Rabbatts resigns from Fifa role in protest at Blatter June 1, 2015 FOOTBALL Association (FA) board member Heather Rabbatts yesterday quit her role on Fifa’s anti-discrimination task force in protest at Sepp Blatter’s re-election as president. The anti-discrimination task force was chaired by Fifa vice-president Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands, who is one of seven serving officials of the embattled world governing body to be arrested [...]
Fifa corruption: What businesses can learn about the need for cultural change, rather than blaming individuals June 1, 2015 Whenever a large organisation gets into public trouble, the search for a scapegoat begins and the organisations are often relived to serve one up. Institutional illegality is all very well, but it does not appear to be interesting until we can put a face to the crime and a name to the nastiness. After [...]
Five things Sepp Blatter just said about Fifa’s crisis after winning presidential election May 30, 2015 Newly re-elected Fifa president Sepp Blatter has given a press conference in Zurich where he answered the many burning questions posed by journalists following the corruption scandal which exploded this week. Here's what he had to say. 1. "I have no $10m" Did Blatter know who it is that is alleged to have given money [...]
Fifa president Sepp Blatter wins leadership election over Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein May 29, 2015 Sepp Blatter will be Fifa president for a further four years after comfortably beating Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein in today's leadership election. The 79-year-old will keep his role until 2019 after securing 133 of the 209 member association votes cast at Fifa's annual congress in Zurich. Prince Ali was entitled to ask for a second [...]
From Fifa and Greece to the rail strike and Queen’s Speech: Here’s what got us talking this week May 29, 2015 There was a speech. There was a protest. There were some strange-looking balloons. And rapidly receding in our memories, there was a bank holiday. Here's what got us talking this week 1. Fifa was in the news Commentators expressed but little surprise when a number of Fifa officials were arrested this week, but [...]
Fifa president Sepp Blatter resists calls to resign May 28, 2015 Fifa President Sepp Blatter has rejected calls to resign amid the worst crisis in the global governing body's 111-year history. Michel Platini, head of Europe's football governing body Uefa, said he had told Blatter to go "with tears in my eyes", but he had refused. "I said, 'I'm asking you to leave, Fifa's image is [...]
Fifa arrests: Vladimir Putin backs Sepp Blatter and slams US “meddling” May 28, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of meddling in affairs beyond its jurisdiction by arresting a number of Fifa officials on charges of bribery and racketeering. In a televised statement, Putin described the arrests as "yet another blatant attempt [by the US] to extend its jurisdiction to other states" and a "clear [...]
Fifa arrests: Visa threatens to withdraw sponsorship as pressure increases May 28, 2015 Visa has become the first Fifa sponsor to threaten terminating its support for football's scandal-hit governing body. The financial services giant said "we will reassess our sponsorship" if Fifa does not make immediate changes to its conduct following the arrest of a number of top officials on bribery and racketeering charges brought by the US Department of [...]
Day of reckoning for besieged FIFA May 27, 2015 ▪ Seven officials arrested as criminal proceedings brought ▪ The presidential election will take place as planned WORLD governing body Fifa was in unprecedented turmoil last night after a day of drama and intrigue saw seven serving officials of the scandal-ridden organisation arrested in Switzerland on corruption charges. Dawn raids of the five-star Baur au [...]
Fifa corruption arrests: How the FA, Fifa, Uefa, Arsene Wenger and the football world reacted to US and Swiss investigations May 27, 2015 The football world was brought to a standstill today after top Fifa officials were arrested by police on corruption charges in an early morning Zurich raid and others were called for questioning over the World Cup bidding process. A US Department of Justice suit indicted 14 people – including Fifa officials – on charges of corruption [...]