For what may be the first time ever, the United States has expressed a wholehearted and enthusiastic interest in Soccer.
…too bad that interest manifested in the form of an investigation, accusations, and mass arrests. C’est la vie.
Today at dawn, seven of FIFA’s (the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or the governing body of worldwide soccer) most powerful executive were dragged out of their Zurich hotel rooms and arrested under suspicion of corruption. If the results of a long-term investigation by the FBI pan out, they could be facing up to 20 years in prison.
The Daily Beast explains:
The U.S. authorities probed what officials described as a 24-year scheme by senior executives to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer. Indictments on 47 counts against 14 people, including racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering, were unsealed in federal court. The indictment details a $10 million payment to induce one executive to vote for the 2010 World Cup to be hosted in South Africa. There are also allegations that bribes were paid to help Sepp Blatter secure the FIFA presidency in 2011.“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Wednesday in Brooklyn. “Today’s action makes clear that this Department of Justice intends to end any such corrupt practices, to root out misconduct, and to bring wrongdoers to justice—and we look forward to continuing to work with other countries in this effort.”
So much for the love of the game, right?
The U.S. will ask Switzerland to extradite the men; Switzerland, however, has jumped into the investigation itself by seizing Swiss bank accounts and documents that could show officials were unjustly enriched following the scandalous decision to award World Cup hosting privileges to Russia and Qatar. Both countries have terrible human rights records, and officials expect that during the investigation member nations will call on FIFA to reopen discussions about more appropriate venues.
So, we have a mess on our hands, of the international variety—but it gets even better!
Guess which international organization with a rotten reputation regarding ethics, human rights, and overall honesty is also a Clinton Foundation donor!?
The Clinton Foundation has received between $50,000 and $100,000 from FIFA, and has also partnered with the organization on several occasions—but wait, there’s more!
Involvement with the embattled body extends beyond the foundation to Bill Clinton himself. The former president was an honorary chairman of the bid committee put together to promote the United States as a possible host nation for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.When the U.S. lost the 2022 bid to Qatar, Clinton was rumored to be so upset he shattered a mirror.But apparently Qatar tried to make it up to him.The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, partnering with the State of Qatar, “committed to utilizing its research and development for sustainable infrastructure at the 2022 FIFA World Cup to improve food security in Qatar, the Middle East, and other arid and water-stressed regions throughout the world,” according to the Clinton Foundation website.The cost of the two-year project is not listed on the Clinton Foundation website, but the Qatar 2022 committee gave the foundation between $250,000 and $500,000 in 2014 and the State of Qatar gave between $1 million and $5 million in previous, unspecified years.
It just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?
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