with a lifetime ban for bribery and corruption.[26][27]

$10 million South African payment

In the wake of the corruption case, it was reported that in 2008 the general secretary of FIFA, Jérôme Valcke was alleged to have transferred $10 million that had been given to FIFA by Danny Jordaan, president of the South African Football Association, to accounts controlled by Jack Warner, then head of CONCACAF. The payment is a key piece of the American prosecutors' indictment that accuses Warner of taking a bribe in exchange for helping South Africa secure the right to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[28] The payment from the South African Football Association had been intended to support the development of football in the Caribbean. $1.6 million of the South African payment was used by Warner to pay personal loans and credit cards and a further $360,000 was withdrawn by people connected to Warner. The Trinidadian supermarket chain JTA Supermarkets also received $4,860,000 from the FIFA payment.[29]

2014 World Cup

The FBI also investigated the 2014 World Cup.[30]

Laws used in charging

The Department of Justice has not charged anybody at FIFA with bribery because American federal bribery laws cover only payments to government officials. Prosecutors have instead alleged racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act, which was intended for use against the Mafia.[31] In addition, officials have been charged with violations of the Travel Act. The relevant part of the law essentially says that it is illegal to engage in interstate or foreign travel, or use the mails or "any facility in interstate commerce" to promote, manage, establish or carry on an illegal activity. That activity can be illegal under either federal or state law. Bribery is definitely included on the list of what is considered an illegal activity under the Travel Act. Any relevant transaction, even if it is only tangentially related to America, can be targeted. In one instance, a representative of First Caribbean International Bank in the Bahamas flew to New York to pick up a cheque for $250,000 (the alleged bribe) from the bribe recipient to transport it safely back to the defendant's bank account.[32]

Swiss criminal inquiries

See also: Garcia Report

FIFA commissioned former United States Attorney Michael J. Garcia to investigate and report on the bidding processes behind the awarding of the 2018 FIFA World Cup to Russia and the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar. In November 2014, FIFA made a copy of Garcia's report available to the Attorney General of Switzerland, who then stated that there were "grounds for suspicion that, in isolated cases, international transfers of assets with connections to Switzerland took place which merit examination by the criminal prosecution authorities".[33]

Sepp Blatter had been president of FIFA since 1998 (until his removal in December 2015). The Guardian said that FIFA's actions would "... inevitably be viewed with cynicism given Blatter's track record of using the Swiss courts and FIFA's regulatory processes to kick problematic issues into the long grass and deflect attention onto individuals who have already left football".[33]

In May 2015, on the same day as the arrests resulting from the FBI's investigation and in a separate action, the Swiss prosecuting authorities launched a criminal inquiry on "suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering" concerning the 2018 and 2022 bidding processes. The Swiss authorities seized "electronic data and documents" in a raid on FIFA's Zürich headquarters.[34] The Swiss police also planned to question ten members of the FIFA Executive Committee who participated in the December 2010 votes that chose the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 world cups.[35]

In September 2015, Switzerland was investigating a payment Blatter authorized in 2011 to the president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Michel Platini for work done between 1999 and 2002.[36] They also launched an investigation of possible "criminal mismanagement" by Blatter in a 2005 TV rights deal he signed with Jack Warner.

Television rights

In September 2015, Swiss public television channel SRF published that Blatter would have sold the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup rights in North America for US$600,000, a small fraction of their market value.[37]

Torneos & Traffic (T&T) is a subsidiary of Fox International Channels since 2005[38] (with investments since 2002) is the same company involved in corrupt practices in the acquisition of rights to major south american soccer tournaments.[39]

Indicted individuals and corporations

A total of 18 individuals and two corporations have been indicted, including nine FIFA officials and five businessmen.[2][40]

