Putin accuses US of meddling into FIFA affairs

POSTED BY: Geezer
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 15, 2016 19:33
VIEWED: 11606
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GEEZER

Friday, May 29, 2015 7:36 PM

Quote:
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States of meddling in the affairs of soccer’s governing body and hinted that its corruption investigation is part of an attempt to take the 2018 World Cup away from his country.

Yep. It's all about you, Vlad.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/putin-accuses-us-of-meddlin
g-into-fifa-affairs/2015/05/28/69cd9ba6-051d-11e5-93f4-f24d4af7f97d_story.html

THGRRI

Friday, May 29, 2015 7:50 PM

Russia and it's corruption has been front and center along with their expansionism.

SIGNYM

Friday, May 29, 2015 8:20 PM

THUGR

Quote:
Originally posted by THGRRI:
Russia and it's corruption has been front and center along with their expansionism

So ... what does Russian corruption have to do with FIFA corruption? Is FIFA Russian? Not snark, a genuine question, because I'm not following the connection you seem to have made between the two.

I'm confused. Maybe because I don't follow soccer, but ... the people that the DoJ had arrested weren't American citizens, and they weren't on American soil (as far as I know) when they committed their crimes. So how does a USA justice system indict and arrest foreigners on foreign soil? Were they breaking some international law? Was the USA acting kind of like INTERPOL? Is this some part of an international trade agreement, or something? Heck, Americans don't even LIKE soccer! If someone can explain how that works, I'd be most appreciative.

I've been hearing for years that FIFA was corrupt: Bribery is the only way to explain the decision to hold the world cup in Qatar. According to my soccer-following buddies, Qatar is SO hot, it's the butt of of many How hot is it" jokes. It's SO hot, they had to move the world cup series to the fall, which apparently interferes with all kinds of European playoffs (Forgive me if I got this wrong- I just nod and smile when my soccer-loving friend starts talking about soccer; but at some point my eyes kind of glaze over. I hope it doesn't show!)

But - appointing a Prince of Jordan as the FIFA President??? If anything smacks of corruption, it's that!

GEEZER
Don't worry, I'm sure Americans will find SOME way to "make Russia pay" for FIFA corruption! (And that's a KPO Prediction®.)

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In the end, the first thing that came to mind was: Well, you "lost" Ramadi and your Saudi friends don't like you so well and are threatening to get the bomb, but ...

HEY! At least you can score points against FIFA! That's sayin' sumpthin'!

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

THGRRI

Friday, May 29, 2015 9:10 PM

Quote:

G

I think that's called "getting out in front of it..." I don't know for sure..., but I would be surprised if Russia hadn't bribed their way into getting the World Cup for 2018

Hey G welcome back. You got it. That plus the fact that once American banks are involved along with the American Broadcast industry, it becomes a legal issue for the United States.

THGRRI

Friday, May 29, 2015 9:44 PM

Quote:
G

Hi T! Interesting to see if Nike gets a visit.

I will say that when I saw the story break I was a bit "HUH?? How? We did this??" As with almost anything to do with this sport I would be most happy to see as little US involvement as possible (Fenway Group, etc) - we tend to change things and not always for the best. That's why I am cautiously optimistic as of this instant, that we might actually have some positive impact on a sport I've grown to enjoy immensely (anyone see the Europa League Final? Good match).

Not being a soccer fan I had no idea what was what. I still don’t really, not in-depth. That said I am a news junkie and have heard a lot about what’s going on. From what I gather the world is shocked and overjoyed by this turn of events. Again that said, you are right to be cautiously optimistic because the corporate world gets away with pretty much everything.

THGRRI

Friday, May 29, 2015 9:47 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by G:
On the lighter side:

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/mccain-urges-military-s
trikes-against-fifa

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) – Calling the Obama Administration’s actions against the soccer organization “weak and ineffective,” Senator John McCain on Thursday proposed military action to “dismantle and destroy FIFA once and for all.”

“These are people who only understand one thing: force,” McCain said on the floor of the United States Senate. “We must make FIFA taste the vengeful might and fury of the United States military.”

McCain said that he was “completely unimpressed” by the Department of Justice’s arrests of several top FIFA lieutenants this week, calling the action “the kind of Band-Aid solution that this Administration, sadly, has become famous for.”

“Rounding up a few flunkies in a hotel is meaningless when the leader of FIFA remains at large,” he said. “I will follow Sepp Blatter to the gates of Hell.”

OK, at first I thought this was a piece from the Onion.

SIGNYM

Friday, May 29, 2015 10:19 PM

Quote:
You'll be sorry to hear that US justice system did not arrest foreigners on foreign soil. Those were Swiss police forces in Zurich, the home of FIFA.

No, I was clear on the idea that these people were arrested on foreign soil by foreign police, which made things even harder to understand.

Quote:
The action alleges use of US financial systems to transfer bribery payouts, wire fraud.

I "get" extradition, but can the USA claim that because payments were made in "US financial systems" (whatever that means!) that this is an American crime? Wire payments are made via SWIFT, which is an international system. Do they mean that money went thru banks incorporated/headquarterd in the USA? Foreign banks with American branches? Any further info would be appreciated.

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

THGRRI

Friday, May 29, 2015 10:40 PM

Yep G, Sig is posting because Putin made the call. Attack America's right to do this. Make it look as though they are the aggressors in the world, no one is safe. It's funny to me the best Sig can do is fane ignorance on the subject. I guess there is just too much support for this globally for her to make much hay about it.

1KIKI

Saturday, May 30, 2015 1:13 AM

Bottom line: “I have no doubt that this is yet another evident attempt to derail Mr. Blatter’s re-election as FIFA president. We are aware of the pressure that he was subjected to in relation to Russia holding the 2018 World Cup.”

Is that true? If it is then, yes, it seems like it's a long-standing situation the US suddenly decided had to be addressed RIGHT NOW! simply to disadvantage Russia (and punish anyone who refuses to get with the program). And I have to fault the supposed 'news' agency WaPo. Where's their fact-checking? Can't they do journalism and determine if that pressure existed? Or are we to be treated to endless highly selected snippets of blahblahblah from all sides as 'news'.

SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

THGRRI

Saturday, May 30, 2015 4:22 AM

How lucky are we, we have two.

Russia Steps up Propaganda Push with Online 'Kremlin Trolls'

"Deep inside a four-story marble building in St. Petersburg, hundreds of workers tap away at computers on the front lines of an information war, say those who have been inside. Known as "Kremlin trolls," the men and women work 12-hour shifts around the clock, flooding the Internet with propaganda aimed at stamping President Vladimir Putin's world vision on Russia, and the world.

The Kremlin has always dabbled in propaganda, but in the past year its troll campaign has gone into overdrive, adding hundreds of online operatives to help counter Western pressure over its role in the pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine. The program is drawing Serbia away from its proclaimed EU membership path and closer to the Russian orbit, and is targeting Germany, the United States and other Western powers. The operation has worried the European Union enough to prompt it to draw up a blueprint for fighting Russia's disinformation campaign, although details have not yet been released. "

Their doing a shit job though because Serbia just agreed to take the United States alternative when it comes to oil pipelines. No surprise there due to the fact that once in the position of being your oil supplier Russia resorts to blackmail to get what they want. Do this or we'll cut off your oil.

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/russia-steps-propaganda-push-onli
ne-kremlin-trolls-n366606

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