FOOTY FAIR

5 Facts About the Late Joao Havelange

2016-08-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Controversial former FIFA President Joao Havelange passed away yesterday at the grand old age of 100, leaving behind a decidedly mixed legacy.

Like his protege Sepp Blatter, Havelange time at the helm of world football's governing body was clouded by allegations of corruption and financial misdeeds.

For better or worse though, the Brazilian lawyer was a driving force behind the massive reach of the World Cup and the increased commercial sponsorship money flowing into the game.

Here are five facts about the former head of FIFA:

Havelange was born into an affluent Belgian family in Rio de Janeiro on 8 May 1916. His father was an arms dealer and significant land owner.
The future FIFA supremo competed as a swimmer in the 400m and 1500m freestyle events at the notorious 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He would return to the Olympics in 1952 in Helsinki as a member of the Brazilian water polo team that finished a disappointing 13th.
From 1963 until his resignation due to ill-health in 2011, the Brazilian served as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Havelange defeated Englishman Sir Stanley Rous, the sitting FIFA President, in the 1974 FIFA presidential election in West Germany by appealing to developing nations outside of UEFA and CONMEBOL that felt they were being overlooked by world football. He promised more World Cup spots, which he delivered by eventually increasing the number of nations competing in the finals from 16 to 32. He also achieved better commercial deals in the form of lucrative arrangements with companies such as Adidas and Coca-Coca. And finally, he proposed the formation of a Youth World Cup that more nations could potentially host. While he did undoubtedly expand football's reach, the days of administrators governing the game with the aim of trying to do the best for the sport, was swept aside in place of aggressive businessmen looking to increase the commercialization of football.
While claims of Havelange's reported corruption, particularly over the awarding of marketing rights, during his time with FIFA are well known, in 1992 a Dutch newspaper claimed that Havelange had solicited numerous bribes from cities hoping to host the Olympic Games while he was a member of the IOC.

Cheating and Corruption in Football - Part 5 of 5: The Goalkeeper Who Cut His Own Head Open

2016-04-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Although it happened over a quarter of a century ago and the fallout ended up effecting the perpetrator Roberto Rojas' Chile side more than their own team, there are still a lot of Brazilian fans that shudder when they reflect on a fateful World Cup qualifier between the two countries in 1989.

Before describing one of the most nefarious acts of cheating ever witnessed in a top level match, it's best to provide a bit of background on the stakes involved before kickoff at the Maracana twenty seven years ago.

Brazil, the five time World Champions, are the only nation to have participated in every World Cup. In 1989 though, they had to avoid defeat to Chile at home in their final qualifier to ensure their place in Italia '90 the following summer.

With a squad blessed with legendary players such as Romario, Bebeto, Branco, Dunga and Careca it was an unusual situation to be in, particularly when considering that much of that squad would go on to lift the World Cup five years later.

With just over 20 minutes to go in their tension packed tilt with Chile though, Brazil looked to be heading to Italy following a goal from Careca in the 49th minute.

But then disaster struck. A flare was thrown over Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas' head and the keeper tumbled to the ground clutching his face.

His furious teammates waved the referee over to the scene of the crime and pointed out the blood pouring out of his head, soaking his jersey.

The referee abandoned the match immediately and Brazil's players were left trembling with the thought that they were going to be thrown out of the World Cup; a tournament that they see as their birth right.

The Chilean media immediately claimed that they had witnessed the flare striking Rojas and had obviously caused his injury, and in the days before smartphones and digital cameras there was scant footage to refute their claims.

Fortunately for Brazil, one of their own countrymen serving as a pitch side photographer had captured four or five clear images of the flare landing at least a meter away from Rojas and the goalkeeper's subsequent play acting.

It turned out that the Chile stopper, who coincidentally played his club football for Sao Paulo, had concealed a razor blade in his glove and purposely cut himself in planned move to force the referee to abandon the match if the score was in Brazil's favour.

The photos of the incident were turned over to FIFA and Brazil was awarded a 2-0 victory which sent them off to the 1990 World Cup.

Chile was subsequently banned from World Cup qualifying in 1994 and Rojas was given a lifetime ban from competitive football, along with his manager Orlando Aravena and the team doctor Daniel Rodriguez.

Cheating and Corruption in Football - Part 4 of 5: Luis Suarez Lends a Hand

2016-04-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Leading the line for Barcelona as part of the lethal MSN attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Neymar, Luis Suarez has kept his nose clean as of late, and many are forgetting the colour run of misdemeanours he wracked up for both club and country over a torrid four year span.

But there are some who will never forgive some of the things the Uruguayan international got up to between, and including, the last two World Cups.

Before he racially abused Manchester United's Patrice Evra and bit not one but three different players, Suarez became a villain across large swathes of Africa when his cynical handball knocked Ghana out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

After helping Uruguay through the first round group stage, Suarez scored both goals in a 2-1 round of 16 victory against South Korea with his second goal being particularly memorable. For his efforts he was named Man of the Match.

It would be in the Quarter-Final where he would make his most telling contribution to the tournament though.

With the score deadlocked at 1–1 at the end of regulation the match went into extra time where a tense thirty minutes witnessed one of the biggest talking points of that year's tournament.