Initial indictments

Individuals

Name Nationality Position Status Ref.
Blazer, ChuckChuck Blazer  United States Former General Secretary of CONCACAF Guilty plea [2][40]
Burzaco, AlejandroAlejandro Burzaco  Argentina 
 Italy		 CEO of Torneos y Competencias Guilty plea [2][6][41]
Davidson, AaronAaron Davidson  United States Chairman of the board of Governors of the North American Soccer League and President of Traffic Sports USA Guilty plea [2][40][42][43][44]
Esquivel, RafaelRafael Esquivel  Venezuela President of the Venezuelan Football Federation and member of the CONMEBOL executive committee Guilty plea [2][40][45]
Figueredo, EugenioEugenio Figueredo  Uruguay 
 United States[46]		 FIFA Vice President, former President of the Uruguayan Football Association, and former President of CONMEBOL Arrested [2][40]
Hawilla, JoséJosé Hawilla  Brazil Owner and founder of Traffic Group Guilty plea [2][40]
Hawit, AlfredoAlfredo Hawit  Honduras President of CONCACAF; FIFA Vice-President Guilty plea [7]
Jadue, SergioSergio Jadue  Chile Former President of Football Federation of Chile and member of the CONMEBOL executive committee Guilty plea [7]
Jinkis, HugoHugo Jinkis  Argentina President of Full Play Group Surrendered [2][40][47]
Jinkis, MarianoMariano Jinkis  Argentina Vice-President of Full Play Group S.A.; son of Hugo Jinkis Surrendered [2][40][47]
Leoz, NicolásNicolás Leoz  Paraguay 
 Colombia		 Former President of CONMEBOL Arrested [2][40]
Li, EduardoEduardo Li  Costa Rica President of the Costa Rican Football Federation, member-elect of the FIFA executive committee, and member of the CONCACAF executive committee Guilty Plea [2][40][48]
Marguiles, JoséJosé Marguiles  Brazil Secretary-General of Traffic Sports Brazil Guilty plea .[2][40][41]
Marin, José MariaJosé Maria Marin  Brazil Former President of the Brazilian Football Confederation and former Governor of São Paulo Not Guilty plea [2][40]
Napout, Juan ÁngelJuan Ángel Napout  Paraguay President of CONMEBOL; FIFA Vice-President Not Guilty plea [7]
Rocha López, JulioJulio Rocha López  Nicaragua President of the Nicaraguan Football Federation, FIFA development officer, and former President of the Central American Football Union Not Guilty plea [2][40]
Takkas, CostasCostas Takkas  Cayman Islands Former General Secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association and Attaché to the CONCACAF President Not Guilty Plea [2][40]
Chavez, CarlosCarlos Chavez  Bolivia President of the Bolivian Football Federation and treasurer of the CONMEBOL Arrested [2][40]
Warner, DaryanDaryan Warner  Trinidad and Tobago 
 Grenada		 Son of Jack Warner Guilty plea [2][40]
Warner, DaryllDaryll Warner  Trinidad and Tobago 
 United States		 Son of Jack Warner and former FIFA development officer Guilty plea [2][40]
Warner, JackJack Warner  Trinidad and Tobago Former Vice President of FIFA, former President of CONCACAF, and former Minister of National Security Bailed [5]
Webb, JeffreyJeffrey Webb  Cayman Islands President of CONCACAF, President of the Cayman Islands Football Association, and FIFA Vice President Guilty plea .[2][40][41]

Corporations

Name Nationality Description Status Ref.
Traffic Sports International  British Virgin Islands Football events management company and subsidiary of Traffic Group Guilty plea [2]
Traffic Sports USA  United States Soccer events management company and subsidiary of Traffic Group Guilty plea [2]

Second indictment

The December indictment included the following 16 individuals:

