This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
FIFA Confirms Russia Will Be Stripped Of 2018 World Cup If "Evidence Of Bribery" Emerges
Ten days ago, when the FIFA scandal broke out, it took just a few hours to figure out what the US DOJ's motive was. The answer was simple: stripping the 2018 (and 2022) World Cup hosts, i.e., Russia (and to a lesser extent Qatar), of their respective hosting venues, and long before the Blatter's resigned we said:
What happens next? Sepp Blatter's reelection this coming Friday, which until yesterday had been guaranteed, is now virtually assured to fail as Putin's frontman at FIFA is shown the door.
What else likely happens? Following some dramatic procedural changes, Russia loses the hosting of the 2018 World Cup.
And moments after Blatter's unexpected resignation we doubled down:
And now Russia is stripped of the 2018 World Cup
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 2, 2015
One day later, we learned that as the FIFA corruption scandal kept growing, the jaws surrounding Russia started to close following a report thatthe FBI had launched a probe into the Russia 2018 World Cup award.
There was just one thing missing: someone at FIFA admitting that the necessary and sufficient condition for Russia (if not so much Clinton Foundation donor Qatar) to be stripped of their hosting rights, would be evidence of bribery during the selection process. Which would be a low threshold indeed: if the past two weeks have confirmed it is that every single World Cup award stretching all the way back to France in 1998 and likely prior (such as the US in 1994) was as a result of illegal back-room dealings.
Today, the last missing piece finally fell into place, after Domenico Scala, the independent chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee, told a Swiss newspaper that Russia and Qatar could be stripped of their World Cup hosting rights if evidence emerges of bribery in the bidding process. From Reuters:
"If evidence should emerge that the awards to Qatar and Russia only came about thanks to bought votes, then the awards could be invalidated," Scala told SonntagsZeitung in an interview published on Sunday.
"This evidence has not yet been brought forth."
It shortly will be, even as both countries - as expected - have denied wrongdoing in the conduct of their bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which were not the subject of charges announced by U.S. prosecutors last week against FIFA officials.
Ironically, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he supported Qatar hosting the 2022 tournament but said Britain would work with another country if FIFA re-opened the bidding process.
Perhaps the Clinton foundation will merely refund the Qatar "proceeds" if the Mid-east nation is stripped of its hosting rights. Or perhaps the US will simply make it up by "accidentally" blowing up Bashar al Assad's home and ending once and for all the last hurdle to launching the Qatari natgas pipeline to Europe (in the process, the US also successfully isolating Gazprom as Europe's sole outside energy provider).
For Russia, the fate of Assad and Syria is a booby-trapped bridge it will have not choice but to cross eventually. But as for the fate of the Russian 2018 World Cup, the irony is that by forcibly stripping Putin of hosting rights, it will do Russia not one favor but two as we explained on Thursday:
- first, Putin will save billions in funds for far better uses (the IRR on mass sport spectacles is terrible), and avoid the bottomless pit that is building if not bridges, then surely road, to nowhere and stadiums that will be used once only to become grazing grounds for sheep in the years to come.
- more importantly, for a country fanned by nationalistic fervor, Putin will be able to wave the patriotic flag and slam the evil USA for not only meddling in other people's affairs, but taking away what was rightfully Russia's, thereby boosting his nationalism-inspired popularity to even greater heights.
Or, to loosely paraphrase Hans Gruber, "You asked for miracles, Theo, I give you the DOJ."
»
- 39069 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
Guys, there is no way Qatar will lose the World Cup. The US CENTCOM would get thrown out of the country in about 30 seconds flat and the Taliban 5 would be given First Class Tickets to the US (along with all of the bombs they could carry) and for shits and giggles the Qataris would probably throw a few Americans in jail. Just aint gonna happen no matter how hot it gets in June to play soccer!!!!!
But Russia. Russia's cup is gone. The next steps are just a paper drill.
Does that include shipping arms to islamic militants to order or paying into the Clinton slush fund?
FIFA HAS NOT decided anything. The procedure is for the Executive committee to make a decision on the audit committee report at their next meeting in September. However, any FIFA member can demand a vote on whether to withdraw the awards to Russia and Qatar at the overall Congress meeting and whose decisions are final. Those seeking to strip Russia off the world cup simply don't have the votes to get their way, and the recent election results in favour of Blatter reflect that. Asia, Africa and South America plus 18 UEFA members including Germany, Spain and France contrary to the UEFA President Platini's wishes. Russia and Qatar will keep the world cup. Their detractors only option is to boycott, but how will a withdrawal of England and the US make any difference? They are both football lightweights unlike Germany or Spain.
Uh, dude, i hate to break it to you...but now that the USA has invaded FIFA, institude regime change, put its foreign leaders in jail under the direction of the FBI while in a foreign country, and now controls the stationary and bank accounts the USA RULES FIFA. Next think you know they will bring Ben Rhodes into run the FIFA foreign policy which will most certainly call for Russia to be visited by the FIFA World Cup Soup Nazi. "NO WORLD CUP FOR YOU!"
I think its bullshit, but it is the reality. I hope Vlad's construction deposits were refundable!
Agree it is too soon to say anything definite. I notice the article says FIFA "could" take away the 2018 World Cup from Russia, but the headline says "will." FIFA officials are not about to decide anything yet.
Could we see FIFA split if USA pushes to deny Moscow in 2018? Could we see 2 World Cup organizations? I wonder.
This is SUCH BS. Every single nation bribes FIFA, the Olympic Committee and every other "prestigious" event. The US was caught bribing Olympic Committee with the Salt Lake City Olympic bid. It certainly appears to the disinterested observer that Mr Putin and Russia are being ZEROED in on and it is truly ridiculous. Such as non-inviting him to to the meetings in Germany. While I am well aware of his shortcomings I think Mr Putin deserves, at the very least, the RESPECT that any head of state should get, and Russia is a great nation and should NOT be treated so shabbily.
USA dare not to open war with Russia, then USA decided to keep poking.
I feel the real reason of this whole mess is that the West is pissed at the Qataris and the Russians overbidding them for those two cups (FFS, let's get real - ALL of them paid one way or the other, incuding the English and the Australians...), back in 1998 France overbid the others (also Platini admitted there was instruction from 'above' to vote for Qatar), in 2006 Germany overbid (the Germans sent arms to the Saudis and built car factories in Asia...) as well... no probes in those cases... Also remember Gazprom is now a FIFA sponsor...
All this FIFA debacle is part of the bigger picture of the West vs the BRICS. Notice how TISA, TPP, TTIP agreements ignore the BRICS - they need those passed ASAP because they feel they're losing the grip...
I would love to see Russia being stripped off from World Cup football. It will be a much entertaining to see what Putin next than the World Cup football itself.
Invade Iraq and Afghanistan and kill millions based on bribery backed lies in the service of Zion. No problem.
Bribery to host the World Cup while resisting Zion. Treachery!
Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission..
Mitt Romney's squeaky clean 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics
was the only sporting event in recent history that was free of corruption