FIFA Corruption scandal 2011

With the up-coming FIFA Presidential elections contested between Mohammed Bin Hammam of Qatar and the current President Sepp Blatter heavily publicised, there had to be a massive story to accompany the elections. CONCACAF President Jack Warner has been heavily involved in scandals that has shaken the world of Football and let's not pretend that his colleagues haven't also been within the proceedings too. FA Chairman Lord Triesman has accused 4 senior officials of Football's Governing body of being corrupt and involved in fixing the World Cup voting ballot earlier this year. Police are investigating a multi-million fraud involving many of the senior FIFA members. The slogan "For the Game. For the World" conveys a definitive shade of confidence even through the allegations that have been accused. Some would say FIFA have tried to show confidence and have tried to ignore the allegations, it is almost them confessing to a guilty conscious. Many officials at FIFA have been accused and some cleared but most interestingly, Jack Warner and Mohammed Bin Hammam have been caught red handed. There is clear evidence that some senior officials are corrupt in the organisation and BBC Panorama has uncovered some of these members. Using a Prime time slot on BBC 1 to expose their findings, Andrew Jennings showed his excavations to the UK and the outcome was explosive. Millions of unimpressed Football fans grew expectantly angry with the accusations and most believed that their trusted officials at FIFA had betrayed them and traded their World Cup for money.

Accused

Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi and most the publicised, Jack Warner are the 4 accused FIFA officials accused by Lord Triesman of corruption and bribery. In the recent World Cup bid result, Qatar won the right to host the 2022 finals and Russia was given the 2018 finals. FA Chairman Lord Triesman accused the 4 members of "The Football family" of selling their votes to the national FA of each bidding nation. This provided an unfair vote were Russia and Qatar, the richest nations bidding, won the vote. Is this much of a surprise? Did England ever have a chance of landing a World Cup? Reports circulated soon after the result that the England Bid Team were asked how much they were prepared to pay for several of the officials votes. In my eyes, this is nothing less than Treason to Football and these officials should be humiliated publicly. The truth should be unearthed from the depths of the corrupt society we know as FIFA and there is no doubt in my mind that votes were sold to members of FIFA. It is disgusting that people in a position of trust and prowess should even contemplate corruption. Ok, not all of FIFA's officials have been accused of bribery but I am certain, convinced that the World Cup vote was fixed. All that is needed to convict these cheating officials is some concrete evidence that shows how they sold their votes, sadly, most of the evidence is buried deep within FIFA and they are in no mood to release this kind of material.

Convicted

FIFA Executive Committee Chuck Blazer found President of Asian Football Confederation Mohammed Bin Hammam guilty of corruption and bribery and swiftly suspended him and FIFA Vice-President Jack Warner from the organisation. Even after his suspension, Warner wrote to the CFA (Caribbean Football Association) to ask them not to continue their case against the only standing FIFA Presidential candidate in an almost, sickening attempt to save Blatter form the Ethics Committee. If Warner knew any better, he would have fled privately to such a place to meet the CFA rather than to use a tracked form of communication that was intercepted by the FIFA secretary and immediately brought to the attention of the Ethics Committee. Even after being caught red handed, Warner still carried or pretending like a child caught misbehaving at Primary school. He was caught, suspended and left dumbfounded, but still found the arrogance and sheer ignorance to save his obviously favoured Sepp Blatter. Does it seem like FIFA operates in a vicious circle? 1 member is caught trying to fix a voting scheme, and then many are accused. 1 is suspended but tries to save the other accused by repeating his acts by cheating his way to his final goal. Effectively, Jack Warner has swiped Sepp Blatter's last leg to stand on and dropped him in a cage full of hungry lions. In a childish attempt to save Blatter, Warner has in fact shot him in the foot. Who knows what will happen to the accused. FIFA have the ball in their court and they are seemingly boxed in, but they have the ball. They have most of the crucial evidence that is needed to convict accused officials. Police can try to unearth as much evidence as they can, but with the evidence buried deep within FIFA, will they find enough to sieve out the guilty members? FIFA's senior members had a smug look on their face when they took their payments for fixing a vote for the host nation of Footballs greatest tournament. How their expression has changed since the exposition of their deeds. The final chapter, hopefully a happy ending for the World and the bad guys handed hefty punishments for their misdoings. How I'd like to see that.

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