Name Nationality Position Status Ref.
Alvarado, ArielAriel Alvarado  Panama Current member of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. Former CONCACAF Executive Committee member [49]
Burga, ManuelManuel Burga  Peru Current member of the FIFA Development Committee. Former Peruvian soccer federation president. [49]
Callejas, RafaelRafael Callejas  Honduras Current member of the FIFA Television and Marketing Committee. Former Honduran soccer federation president and former president of the Republic of Honduras. [49]
Chávez, CarlosCarlos Chávez  Bolivia Current CONMEBOL treasurer. Former Bolivian soccer federation president. [49]
Chiriboga, LuísLuís Chiriboga  Ecuador Current Ecuadorian soccer federation president and member of the CONMEBOL Executive Committee. [49]
Deluca, EduardoEduardo Deluca  Argentina Former CONMEBOL general secretary. [49]
Del Nero, Marco PoloMarco Polo Del Nero  Brazil Current president of the Brazilian soccer federation. [49]
Hawit, AlfredoAlfredo Hawit  Honduras Current FIFA vice president and Executive Committee member and CONCACAF president. Arrested [49]
Jiménez, BrayanBrayan Jiménez  Guatemala Current Guatemalan soccer federation president and member of the FIFA Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility. [49]
Meiszner, José LuisJosé Luis Meiszner  Argentina Current CONMEBOL general secretary. [49]
Napout, Juan ÁngelJuan Ángel Napout  Paraguay Former FIFA vice president, Executive Committee member and CONMEBOL president, Paraguayan soccer federation president. Arrested [49]
Osuna, RomerRomer Osuna  Bolivia Current member of the FIFA Audit and Compliance Committee. Former CONMEBOL treasurer. [49]
Salguero, RafaelRafael Salguero  Guatemala Former FIFA Executive Committee member and Guatemalan soccer federation president. [49]
Teixeira, RicardoRicardo Teixeira  Brazil Former Brazilian soccer federation president and FIFA Executive Committee member.[41] [49]
Trujillo, HéctorHéctor Trujillo  Guatemala Current Guatemalan soccer federation general secretary and judge on the Constitutional Court of Guatemala. On trial. Not guilty plea entered.[50] [49][51]
Vasquez, ReynaldoReynaldo Vasquez  El Salvador Former Salvadoran soccer federation president. [49]

Timeline of events

Historical events leading to the arrests

In 2001, FIFA affiliate International Sports and Leisure went bankrupt in what were viewed in some circles as suspicious circumstances.[52] In 2002 a FIFA whistleblower contacted British journalist Andrew Jennings relating to alleged corruption within FIFA itself.[53]

Following investigations Swiss magistrate Thomas Hildbrand seized documents from FIFA offices in 2005[52] and in 2007 Jennings published a book – Foul – and broadcast the BBC Panorama documentary "The Beautiful Bung: Corruption and the World Cup".[53] Panorama later aired the "Fifa and Co" documentary in 2007, which contained an allegation of soliciting a bribe against Jack Warner and a court judgement that Jérôme Valcke had lied in FIFA business dealings.[54] These reports led the FBI to contact Jennings in 2009.[53]

On November 29, 2010 the BBC broadcast FIFA's Dirty Secrets, a second documentary by Jennings.[53] This was aired just days before the results of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids in Zurich, Switzerland. Following the bidding process, FIFA announced that Russia and Qatar had won the rights to stage the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively. The result immediately caused controversies, as Russia is accused of a high level of racism in football and because of its involvement in the Ukrainian crisis. After it was announced that Russia would host 2018 FIFA World Cup, Dr Rafał Pankowski, a head of UEFA FARE Monitoring Centre, accused the Russian Football Union of downplaying racist chants in stadiums.[55] The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014 led to several British and American politicians calling on FIFA to overturn its decision of hosting the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[56] Criticism from a number of media outlets, sporting experts, and human rights groups also highlighted problems such as Qatar's limited football history, the high expected cost, the local climate, and Qatar's human rights record.[57] Since in summer temperature will reach more than 50 °C (122 °F) in Qatar, it was announced on February 24, 2015 that a winter world cup would go ahead in favour of the traditional summertime event.