Late in extra time, Ghana sent a free kick into the box that Stephen Appiah latched onto and sent goalwards. Suarez blocked the shot on the line, legally, but then when Dominic Adiyiah headed back what looked to be a sure fire winner he used both hands to keep it out.

Sent off as the result of his professional foul, the toothy Uruguayan marksman stuck around in the tunnel to see Asamoah Gyan hit the crossbar with the ensuing penalty kick to keep his country's hopes alive.

Suarez celebrated wildly, and did so again when his country later secured victory on penalties.

Although he saved the match for his side using illegal means and justifiably saw red, it was has slimy actions later in the tunnel and bullish taunts that he would do it again that didn't sit well with neutrals.

It would be the first controversial act of many for the talented, but controversial striker.

Cheating and Corruption in Football - Part 3 of 5: Robert Hoyzer, Germany's Matching Fixing Official

2016-04-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

In 2005, German football was left with a black eye when it emerged that referee Robert Hoyzer had been involved in rigging a cup match involving Hamburg and Paderborn.

Working with a Croatian gambling syndicate that arranged the €2m (£1.36m) betting scam, Hoyzer awarded the regional league side Paderborn two penalties to help them come back from two goals down to knock out top division Hamburg in the first round of the German Cup. He also sent off Hamburg striker Emile Mpenza in Paderborn's 4-2 victory.

Although it was this match that raised the red flag on Hoyzer's impropriety, there were at least nine other matches that he fixed or tried to fix over the 2004-2005 season.

After initially denying the claims against him, the under fire match official eventually admitted that he had accepted €67,000 and an expensive television for his part in the scheme.

Hoyzer would later be found guilty of fraud in a Berlin court and sentenced to two years in prison.

Cheating and Corruption in Football - Part 2 of 5: The Hand of God

2016-04-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ask any English football fan in their mid-30's or older for their thoughts on the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and chances are they will immediately blurt out something about "The Hand of God".

It has been said that the World Cup has only been won single handedly twice, Garrincha for Brazil in 1962 and Diego Maradona for Argentina in 1986.

In Maradona's case the word singlehandedly takes on a more literal meaning though as England find out to their great cost.

The relationship between the United Kingdom, or England specifically, and Argentina has historically been a strained one. The conflict between the two nations, that are separated by thousands of miles, stems from a disputed claim over the British territory of the Falklands Islands which is only 300 miles off of the coast of Argentina.

In 1982, Argentina's military regime seized the Falklands, that they refer to as Malvinas, under the ludicrous assumption that the British would not respond militarily.

The UK did of course respond, and the resulting ten week war left nearly seven hundred Argentine's dead and scores more injured. The resulting fallout would see Argentina's government fall the following year.

It was under this politically charged climate that Argentina would face England in the Quarter-Finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

With the match evenly poised, Argentina's genius would turn cheating villain, when a mis-hit back pass towards Peter Shilton was punched over the keeper's outstretched hands and into the net by Maradona.

As Argentina's number ten wheeled away in celebration, England's players surrounded the referee like they'd just collectively had their wallets stolen.

The inexperienced referee from Tunisia, Ali Bennaceur, who FIFA really shouldn't have placed in charge of such a massive occasion, waved the English players away and allowed the goal to stand.

Maradona would shortly after dribble through a dazed English midfield and backline to score one of the greatest goals in tournament history. Argentina would win the match 2-1 on their way to being crowned World Cup champions a week later.

Although his second goal has been shown on highlight reels for the past three decades, and is rightly lauded for its brilliance, in England many still remember his first goal a bit more and view Maradona as a cheat who conned them out of the World Cup.

Whether or not England would have beaten Argentina without Diego's bit of trickery is open to question.

Following the match when Argentina's captain was questioned about his handball he responded that the goal was a little bit of Maradona, a little bit of the hand of god.

Cheating and Corruption in Football - Part 1 of 5: Anderlecht Buy Themselves an Official

2016-04-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

There's cheating, like throwing yourself on the ground to win a penalty, and then there's really using the "dark arts" to get one over on an opponent.

The following is the first in our series of five shameful tales of dishonesty in football:

Anderlecht v Nottingham Forest, UEFA Cup Semi-Final, 2nd Leg - 1984

Brian Clough's Forest side had put themselves in a good position in the first leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final in 1984, with a comprehensive 2-0 victory at the City Ground.

Clough though hadn't counted on the machinations of Anderlecht's president Constant Vanden Stock when they arrived in Belgium for the second leg.

The referee in charge that night in April was a Spaniard named Emilio Guruceta Muro who already had a bit of a poor reputation after a string of controversial decisions at home and abroad over the years. Forest's players and their famously outspoken manager weren't happy with his appointment, but were confident that they could hold on to their advantage and meet fellow English side Tottenham in the final.

There were a few borderline calls for free kicks not long after the kickoff, but nothing seemed that out of the ordinary even after Enzo Scifo had staked Anderlecht into 1-0 lead on the night on 20 minutes.

