So when the Jets stop a TD from being scored it isn't exciting? A deep hit in baseball that goes foul at the end isn't exciting? A great save in hockey isn't exciting? Too much goat sperm is clogging the passages in your brain between thought and logic.
Too bad the biggest culprit still runs FIFA. The whole organization is disgraceful. Nearly as bad as politicians.
One thing you folks probably don't know how important is below. This whole operation started because of USA judiciary system. FIFA headqaurters is in Switzerland just like UEFA. Those two organizations are in the heart of Europe. But no European country started an investigation although it was well known how corrupt those 2 institutions were. Just like America saved Europe's ass in WW2, America one more time saving Europe's biggest sports. Fucking Europeans, seriously, kiss America's ass until your asses are full of shit. One addition. I am seriously expecting a similar investigation to NFL in a few years.
it's really bizarre why won't the European countries do anything about FIFA? it's been public knowledge for so many years that there's rampant corruption, and it starts with Sepp Blatter. Blatter should be in prison. Amazing how he skates again. Maybe he bribes the right people in the governments.
Why does a prosecutor in the US believe he has jurisdiction over FIFA? It really doesn't matter, if the prosecution proceeds at the pace of a soccer game, we'll all be dead well before the extra time anyway.
Brooklyn- you are my soccer guru as I am new to the game. So I have a couple questions. Other knowledgeable fans feel free to chime in as well.... if its so obvious FIFA is horribly corrupt.. and by all accounts it certainly is as most acknowledge these arrests are long overdue, aren't you concerned about how far the corruption might reach? like on-the field.. or do you believe its strictly a problem with executives? I guess what I mean is, doesn't it make you question whether teams or players are getting paid to perform or underperform on purpose? Like when a Spain for example, a favorite, no-shows at the 2014 World Cup doesn't it make you think hard about how corrupt it could be? If you do have serious concerns about the integrity of the game doesn't it lose your respect as a fan and make you want to stop following the game?
Which is why Formula 1 is dying a painful slow death, you have teams folding midseason and only about 3 guys who drive have any shot to win a race. It's horribly run and needs serious overhaul if it's not going to just die. Say what you want about how shady NASCAR is and how boring it is but at least many of the drivers are are equal or fairly equal footing, sure Hendrick pretty much calls the shots but at least Rousch, and Gibbs cars have chances to win the title.
Hi BN Not really a guru to be honest and I believe we have some British posters who can chime in better than me. Very good questions but I might not have all the answers for you. But I will try to answer as much as I can. I am very concerned about how far this corruption might reach but don't think it reaches as far as on the field. It is more on executive level. Like who will be getting the tournaments etc. On the field is a totally different animal. On the field has its own issues like "betting". Tons of players, coaches and referees bet regularly and they even on the games they manage. It is the #1 problem in soccer right now but this problem has nothing to do with the current investigation. Spain's issue was not corruption. They just burned out. In the history of soccer, they were the first national team to win 3 major tournaments back to back. 2008 - Euro Champions, 2010- World Cup Champions and 2012 Euro Champions. No team ever accomplished that. They were really done. It happened in the past with Italy, happened with Netherlands etc. Your last question is the most important one. I will give an example from my own country. There is a team called Fenerbahce in Turkey. In 2011, they bribed other teams so they lose games to Fenerbahce. Fenerbahce won 16 of the last 17 games and became champions. Turkish Police figured out all these bribes in a money laundering investigation. Turkish judicial system punished the players and executives and they were thrown to jail. But guess what. Nothing happened to the team itself. Normally, they should have been relegated just like Juventus was relegated in Italy and Marseille was relegated in France. But no. Turkish Federation didn't relegate Fenerbahce. Because the Turkish President is a dictator and he is an avid Fenerbahce fan. He told federation not to relegate the team. We expected UEFA to interfere and relegate Fenerbahce but UEFA didn't relegate them either. Guess what, Turkish Government has bribed UEFA as well so that they wouldn't relegate Fenerbahce. All these things made me and millions of fans angry. We kind of lost our interest. But still you just love your team so much, you just have to watch them play.
Someone must have paid off Zidane to headbutt himself out of the World Cup Final Someone must have paid off the refs in games between England and Germany (Goal line fail) Someone must have paid off the refs who turned sideways on the Theirry Henry hand goal to eliminate Ireland from entrance into World Cup All the questions of integrity come forward
is this sarcasm or a real thought? I know nothing about soccer so its difficult for me to tell but it interests me maybe I am ignorant to the obvious here. I acknowledge that but sometimes you need to clear things up for the dummies
Not much I can add to Brooklyn's post. I don't know that the sport itself has massive integrity issues, at least in terms of the games being played. There are always exceptions of course, but these are very much the exception not the rule. FIFA is not directly comparable to the NFL or MLB. It really only has direct jurisdiction over the World Cup and Olympic soccer tournaments. It might have some influence over other organisations, tournaments and national governing bodies, but it does not really have much power over them. It can't really force them to do something. UEFA, who are nearly as bad as FIFA, are strongly hinting that European teams may pull out of the World Cup if Blatter continues. It is probably just posturing but they could organise an alternative tournament and FIFA couldn't do much about it.
Swiss Police confirm that, when arrested, all seven FIFA officials threw themselves on the ground and pretended to be injured.