In May 2011 a whistleblower, later revealed to be Phaedra Almajid who was a member of the Qatari bid team for the 2022 World Cup, claimed that money was paid to FIFA's executive committee in order to buy votes.[58] However, she retracted these claims in July 2011,[59] later claiming that she had been coerced into making these retractions.[24]

On May 2013, former CONCACAF executive Chuck Blazer was arrested (and later indicted) on bribery charges. Jack Warner and Blazer were suspended from FIFA at around the same time.[60] Then on October 17, 2014 FIFA announced that the Garcia Report into alleged bribery during the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids could not be released in full for legal reasons. Garcia later claimed that a summary of the report that was released misrepresents his findings.[61]

Arrests

On the morning of May 27, 2015, seven FIFA officials were arrested just before the start of the 65th FIFA Congress.[62] Two days later Sepp Blatter comfortably defeated Prince Ali bin Hussein to remain as President of FIFA. David Gill threatened to resign his newly elected role as FIFA Vice-President and member of the FIFA Executive Committee.[63]

Jack Warner

Later on 27 May, former FIFA Vice-President Jack Warner surrendered himself to police in his native Trinidad, where a court granted him bail. He spent a night in custody while bail was processed.[5] On 31 May he posted a self-defense video on his Facebook page in which he proclaimed innocence while citing an article from satirical newspaper The Onion.[64] However, on June 3, and following both the resignation of Sepp Blatter and the revelations of the former FIFA Executive Chuck Blazer, Warner declared in a televised political address that he was no longer prepared to "keep secrets for them who actively seek to destroy the country" (Trinidad and Tobago) and that the "gloves [were] off". He also claimed to have "compiled a comprehensive and detailed series of documents including cheques and corroborating statements" which he said revealed his "knowledge about certain transactions at FIFA including, but not limited to its president Sepp Blatter". Claiming further that he feared for his life, he declared, "(N)ot even death will stop the avalanche that is coming. The die is cast. There can be no turning back. Let the chips fall where they fall."[65][66] l

The existence of a U.S. federal investigation and grand jury based in Brooklyn was first made public in November 2014 by The New York Daily News.[17]

May 2015

On May 27, 2015, during the FIFA annual meeting at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, authorities charged 14 officials, including nine current or former FIFA executives, including FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb. All faced extradition to the United States. On the same day, the Swiss attorney general's office said that other FIFA executives were being questioned on suspicion of "criminal mismanagement" and money laundering.[67]

June 2015

On June 2, 2015 a letter was published,[68] claiming that Jérôme Valcke was party to a potential bribe paid to former FIFA executive Jack Warner in relation to votes for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Despite his win just four days previously, Sepp Blatter announced his resignation as FIFA President.[69]

The following day, South Africa sports minister Fikile Mbalula denied the $10 million payment to Warner was a bribe.

Later that day, the FBI unsealed the transcript of the allocution made by former FIFA member and head of CONCACAF, Chuck Blazer which he had made when he pleaded guilty in 2013 to various charges as part of an apparent plea bargain. In Blazer's partially-redacted allocution, he claimed that he "and others, while acting in our official capacities, agreed to participate in a scheme to defraud FIFA and CONCACAF of the right to honest services by taking undisclosed bribes" and that he had "agreed with others in or around 1992 to facilitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup. I and others on the FIFA executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup".[70]

On June 6, Phaedra Almajid, who had been placed under the protective custody of the FBI, claimed that FIFA would be forced to strip Qatar from hosting the 2022 World Cup.[71]

On June 9, Italian-Argentinian Alejandro Burzaco was arrested in Italy.[6] The two remaining Argentinian businessmen indicted, Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis, surrendered to a court in Buenos Aires on June 18.[47]

September 2015

On September 17, 2015, FIFA stated that Jérôme Valcke had been put on leave and released from his duties until further notice.[72] The decision was made by the FIFA Emergency Committee[73] after a series of allegations implicated Valcke of selling World Cup tickets for above face value.[74]

On September 25, criminal proceedings were started against Blatter by Swiss prosecutors on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation. Blatter denied any wrongdoing.[75]

October 2015

On October 8, 2015, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, Secretary General Jerome Valcke and UEFA President Michel Platini were suspended for 90 days by FIFA's Ethics Committee.[76] Blatter appealed the suspension but lost the appeal on November 18, 2015.[75]

November 2015

German police searched the headquarters of the German Football Association over allegations of illegal deals before the 2006 World Cup. The head of president of the German Football Association, Wolfgang Niersbach, resigned.[11] Marco Polo del Nero of Brazil, president of the Brazilian soccer federation announced his resignation from FIFA Executive Committee on November 26, 2015.