At the hour mark though Forest finally had a knife driven straight into their backs when Muro ruled that Kenny Swain had brought down Anderlecht's Kenneth Brylle for a penalty.

The problem was that Swain was at least three or four yards away when Brylle theatrically threw himself on the floor, and he was in an offside position to begin with.

With the penalty converted, and the aggregate score tied, Forest were up against it and the players began to fear that the fix was in.

With two minutes to go, Erwin Vandenbergh put Anderlecht up 3-0 on the night and ahead on aggregate, but there was one last twist in the tale.

Deep into injury-time, Forest won a corner that Paul Hart put away with a free header to seemingly win the tie. But before he could celebrate, that man Muro had blown for a foul.

What the foul was he never really explained to Forest's enraged players and with that the match, and Forest's involvement in the UEFA Cup for the season, was over.

Although Forest never staged an official protest at the time, they knew they had been cheated and Clough made sure to tell some of the equally baffled media of his suspicions.

Anderlecht for their part would lose the final on penalties to Spurs and for thirteen years the majority of the football world forgot about the controversy surrounding the Belgian side's run to the final.

The controversial Muro, who had few admirers in his native Spain either due to his suspicious handling of several big fixtures over the years, died in a car crash in 1987.

In 1997, under pressure from an alleged blackmail plot by someone close to the club, Anderlecht officials finally confirmed that they had arranged for a local gangster to pay Muro close to 20,000 pounds to fix the match against Forest in their favour.

The club were subsequently banned from European competition for one year, a fairly light punishment all things considered, and although several Forest players tried to take legal action against Anderlecht, their cases didn't make much headway.

Football's Biggest Ever Scandals (Part 5 of 5): Bad Santa - The Unbelievable Story of Chuck Blazer

2016-02-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Income tax evasion, racketeering, money laundering, and wire fraud. If you thought I was listing off the rap sheet of a notorious Mafia Caporegime, you would be mistaken.

These are just some of the charges that former FIFA Executive Committee member turned FBI informant Chuck Blazer, the man who just might bring down the embattled leadership of football's governing body, has plead guilty to in the past three years.

Born in Queens, New York on April 26, 1945, Charles Gordon "Chuck" Blazer did not grow up playing football. In fact, he only became interested in the sport when he started coaching his son in 1976, and even then it was only the administrative side of the game and it's untapped potential in North America that excited him.

The ambitious Blazer rapidly advanced through the ranks of the then poorly run regionalized U.S. Soccer associations before he landed a prime position in 1984 with the USSF (United States Soccer Federation) as the Executive Vice President of International Competition.

Overseeing a national side that had only played two matches in the preceding two years, Blazer quickly got to work arranging a staggering 19 matches for the U.S. during his first two years in the role.

At the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Blazer made the acquaintance of a football administrator from the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago named Jack Warner, and their unlikely friendship would turn football in the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) region on it's head.

CONCACAF's power base had always traditionally lay in Mexico and Central America, simply because the nation's there were the only ones in the region that really cared about football and put any significant resources into it.

With FIFA's edict of every member country, regardless of size, having an equal vote in the world governing body's matters, like World Cup hosting rights and presidential elections, Warner and Blazer saw the potential in getting all of the island nations and their precious votes on their side.

After a brief time away from the game following the 1986 World Cup, thanks to ruffling too many feathers at the USSF and allegations of financial impropriety surrounding the American Soccer League he was running, Blazer visited Warner in Trinidad in 1989 before their crunch qualifier with the U.S. for a spot at the following year's World Cup in Italy.

On a momentous night for America's national side, Paul Caligiuri's "shot heard round the world" secured a 1-0 victory for the U.S. and a ticket to World Cup for the first time in forty years for the U.S.

In the stands that night, Blazer secured a victory of his own as he convinced Warner to stand for CONCACAF president and assured him that besides assisting with gathering the Caribbean votes, he would get the U.S. on side.

Campaigning on the promise to raise funds for the forgotten nations of the region, Warner won the presidency at a canter and rewarded his friend Blazer by appointing him first as his General Secretary, and then crucially handing him a seat on FIFA's Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee is made up of FIFA's movers and shakers who decide on who can bid on tournaments such as the World Cup and work on the lucrative marketing and television deals connected to these competitions.

Asserting himself as FIFA's dynamic deal maker, Blazer wined and dined sheikhs, politicians, celebrities, and business heavyweights around the world. The outgoing 450 pound giant with a scruffy white Santa Claus beard had a knack for getting deals brokered, one way or another.

While making FIFA and his own region a lot of money, Blazer did rather well for himself through alleged kickbacks and bribes.

On top of his international wheeling and dealing he had an agreement with CONCACAF that paid him 10% off of every dollar that went into the federation.

So, essentially, anyone whoever attended a CONCACAF Champions League or Gold Cup match helped pad Blazer's bank account. This was in addition to the reported $15 million in commissions he pocketed on the federation's corporate partnership deals.

The man who started out as an unemployed soccer dad, came to live in an $18,000-a-month Trump Tower apartment, with a prime view of New York's Central Park, with a $6,000-a-month adjoining apartment for his cats.

