Blatter To Resign

[Taylor10]

Brilliant brilliant news. Excellent for world football that the spineless cretin has resigned. Clearly there is some kind of development behind the scenes but the Swiss attorney general has stated he's not under investigation? Interesting.

[Guest]

Platini favourite to replace. Ah you couldn't make it up.

[redapple]

While the voting system is as current it won't make any difference . It's like getting rid of Hitler and and finding out Saddam Hussain is going to take over .

[Ian M]

Any new voting system has to be based on their rankings surely otherwise if you base it on population China & India could probably pass any resolution they wanted.

[The Gasbuster]

Any new voting system has to be based on their rankings surely otherwise if you base it on population China & India could probably pass any resolution they wanted.

Don't forget the mighty "gas nation" and all it's millions.

[Vincent Vega]

it's the unelected council that runs FIFA that is the main problem, kinda like David Cameron winning the election & having a cabinet made up of Labour MP's

[CliftonCliff]

I'm absolutely gobsmacked, to be honest.

 

Once that utter farce of an election had taken place on Friday and he'd been re-elected, I was convinced the slimy, duplicitous bastard would cling on for grim death and we'd be stuck with him for possibly the entire term of office. He just isn't the type to walk or take any responsibility for any wrong-doing in the organisation. He doesn't possess the honesty or integrity for that, as his astonishing attack on the European football associations and the US justice system demonstrated. He lives in a world of his own.

 

He's your typical, classic politician, like many to be found in Westminster - or the political institutions of most other countries, for that matter. They all use essentially the same cynical, ruthlessly self-serving tactics. (1) Claim the credit for anything that can be remotely seen as positive, whether you had anything to do with it or not. (2) Twist and distort the truth about everything that might reflect badly (as in: publicly, my take on the fact that there has been rampant corruption for decades whilst I've been President and that there have now been multiple arrests is that this shows my clean-up campaign and ethics committee are working). (3) Blame anything potentially damaging to your interests on somebody else and claim you knew sod all about it, despite the fact that this would beggar belief. (4) Never, ever resign no matter how much evidence can be stacked up against you, until it is shown to be overwhelmingly untenable for you to cling on to power any longer.

 

So what's happened? He suddenly got in touch with reality after living on Planet Sepp for most of his life? I don't think so. Somethings shifted, somewhere. If and when we ever get to find out what, I don't know, but I'm not holding my breath. What I am doing, however, is celebrating. We are finally, finally shot of the ... (words failed me at this point; must be the champagne).

 

Couldn't happen to nicer bloke.

[One Team In Keynsham]

Presumably some of the FIFA execs are now ruing the decision to give Qatar the World Cup.  They might still all be riding the gravy train had they not taken the piss so much with that.  Even Russia is arguable as a legitimate football nation. 

[I am the mole]

Good news but why run?

he knew shits hitting the fan!!!

[Guest]

Any new voting system has to be based on their rankings surely otherwise if you base it on population China & India could probably pass any resolution they wanted.

It'll be difficult to design a system. I suggest you split it by regions: UEFA has one vote, concacaf has one, and all the associations votes feed in to their region.

I can't think of one constant which would give a voice appropriately.

[redcityman]

I think it's a case of snakes in a barrel, there'll be a lot of people out there hoping their country's extradition treaty's are as poor as their own governance of FIFA.

[Guest]

I think it's a case of snakes in a barrel, there'll be a lot of people out there hoping their country's extradition treaty's are as poor as their own governance of FIFA.

I would not expect many to be traveling to the women's World Cup in Canada that's for damn sure.

[Lack of Action Man]

http://youtu.be/xRvAAYjmqkE

Nations around the Galaxy... Er... I mean world react to the emperors... I mean presidents toppling... I mean resignation.

[B1ackbird]

goodbye, utter scum...

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Now sack all of the vermin that voted for him last week.

[Vincent Vega]

Now sack all of the vermin that voted for him last week.

Running for cover as we speak ..

[Portland Bill]

Presumably some of the FIFA execs are now ruing the decision to give Qatar the World Cup. They might still all be riding the gravy train had they not taken the piss so much with that. Even Russia is arguable as a legitimate football nation.

Qatar already help sponsor/finance a lot of the top clubs in Europe.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if they lost the WC 2022, if they then pulled there money out of Football a lot of 'top' clubs could end up with problems!

[Aizoon]

Qatar already help sponsor/finance a lot of the top clubs in Europe.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if they lost the WC 2022, if they then pulled there money out of Football a lot of 'top' clubs could end up with problems!