December 2015

On December 3, 2015, FIFA vice-presidents Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout were arrested on suspicion of bribery in the same Zurich hotel where seven FIFA officials had been arrested in May 2015.[77] Hours later, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed an additional 16 indictments for criminal schemes; as well, former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb pleaded guilty to money laundering, wire fraud and racketeering.[49]

On December 21, the FIFA Ethics Committee banned both Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini for eight years from all football-related activity after being found guilty of a £1.3 million ($2 million) "disloyal payment" made to Platini in 2011. Blatter said he would appeal the verdict.[78]

January 2016

On January 9, 2016, the FIFA Emergency Committee decided to dismiss Jérôme Valcke as FIFA Secretary General and to terminate his employment relationship.[79]

February 2016

On February 26, 2016, an extraordinary FIFA Congress was held and elected UEFA Secretary General Gianni Infantino as the new president of FIFA while also passing a major reform package.[80]

Response to indictments

FIFA

Blatter's "resignation"

Media in front of FIFA headquarters after Blatter's resignation

On May 29, Sepp Blatter won re-election to the FIFA presidency at the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich amid growing criticism over his position. Four days later, however, he announced that he would continue as president only until a new election would be conducted at a 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress[81] on February 26, 2016. Blatter said that he would not be a candidate for election at that time. Blatter maintained "I did not resign, I put myself and my office in the hands of the FIFA congress."[82]

Upon the decision of the FIFA Adjudicatory Chamber of the Independent Ethics Committee to provisionally ban Blatter, FIFA recognizes Issa Hayatou as the interim president of FIFA in accordance with article 32 (6) of the FIFA Statutes.[83]

Suspended World Cup bid

On June 10, 2015, FIFA announced that they would be delaying the 2026 FIFA World Cup bidding process, amidst allegations surrounding bribery in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding processes. Secretary general Valcke stated that "Due to the situation, I think it's nonsense to start any bidding process for the time being."[84]

Convicted defendants

According to the US Department of Justice web site, the following defendants previously pleaded guilty under seal and agreed to forfeit more than $40 million.[41]

Governmental

Continental football organizations

National football federations

FIFA sponsors

In October 2015, four major FIFA sponsors, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Visa and Budweiser, called for Blatter to stand down immediately as FIFA president.[110]

Interpol

On June 12, 2015, international law enforcement agency Interpol announced it was suspending a 20 million euro donation by FIFA to fund an anti-gambling and match fixing program. Four million euros was spent in the first two years on prevention and education and another 1.5 million euros was set to be spent in the remaining eight years.[111]

An Interpol spokesman said, "The agreement with FIFA includes a clause which states that 'the Funding Party declares notably that its activities are compatible with the principles, aims and activities of Interpol'. All external partners, whether public or private, must share the fundamental values and principles of the organisation, as well as the wider law enforcement community."[112]

FIFA said it was disappointed by the decision.[113]