Besides his luxury apartment in Manhattan, Blazer also owned property in Miami Beach and the Bahamas. To top it off, he also racked up an estimated $29 million on CONCACAF's credit card.

Perhaps struggling with how to adequately explain his income, or just because of pure greed, Blazer failed to pay income tax for over a decade.

This, and the fallout over the 2018/2022 World Cup bidding fiasco, brought him to the attention of the IRS and the FBI.

Prior to the 2012 Olympic Games, Federal Agents caught up to Blazer and his choice was simple: wear a wire and rat out FIFA's corrupt inner circle or go to prison for a very long time.

Blazer chose the former option and with his help as an informant on May 27, 2015, several FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich on wide ranging corruption charges.

Reportedly though, there is more to come in a scandal that has done so much to shake the public's faith in a game that so many of us love.

___________________________________
Football's Biggest Ever Scandals:
(Part 1 of 5): Manchester City's Under the Table Payments
(Part 2 of 5): Totonero 1980
(Part 3 of 5): Maradona Gets Kicked Out of USA '94
(Part 4 of 5): Olympique de Marseille's Epic Run of Corruption and Lies
(Part 5 of 5): Bad Santa - The Unbelievable Story of Chuck Blazer

More Trouble For Sepp Blatter

2015-12-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Needless to say it has not been a vintage year for FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter.

After spending years doing his best impression of a Teflon Don, sliding out of one scandal after another, keeping himself just a toe away from the heat as his cronies fell like dominos.

Many observers of the corruption ridden governing body have long assumed that Sepp was either on the take, or just looking the other way, but many feared that he was clever enough to stay one step ahead of authorities while holding onto his position.

On Monday, the BBC aired a program alleging that it had obtained a letter written by ex-FIFA president Joao Havelange stating Blatter had “full knowledge” of substantial kickback payments in the 1990s.

Havelange, and former FIFA executive Ricardo Teixeira are two key former members of the embattled federation, that allegedly received a portion of the alleged $100 million in bribes paid out by former sports marketing company ISL.

US authorities are currently investigating the link between FIFA and ISL, and if the company which slipped into bankruptcy in 2001, paid off FIFA officials for television and marketing rights in the 1990s.

Blatter had always managed to distance himself from the allegations around ISL's kickbacks, so if evidence exists that he had knowledge of this impropriety, it will come as a major blow to the suspended FIFA President.

To muddy the waters even further, Teixeira was allowed to continue on with FIFA even after years of swirling allegations and took place in the infamous 2018 and 2022 World Cup vote.

Besides the new allegations against Blatter, according to the BBC Qatar allegedly spent £117m on their 2022 bid.

Considering that this is six times what England spent on its bid for the 2018 World Cup, and nearly 12 times the American expenditure on their 2022 bid, where the money actually went raises several questions.

Watch this space.

4 Strange Stories of the Week That Was

2015-11-28T17:29:00.000-05:00

Another fine week in the world of football, that featured the chills and thrills of the Champions League, also witnessed a few things of the stranger variety.

Besides the on-pitch action here are a few other stories that occurred in the football world this week:

Don't be a Dick

According to Marca a player has been suspended for 12 months for attempting to slap a female assistant referee with his wedding tackle. The dick swinging incident occurred during the final stages of the Andalusian Senior Second Division match between CD Abes and Gabia CF in mid-November. The unnamed player, who was on the bench, stormed pitch side in the 80th minute with his penis hanging out of his shorts and tried to slap the official with it. She apparently dodged his meat and two veg, and yesterday the authorities handed him a stiff ban.

Crooked Watches

On Wednesday FIFA’s Ethics Committee announced that the FIFA representatives who were given £16,000 Parmigiani watches as a sweetener before the 2014 World Cup by Brazilian officials had to return them. The days of dodgy dealings could be over at FIFA. right? Well, probably not.

Plane Stupid

Arsenal drew the ire of a group of environmental campaigners today when they opted to take a 14-minute flight from London Luton airport to Norwich ahead of Sunday's match at Carrow Road, as opposed to taking a two hour coach or train ride. A representative from Plane Stupid (no, really) criticized the decision of the Gunners taking to the air as a needless short haul flight that just contributes to climate change. Back in the George Graham days Arsenal were only really dirty on the pitch or in the pub, now under Arsene Wenger it's only really their mode of travel that's dirty. How times change, eh folks?

Justin Bieber? Nobody Fucking Needs Ya!

When Southend midfielder Ryan Leonard hit a rich vein of form recently, scoring three goals in four outings he credited it to listening to Justin Bieber's latest song. The Pop Scrotum himself then retweeted Leonard's comment about his song helping him find the net to his millions of followers and suddenly kids around the world who couldn't find either Southend or possibly England on a map knew all about Leonard. Pop music... You just can't avoid it. Now only if Rooney can start scoring and get a retweet from Taylor Swift.

Clásico Corruption Allegations Rock La Liga

2015-10-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Spanish football could either be on the verge of one its most explosive match fixing scandals in years or it could be a story of hearsay, but regardless a story coming out of La Liga this week is sure to raise some eyebrows.