 

Indeed. Where would ISIS Rovers be without Qatar's funding?

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Platini in typical bizarre French tradition is trying to claim that Blatter is some way was brave to resign FFS.

 

saying that Blatter made "a difficult decision, a brave decision, and the right decision".

[Aussie]

There is no way this obdurate cretin walks of his own volition. Someone somewhere has something big on him. The odious utter disgrace should have been removed many years ago. Good riddance. However I bet he has a bulging bank account. If he is found guilty of any crime, he should be made to pay back every penny; however you know that's not going to happen.

 

Stevo

 

Ok first off, he has not been found guilty of any crime - and he has not even been charged with any crime. In fact the Swiss declared today that he is not even under investigation by their scope.

Here is my view, and I am sure I likely to be in a small minority.

 

Sepp Blatter did not hold onto power because of corruption. That view - much like many of the views on here - is a developed world, Euro-centric view of both him and FIFA.

For those of us from countries where football competes against others to be the number 1 - Blatter's FIFA did a lot of good, funded a lot of projects and built stadia to get children playing the game.

 

In my own country of Australia - where football to this day still struggles to shed its image given to it by Kerry Packer of being "that game for sheilas, wogs and poofters" - you find FIFA under Blatter did a lot of good for the game - where it really battles NRL, AFL in the minds of the people.

But its my time when I lived in Indonesia where I really saw what Blatter was about.

One of the most populated but poorest countries in the world had several stadia built, school programs and field funded and a game promoted across the many islands.

 

Blatter saw it as a world game. How did he fund these things? Well he took it from the UEFA dominated lands and competitions and re-distributed the wealth to those have-nots across Africa and Asia.

Do we think Africa has gone from being also-rans with the odd breakthrough of Cameroon in 1990 to their level and quality footballers to date by accident?

If anything the status now of Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa can be attirubuted to FIFA under Blatter.

 

A lot of you parrot the stuff we hear out of UEFA. They don't like him, they hated his FIFA - but for me its because he challenged the view of European dominance in the world game.

He won President elections because Asia, Africa and the developing world backed him because of what he did. Why would they support someone who would be UEFAs mouthpiece and stop money going to them and keep it in Europe.

 

FIFA has corruption - no question. You name me a global organization that doesn't - but the aim of Blatter of putting the game global and of putting forward projects which have - without question - benefited Africa and Asia has reaped benefits to this day and for that he deserves credit.

 

The Europeans don't like him - but then turkeys don't vote for Christmas do they.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Ok first off, he has not been found guilty of any crime - and he has not even been charged with any crime. In fact the Swiss declared today that he is not even under investigation by their scope.

Here is my view, and I am sure I likely to be in a small minority.

 

Sepp Blatter did not hold onto power because of corruption. That view - much like many of the views on here - is a developed world, Euro-centric view of both him and FIFA.

For those of us from countries where football competes against others to be the number 1 - Blatter's FIFA did a lot of good, funded a lot of projects and built stadia to get children playing the game.

 

In my own country of Australia - where football to this day still struggles to shed its image given to it by Kerry Packer of being "that game for sheilas, wogs and poofters" - you find FIFA under Blatter did a lot of good for the game - where it really battles NRL, AFL in the minds of the people.

But its my time when I lived in Indonesia where I really saw what Blatter was about.

One of the most populated but poorest countries in the world had several stadia built, school programs and field funded and a game promoted across the many islands.

 

Blatter saw it as a world game. How did he fund these things? Well he took it from the UEFA dominated lands and competitions and re-distributed the wealth to those have-nots across Africa and Asia.

Do we think Africa has gone from being also-rans with the odd breakthrough of Cameroon in 1990 to their level and quality footballers to date by accident?

If anything the status now of Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa can be attirubuted to FIFA under Blatter.

 

A lot of you parrot the stuff we hear out of UEFA. They don't like him, they hated his FIFA - but for me its because he challenged the view of European dominance in the world game.

He won President elections because Asia, Africa and the developing world backed him because of what he did. Why would they support someone who would be UEFAs mouthpiece and stop money going to them and keep it in Europe.

 

FIFA has corruption - no question. You name me a global organization that doesn't - but the aim of Blatter of putting the game global and of putting forward projects which have - without question - benefited Africa and Asia has reaped benefits to this day and for that he deserves credit.

 

The Europeans don't like him - but then turkeys don't vote for Christmas do they.