The donation for the 10-year Integrity in Sport program was originally accepted in 2011 by former Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble.[114]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA Indictments". Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 "Nine FIFA Officials and Five Corporate Executives Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy and Corruption". United States Department of Justice. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Fifa officials arrested on corruption charges as World Cup inquiry launched". The Guardian. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  4. ↑ Matthew, Jennie (May 27, 2015). US prosecutors allege 'World Cup' of soccer fraud. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Rupert Neate, Owen Gibson and agencies (May 28, 2015). "Jack Warner : former Fifa kingpin spends night in jail after corruption arrest". The Guardian. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "Fifa scandal: Alejandro Burzaco resurfaces in Italy". BBC News. June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Fifa arrests: Two Fifa vice-presidents detained at Zurich hotel". BBC News Online. December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Fifa crisis: Australian police agree to look into $500,000 paid to Jack Warner". The Guardian.
  9. ↑ "Colombia joins investigation into FIFA corruption". colombiareports.com.
  10. ↑ "Costa Rica Prosecutors Open Investigation into Arrest of FIFA Official Eduardo Li". The Costa Rica News.
  11. 1 2 German football chief resigns over corruption allegations, BBC Sports, November 9, 2015
  12. ↑ "Fifa scandal: What took Switzerland so long to investigate?". BBC News.
  13. ↑ Bryan Armen Graham (May 27, 2015). "Fifa in crisis amid corruption arrests and World Cup voting inquiry – live updates (15:51)". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  14. 1 2 Claire Phipps; Damien Gayle (May 28, 2015). "Fifa scandal: Visa sponsorship threat compounds calls for Blatter to quit". The Guardian. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  15. ↑ Darren Heitner (May 27, 2015). "Nike Implicated in Soccer Bribery Scheme". Forbes. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  16. ↑ Lucy McCalmont; Ben Walsh (May 27, 2015). "Nike Just Became Part of the FIFA Corruption Scandal". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  17. 1 2 3 4 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/soccer/soccer-rat-ex-u-s-soccer-exec-chuck-blazer-fbi-informant-article-1.1995761
  18. 1 2 Apuzzo, Matt (May 29, 2015). "A U.S. Tax Investigation Snowballed to Stun the Soccer World". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  19. ↑ Dan Roberts (May 27, 2015). "Fifa arrests: how a well-placed insider and stashed cash helped US build case". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  20. ↑ Matt Apuzzo; Michael S. Schmidt; William K. Rashbaum; Sam Borden (May 27, 2015). "FIFA Officials Arrested on Corruption Charges; Sepp Blatter Isn't Among Them". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Qatar 2022 'whistleblower' in corruption U-turn". BBC Sport. July 10, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Hayatou and Anouma backed by Caf over bribery claims". BBC Sport. May 16, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Qatar to be stripped of 2022 World Cup, according to country's whistleblower who is now under protective custody with the FBI. Updated Jun 10, 2015". Mail on Sunday. June 7, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  24. 1 2 "Fifa whistleblower Phaedra Al-Majid fears for her safety". BBC Sport. November 20, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  25. ↑ "FIFA demands evidence of corruption". ESPN Soccernet. May 11, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  26. ↑ David Conn. "Fifa corruption intrigue deepens as Brazil's Ricardo Teixeira resigns". The Guardian. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  27. ↑ Richard Conway. "Joao Havelange, Fifa's honorary president, resigns over bribes". BBC Sport. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Bribery Inquiry Drawing Closer to FIFA's President, Sepp Blatter". The New York Times. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Fifa corruption: Documents show details of Jack Warner 'bribes'". BBC News.
  30. ↑ Owen Gibson. "Fifa corruption crisis: FBI inquiry now includes 2014 Brazil World Cup". The Guardian.
  31. ↑ "The world's lawyer". The Economist. June 6, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  32. ↑ "How America is pursuing FIFA". The Economist. June 1, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  33. 1 2 "Fifa lodges criminal complaint with Swiss courts over World Cup bids". The Guardian. November 14, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Fifa corruption inquiry". BBC News. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Fifa corruption inquiry". BBC News. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  36. ↑ Sepp Blatter under criminal investigation by Swiss officials over 'disloyal payment' to Michel Platini – as it happened, The Telegraph, September 27, 2015
  37. ↑ Did Blatter give Warner discount? – Sports 24, September 12, 2015
  38. ↑ Color, ABC. "Conmebol renovó con mismos dueños de investigada T&T - Edicion Impresa - ABC Color".
  39. ↑ Mickle, Tripp; Kowsmann, Patricia; Flint, Joe (June 7, 2015). "DirecTV, Fox Worked With FIFA Middlemen" – via Wall Street Journal.
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