According to reports in the Guardian and the Independent, a linesman has allegedly been instructed to favour Real Madrid in next month’s clásico against Barcelona.

The linesman, who has not been identified as he fears reprisals, claims that he was contacted first by another official and later by a member of the Spanish Football Federation’s referees’ committee.

According to the Independent:

It is understood that one of the pre-designated linesmen had been contacted by the match referee, and informed that the refereeing committee are pressuring him in to favouring Real with his decisions in their clash with fierce rivals Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on 21 November.

The linesman has also reported Jose Angel Jimenez Munoz de Morales, a member of the referees’ committee, for allegedly contacting him directly to put extra pressure on the official to rule in Real’s favour.

Besides the match in question, the linesman has also told his lawyer that he knows of several matches that have already been illegally influenced and that at least one other linesman has been put under similar pressure to influence results.

For their part the Spanish Football Federation’s referees’ committee are denying any knowledge of the incident.

While like several other major leagues around the world there have been rumours of improper conduct by referees over the years, a scandal like this would rock La Liga to its core.

For their part Barcelona have said that "they hope this isn't true", while Real Madrid are yet to comment.

FFN: World Cup to Expand to 64 Countries

2015-01-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

With Sepp Blatter due to stand for another term as FIFA President and without a suitable challenger in sight, you would expect the World Soccer Tsar to rest on his laurels, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
In an obvious move to chore up his power base among football's smaller nations, he today announced his ambitious plan to expand the World Cup to 64 teams in time for the 2026 World Cup.

While international footballing backwaters such as Gibraltar and Canada have lauded this move, a number of media outlets are crying foul over what they say can only dilute the quality of the competition.

In his statement today from FIFA Headquarters, Mr. Blatter had the following to say about the move:

"Football isn't the domain of a handful of countries. Why should a lack of quality professional players in a given nation always prevent them from taking part in the World Cup?

It's not the World Cup if it's only teams from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. Surely there are small island nations that would like to take part in the tournament.

Like a 46 year old divorcee facing last call at the bar, we don't believe in turning anyone away. The number of teams competing, starting at 64, is a nice round number, but what's to say we can't expand on that in future years?

By showing their commitment to my vision, I can assure the various Football Associations out there that they can start booking flights to North Korea or wherever else the World Cup lands in 2026."

In other news several Football Associations from within UEFA are giving serious consideration to separating from World Football's governing body.

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Thank you for reading FootyFair's Friday Fake News. Please note that none of the above is true.

Protest Banners (Gallery)

2014-12-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

Ajax fans protest the cost of their tickets for a Champions League match away to Manchester City

From rising ticket costs, clueless football associations, a seemingly crooked mob running FIFA, and the game being taken away from it's roots in some areas there are plenty of things to protest about at football these days.

The following are some of the more memorable banners from recent seasons that rail against some of the issues above, or simply vent supporters frustration at their club's management.

Crystal Palace fans hold up a banner opposing the proposed 38th Premier League game to be played abroad.

Manchester United fans continue to protest the controversial ownership of their club by the Glazer family.

Not everyone in Brazil welcomed FIFA this past summer.

Liverpool fans protest former owners Hicks and Gillette

Some Newcastle fans have been glad to see the back of Alan Pardew this week.

Birmingham City fans show their frustration of Carson Yeung's ownership of their club.

Legia react to UEFA's controversial decision to dump them out of the Champions League

PSV fans aren't impressed with the introduction of WIFI at their ground.

Ajax fans make a point about Manchester City's ownership.

Mongolian FA President Suspended by FIFA

2014-10-16T09:00:00.002-04:00

The chain of falling domino's keeps going and the latest piece to fall is the president of the Mongolian FA, Ganbold Buyannemekh.

Ganbold Buyannemekh is the latest official to be linked former FIFA executive, Mohamed bin Hammam. He has been banned for five years for “soliciting and accepting” bribes from Mohamed bin Hammam, in what can only be, one more page on a book that is nowhere near its end when it comes to names inside and outside of FIFA that have been involved in illicit activities.

The Mongolian FA president and former Asian Football Confederation’s executive committee member, accepted payments from Bin Hammam, in order to support his campaign for FIFA president back in 2011. He also took payments back in 2009 to help Bin Hammam secure enough votes to gain a spot in FIFA’s executive committee, which he indeed did by defeating Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa by a 23 to 21 vote.

Bin Hammam has been banned for life for his involvement in several bribes and attempt to bribe officials.

The names will continue to come out as investigation and pressure on FIFA forces them to act and at least look like they are attempting to clean up their house, in what could end up being one of the dirties organizations on the planet. The beautiful game, as so many refer to it, has been contaminated with less than beautiful schemes and operations that leave us all wondering if anyone at FIFA is even “clean” enough to throw the first stone.

While FIFA has taken action and banned the Mongolian FA president for five years, stronger and more substantial punishments should be given out to those that have taken part in these illicit activities. Five years is not enough for someone that has soiled the name of his federation and the people he represents. It seems that crimes committed in the footballing world are accessed a different degree of severity of those that are equal to it but conducted in our day to day life. Not only the punishment doesn’t fit the crime, the morality of those judging is perhaps as tainted as those being judged.