 

Even if what you say is true, which is something I would struggle to subscribe to, as Ian Hislop pointed out in have I got news for you, the mere fact that FIFA has it's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland is dodgy and the support from the Swiss prosecutor is no more than I would have expected from a country that rarely asks questions about money that ends up in it's banking system and has knowingly allowed Blatter to hold onto very damaging documents for very many years and now no doubt those and other incriminating documents will end up in shredded heaven before he crawls out of the door.

 

But lets say you are correct, what did he actually do to eradicate the undoubted corruption? of course the notion that he was blissfully unaware is ridiculous, also as the well known cliches say, it all happened on his watch and the buck stops here.

 

of course even Blatter and his toadies wouldn't be so stupid as to pocket all of FIFA's ill gotten gains, so channelling some into Asia and Africa was just window dressing.

[Malago]

So, one member , one vote is unfair! How would you do it. The way you are thinking means England wouldn't get as big a say as Germany as well!

There has to be a ranking system based on active participation in the sport, either playing or attending or paying to watch on TV. Are you seriously suggesting that a country like the Caymen Islands (plural for the sake of "one team in Keynsham" the singular is Cayman Island) should have the same voting rights as either Germany, Spain, England or Italy etc.

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

[Vincent Vega]

[fgrsimon]

Also how come the Swiss became the home of world football and the Olympics? Reckon they were the only 1st world country that wasn't crippled by the outcome of WW2, + they had lots of untouched hotel rooms and conference facilities. Oh, and bank accounts to house the gold and chattels the Nazi's stole from other European nations. They were probably the only nation in Europe that benefited from the war, no matter who won. Clever, but not the type of mate you would choose.

 

As a Brit, I'm not sure how or why we trust the Swiss as we do, in the knowledge that they remained neutral when there was people like Hitler around. 

 

Don't judge all Swiss by Blatter.

 

Why is FIFA, IOC, UEFA based in Switzerland? Simply because of neutrality.

 

To a certain extent the Swiss bought their freedom in WW2 but what alternative did they have? Nazi's to the North in Germany, Nazi's to the East in Austria, Nazi's to the South in Italy and Nazi-controlled France to the West. Absolutely surrounded and cut off from friendly nations. They survived largely because it would have cost Hitler too much collateral, the Swiss would have retreated to mountain fortifications, blown up all the trans-Alpine rail and road links and waged guerrilla war from the mountains almost indefinitely. The Swiss army was huge (all males under 50 were conscripted and trained to shoot from a very early age) and they were renowned the best sharpshooters in the world.

 

They remained neutral because it was enshrined in the constitution since 1815 and had they shown too much favouritism to the Allies, Hitler would undoubtedly bombed Swiss towns and cities out of existence in hours.The other alternative would have been to side with the Nazis as Austria did. Hitler hated the Swiss, the only Germaniic people who didn't side with him, he called them the 'Mountain Jews'. The country was in an almost impossible situation and it needed an incredible tightrope walk to survive. Unfortunately some distasteful compromises had to be made.

 

Here ends today's history lesson but don't take my words for it, take Winston Churchill's:-

 

"Of all the neutrals Switzerland has the greatest right to distinction. She has been the sole international force linking the hideously-sundered nations and ourselves. What does it matter whether she has been able to give us the commercial advantages we desire or has given too many to the Germans, to keep herself alive? She has been a democratic State, standing for freedom in self defence among her mountains, and in thought, in spite of race, largely on our side."

Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965), 

[The Fat Controller]

BBC reporting Blatter is under investigation by the US.

"Sepp Blatter under investigation by US officials as part of Fifa corruption inquiry, reports say http://t.co/6igKdIem15"

[Vincent Vega]

BBC reporting Blatter is under investigation by the US.

"Sepp Blatter under investigation by US officials as part of Fifa corruption inquiry, reports say http://t.co/6igKdIem15"

This makes me very happy. Dont care how many pairs of shinpads he bought the little children of Africa

[MichaelRobartes]

Don't judge all Swiss by Blatter.

 

Why is FIFA, IOC, UEFA based in Switzerland? Simply because of neutrality.

 

To a certain extent the Swiss bought their freedom in WW2 but what alternative did they have? Nazi's to the North in Germany, Nazi's to the East in Austria, Nazi's to the South in Italy and Nazi-controlled France to the West. Absolutely surrounded and cut off from friendly nations. They survived largely because it would have cost Hitler too much collateral, the Swiss would have retreated to mountain fortifications, blown up all the trans-Alpine rail and road links and waged guerrilla war from the mountains almost indefinitely. The Swiss army was huge (all males under 50 were conscripted and trained to shoot from a very early age) and they were renowned the best sharpshooters in the world.