Maybe someday we will understand and know the full extent of these backroom deals, but for now we have to be content with the few breadcrumbs that are thrown our way.

Ganbold Buyannemekh with Sepp Blatter

Footballs’ Sleeping Giants

2014-07-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

The World Cup always brings out some special squads, the darlings if you will, and this years’ edition was no different.

Bosnia &Herzegovina made it to the group stage and while they crashed out, finishing third in their group, we were treated to an Edin Džeko goal and some sublime play from the likes of Miralem Pjanić. The Swiss overcame a psychologically damaging defeat to France to finish second in the group stage and took Argentina to the brink before ultimately bowing out in the Round of 16. Costa Rica were easily the most overachieving squad – in a group stacked with previous World Cup winners (seven titles spread over three squads), Los Ticos shocked the football world with victories over Uruguay and Italy, drawing with England to finish first in their group, advancing past Greece in penalties before ultimately losing out to the eventual third place winners, The Netherlands.

Besides being able to play great football, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Switzerland and Costa Rica all share another commonality – their populations. Between the three countries, their populations combined roughly reach to about 17 million inhabitants. In contrast, three of the most populous countries in the world didn’t come close to advancing to this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup – China, India and Indonesia. These three countries combines have a staggering estimated population of roughly 2.9 BILLION residents, which is about 40% of the world total population! So why is it that countries like Bosnia & Herzegovina, Switzerland and Costa Rica make it to the grand stage of world football yet some of the biggest countries in terms of population cannot?

A quick scan of the recent roster call-ups for each country shows players that are playing domestically as opposed to abroad. According to a ranking of world football leagues conducted by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) as of December 31, 2013, the China Super League was ranked as the 34th best league in the world - an improvement from 70th in 2012, thanks to an influx of foreigners wooed by the big bucks thrown around by various Chinese clubs. India’s I-League finished in the 92nd spot, a drop from the 86th slot while the Indonesian Super League leapt from the 99th spot in 2012 to the 95th spot in 2013. The talent in each league is clearly lacking, and the domestic based players would benefit from playing with and against stronger competition. An emphasis on foreign coaching would help the transition as would more matches against foreign competition (can you say over-priced summer club friendlies, anyone?!).

Football is a very popular sport around the globe, especially with television viewers. Leagues such as the English Premier League constantly get high ratings all over the world, especially in Asia. Football, however, is not a sport that is woven into the fabric of these countries. In India, cricket is king. Hordes of fans pack cricket grounds to watch their favourite club teams, and the Indian national cricket team is currently ranked second in the world. Basketball is immensely popular in China. The NBA continues to send teams over to play in pre-season matches, and of course it helps having a Chinese superstar like Yao Ming to help foster and nurture the popularity of the sport in China. Badminton (!) is the most successful sport in Indonesia, with numerous Olympic gold medals won since the sport was introduced back in 1992.

Another plague that each country has when it comes to football is corruption. There are numerous reports of high-placed executives and individuals who have been accused of corruption and cronyism in Indonesia and China. Accusations of match-fixing, bribery, unpaid wages to players and coaches, violence on and off the pitch have all accumulated and led to fans having very little faith in their respective countries’ football associations. While local governments have pledged to clean things up, very little has been done to ensure that the organizations are running smoothly and efficient.

FIFA Official Involved in Illegal Ticket Sale

2014-07-04T17:00:00.000-04:00

A high rank FIFA official was involved in illegal sale & trafficking of World Cup tickets.

Rio de Janeiro police has dismantled organize trafficking ring that involved a high ranking FIFA official. The police investigation started three months ago and culminated with the arrest of eleven people, which ten of them happened to be Brazilian. The leader of this criminal enterprise was Mohamadou Lamine Fofaria.

According to the chief officer in charge of the arrests and investigation, there is someone above Lamine Fofana that orchestrated the sale and distribution of hundreds of World Cup tickets for prices sometimes 1000% more than the face value. The officer in charge, Fabio Barucke also revealed that Lamine had a FIFA pass that gave him all access to every stadium, VIP zones and even the Copacabana Palaca, headquarters of FIFA at the World Cup.

Lamine is CEO of a marketing company specialized in training athletes on how to handle the media. Atlanta Sportif International has pictures on their site of Lamine with many famous players like Eusebio, and Pele, but also famous Hollywood stars like Jack Nicholson & Sylvester Stallone. Lamine organized a party before the France vs. Ecuador, where former World Cup champions and other former players were given bottles of whiskey in the shape of a football cleat, evaluated in over 3 thousand euros per bottle.

One of the former players was Ronaldinho’s brother, Roberto Assis. He has been identified in some of the police wire taps, asking for packages of tickets from Lamine. According to the local authorities, the process in place consisted in tickets given to non-governmental foundations or federations that were participating in the World Cup would not reach their destination and were redistributed by the criminal group to their buyers. This would earn them 800 thousand euros per game to a total of 70 million euros once the tournament is over. The investigation also discovered that this ticket trafficking has been in place at least since 1998.

The FIFA official involved in this criminal ring has already been identified, but his name is not been divulged to the media. The name of the person in question was given to authorities by Jose Massih, lawyer for Atlanta Sportif International. According to the newspaper “O Dia”, it was Massih that explained to police how the crimes were committed and all the processes in place by the men involved in the redistribution of the ticket. The investigation has also extended to members of the Brazil, Spain and Argentinian FA, which made tickets available to family members, players and guest that went unused be available to this crime group for re-sale.

FIFA marketing director, Thierry Weil has guaranteed that FIFA is collaborating with local authorities in all ongoing investigations, and hope the guilty parties are brought to justice.

This is not a new situation for FIFA, former CONCACAF president and former member of the executive committee, Jack Warner, resigned from his posts in 2011 after being proved that he was involved in the illegal sales of 2002 and 2006 World Cup tickets.

This is just the latest black eye that FIFA has to deal with, but considering their track record it won’t be the last.

2014 World Cup Under Interpol Investigation

2014-06-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Football and corruption seem to go hand in hand these days.

FIFA is in hot water over the winning bid from Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup, and with scandals of match fixing popping up all around the world it should be no surprise that this year’s World Cup in Brazil is being looked at as a possible risk for corruption.

Interpol secretary-general has confirmed that one of their investigative teams has been sent to Brazil, due to the high risk of matches being fixed during the World Cup.

Ron Noble has told reporters that organized groups have been involved with illegal gambling and anytime you have illegal gambling on games you also have a higher probability of matches being fixed.

Ralf Mutschke former Interpol and currently responsible for security at FIFA admitted to BBC last May that no game, no tournament is safe from being used for illegal betting and match fixing, even the World Cup. Mutschke also confirmed that some teams have already been identified by these groups as targets, some of the players have also been approached and even the friendlies leading into the tournament had been at risk.

One of the friendly matches leading to the World Cup that was draped in controversy was the Nigeria vs. Scotland game. Nigerian goalkeeper, Austin Ejide came out to clear a ball and looked like he threw the ball into his own net. This has to be one of the most bizarre own goals in the history of international football. Plays like this, cast a shadow of suspicion over the game and the players and does very little to clean the image that football currently holds of being a game where the results can be bought.

For the last 2 years, Mutschke and his team have been preparing for this and they believe that not only players are at risk but also match officials. This is done behind the scenes and it is not in the open, which makes his job of investigating it that much harder. Nobody is going to walk up to the hotel door with a bag of money; this process is done in the shadows and very rarely involves face to face contact. Mutschke would not reveal the teams or players that are under the eye of Interpol, since this is a police matter and he doesn't want to put at risk the investigation.

This is the ugly side of the beautiful game, but it shouldn't surprise anyone that even at this level the risk of corruption and match fixing is real. FIFA is not a very transparent organization to begin with, not that they condone match fixing, but they need to be able to clean their own house if they are to address the real issues of match fixing and minimize it. I think stopping this issue is nearly impossible, but it can be contained and the parties caught in it need to be brought to justice.

The game of football has become a very dirty and lucrative business, it is no longer just about what 22 players do on the field and that is something that everyone that loves the game should be worried about.

The Monday Meltdown - Qatar, Turbo Shandies, and Cheering Against Portugal

2014-06-02T18:00:00.000-04:00

Qatar, Really?

I’ll always remember the morning Qatar was awarded the right to host the 2022 World Cup.

I had been out for a few drinks the night before with my indoor 5-a side team, and by a few drinks I mean a few pitchers of beer, three turbo shandies, and a couple rounds of shots. My head was a bit of a mess and the reheated slice of pepperoni pie from Pizzaiolo was dancing in my belly.

As I stepped out into the frigid December air though, I remembered that the World Cup draw was that morning. So I pulled out my phone to see if I should start saving for a trip across the pond. To my disappointment I immediately saw that Russia had edged out England for the right to host the 2018 Finals. With Russia’s history in international competition, a strong domestic league and above all a pile of dough, it made sense that FIFA was going there.

Then I scrolled down through the article a bit and to my absolute shock I saw that Qatar had been granted the 2022 World Cup. “That can’t be right!” I thought. “I must still be drunk. There’s no way Qatar are getting the World Cup over Australia or the US.” So I went into McDonalds for another coffee as I obviously wasn't ready to go into work just yet.

As I got about three quarters of the way through my Cup of Joe, and was wiping the Egg McMuffin grease away from my lips, I thought I’d look at the World Cup article again. It turned out of course that I wasn't still drunk; I was merely in that nauseating limbo between being drunk and being full blown hung over.

Qatar, in the meantime, had been given the World Cup after all. “Oh come on,” I thought. “FIFA is corrupt, but there’s no way they can get away with this.”

Like many, my first thought was that something smelled and it wasn't me. With three senior FIFA officials, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Issa Hayatou accused of accepting bribes as part of the cloud around FIFA’s former marketing partner ISL's collapse, a ticket touting scandal around CONCACAF's Jack Warner, and questions being asked about FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s knowledge of all of this, is it any wonder many of us believed something was amiss?

Although I want to see more countries given the right to host the World Cup, the awarding of the tournament to a country where summer temperatures can reach 50C was madness. Nearly all of the stadiums required for the finals would need to be built and even if they were air conditioned, what about the activities that go on around the country outside of the grounds?