 

They remained neutral because it was enshrined in the constitution since 1815 and had they shown too much favouritism to the Allies, Hitler would undoubtedly bombed Swiss towns and cities out of existence in hours.The other alternative would have been to side with the Nazis as Austria did. Hitler hated the Swiss, the only Germaniic people who didn't side with him, he called them the 'Mountain Jews'. The country was in an almost impossible situation and it needed an incredible tightrope walk to survive. Unfortunately some distasteful compromises had to be made.

 

Here ends today's history lesson but don't take my words for it, take Winston Churchill's:-

 

"Of all the neutrals Switzerland has the greatest right to distinction. She has been the sole international force linking the hideously-sundered nations and ourselves. What does it matter whether she has been able to give us the commercial advantages we desire or has given too many to the Germans, to keep herself alive? She has been a democratic State, standing for freedom in self defence among her mountains, and in thought, in spite of race, largely on our side."

Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965), 

 

100% correct. Nowadays, the Swiss have the closest thing to democracy in Europe with rounds of referendums for the entire electorate to vote on several times a year. We could learn a thing or two from them ourselves in that regard.

[samo II]

Can see the arguments regards investment n the world game, but consider this; that is the mandate of FIFA anyways, so why did Blatter stay in power for so long, and do nothing to root out the blatant corruption, especially in those members who supported him?  I think the answer is significantly less self-less than he was doing it for the love of the game.

 

And as for spreading football around the world; it is a goal I applaud, but one that also has significantly more complex dynamics that just turning away from its traditional heartlands and investing in grass roots.  And when this 'expansion' of the extends to placing the game's premier event in a country that no logical reasoning other than their outrageous wealth would suggest them as hosts; I am highly cynical that Blatter and his closely controlled 'bloc' did it for reasons beyond the personal.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

100% correct. Nowadays, the Swiss have the closest thing to democracy in Europe with rounds of referendums for the entire electorate to vote on several times a year. We could learn a thing or two from them ourselves in that regard.

 

and money laundering of course.

 

PS:- Haven't this wonderful democracy still got loads of Nazi hordes?.

[Kid in the Riot]

Ok first off, he has not been found guilty of any crime - and he has not even been charged with any crime. In fact the Swiss declared today that he is not even under investigation by their scope.

Here is my view, and I am sure I likely to be in a small minority.

Sepp Blatter did not hold onto power because of corruption. That view - much like many of the views on here - is a developed world, Euro-centric view of both him and FIFA.

For those of us from countries where football competes against others to be the number 1 - Blatter's FIFA did a lot of good, funded a lot of projects and built stadia to get children playing the game.

In my own country of Australia - where football to this day still struggles to shed its image given to it by Kerry Packer of being "that game for sheilas, wogs and poofters" - you find FIFA under Blatter did a lot of good for the game - where it really battles NRL, AFL in the minds of the people.

But its my time when I lived in Indonesia where I really saw what Blatter was about.

One of the most populated but poorest countries in the world had several stadia built, school programs and field funded and a game promoted across the many islands.

Blatter saw it as a world game. How did he fund these things? Well he took it from the UEFA dominated lands and competitions and re-distributed the wealth to those have-nots across Africa and Asia.

Do we think Africa has gone from being also-rans with the odd breakthrough of Cameroon in 1990 to their level and quality footballers to date by accident?

If anything the status now of Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa can be attirubuted to FIFA under Blatter.

A lot of you parrot the stuff we hear out of UEFA. They don't like him, they hated his FIFA - but for me its because he challenged the view of European dominance in the world game.

He won President elections because Asia, Africa and the developing world backed him because of what he did. Why would they support someone who would be UEFAs mouthpiece and stop money going to them and keep it in Europe.

FIFA has corruption - no question. You name me a global organization that doesn't - but the aim of Blatter of putting the game global and of putting forward projects which have - without question - benefited Africa and Asia has reaped benefits to this day and for that he deserves credit.

The Europeans don't like him - but then turkeys don't vote for Christmas do they.

One of the main purposes of FIFA as a global organisation would surely be to promote the game in all counties, including poor ones such as Indonesia. He gets no extra credit for sharing SOME monies, which likely had big 'kick-backs' for the lucky few.