I went to the World Cup in Germany in 2006, and although going to the grounds was fantastic, the best part of the experience was going to the Fan Zones. There you could mingle with people from other countries, try out some foods from around the world and watch matches from other cities on big screens. In a country as hot as Qatar, and with some of the tough laws they have in place, some of these things won’t be possible.

In the years since the awarding of the 2022 World Cup, Jack Warner, the former head of CONCACAF, again came under investigation for numerous allegations of corruption, including a $2 million dollar payoff from a Qatari firm. He has since resigned from FIFA and is no longer under investigation as a result.

Similarly, the driving force behind Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid and former President of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohammed bin Hammam, has been banned from football for life by FIFA for attempting to bribe officials in his bid for the FIFA Presidency in 2011.

In addition to the questions around the bid, the stories that have come out on the abuses suffered by foreign workers involved in the building work in Qatar have cast an even darker mark on the whole affair.

On Sunday, June 1 2014, London’s Sunday Times published details of a series of leaked emails alleging that millions of dollars and gifts were given out to Football Association members from smaller nations by bin Hammam prior to the World Cup vote.

So the initial feeling I had on the awarding of the World Cup, was not wide of the mark. It’s a shameful affair and rather than growing the game in different parts of the world, it simply makes football at the highest level look dirty and corrupt. It’ll be interesting to see if anything is done about it, and if there will be another vote.

Cheering for the Other Guys

Cheering for the side you either love, or are stuck with from birth, is a straightforward affair, but cheering against a side and hoping someone, or anyone for that matter, will beat them is an uncomfortable feeling.

I went through it this season as it looked as if Liverpool were en route to their nineteenth league title. There is no team in professional sports I hate more than Liverpool FC. I would literally prefer to have seen the Premiership suspend play back in February and declare this season null and void rather than have to hear the chirping from their fans this summer if they had won it.

So I got behind Manchester City in their bid to stop the red menace. It was a little like getting your house burgled. One team was going to going to just rob you, while the other team was going to rob you and shit on your coffee table.

I could deal with a City win, but I didn't want the foul reminder of a Liverpool title, so I cheered on every club they came up against in the latter part of the season and was pleased when they slipped up against Chelsea and melted down against Crystal Palace.

It felt kind of petty and small to celebrate someone else's misfortunes, but sometimes football can be a funny game, much like the rest of life.

This summer though I'm going to try and be the bigger man in one regard and not take up my usual tradition of cheering against Portugal.

The town I grew up in had a very sizable Portuguese community, made up of mostly families who had emigrated here from the Azores or to a lessor degree Madeira. As result of this, football was a big deal in our town and I grew up with some terrific players. We also had some great bakeries, but that's besides the point.

In the early to mid-'90's, the Portuguese National Team was going through a bad stretch where they didn't qualify for the 1990 or 1994 World Cups. During the 1994 World Cup though a curious thing started to happen in my neighbourhood. A large portion of the guys I grew up with started to get behind Brazil and I mean REALLY get behind them.

They would drive around after Brazil victories in that tournament with Brazilian flags hanging out of their cars, honking horns and claiming "A Seleção's" wins as their own.

"What the fuck is this shit?" I wondered. "This would be like me driving around town with a US flag hanging out my window and singing 'God Bless America', just because they used to be a British colony and speak English."

When Brazil won the World Cup that year in Pasadena, it was a nightmare around town as a lot of quasi-Brazilian's partied like it was 1999.

I didn't understand it at all, but to each their own I thought.

But then the 2000 European Championships rolled around and Portugal had a good side again. As Luis Figo and company took Portugal to the Semi-Finals of that tournament, the same people who had lived and died with Brazil six years earlier had now rediscovered their roots.

In the international tournaments since 2000, most of the Brazil flags have come down and Portugal is suddenly "cool" again. Except of course with a few knobheads who swap colours if Portugal gets knocked out early.

I'm sorry though, but you don't change clubs and you sure as hell don't change countries. Don't get me wrong I enjoy watching Brazil play, and when the Dutch team aren't unhinged they can be fun to watch, but I'd never hang a flag up that wasn't my own. Like with all of the fashionistas that became Barcelona fans a few years back, my natural inclination is to see these folks disappointed. If they chose Brazil, rightly or wrongly in the '90s, well I'm sorry you've got to stick with them. You gave up on your own country and going back to them now that they're a good side shows moral weakness in my opinion.

So since that tournament, I have taken it upon myself to cheer against Portugal in every major tournament. I even insisted on my family calling me Iainios Jonesopopolous when they faced Greece in the Euro 2004 Final.

But this year, I'm going to let bygones be bygones and not care about Portugal's results. I'm just going to enjoy the World Cup and hope for some good football even in the matches they're involved in. I'm trying to be more positive and forgiving. Hell, if I had a therapist I'm sure she'd say that's good for me.

But don't get me wrong, I won't be going to any town that has a sizable Portuguese community or won't be talking to one of the other writers on this blog for the next four years if they do win the whole damn thing this summer though.