Come one! Did anyone seriously think the US is concerned with corruption? If they really were, they would have addressed the fact there are a bunch of big banks that are rampantly corrupt!Quoting excerpts from the "Daily Beast" a site that should be used judiciouslyIt's always heavy on perception management. I mean look at the image used!Blatant enough?perception management imageryI'll just post relevant information.
On a strange issue uniting foreign affairs and sports, Republicans and Democrats have come together to attempt a major league task: Persuading the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to deprive Russia of its hosting duties vis-a-vis the next World Cup.
Repubs and Democrats are never really oppositional when it truly matters- And war making/profiteering is always a unifier!
In a letter earlier last month, Senators Menendez, Johnson, Durbin, Perdue, Shaheen, Cornyn, McCaskill, McCain, Graham, Risch, Toomey, Rubio and Kirk urged FIFA President Josef “Sepp” Blatter to “convene an Extraordinary Congress of FIFA to consider stripping Russia of the privilege of hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup.”
The letter highlights Russian action in relation to Ukraine as the reason to strip Russia of its role. “Allowing Russia to host the FIFA World Cup inappropriately bolsters the prestige of the Putin regime at a time when it should be condemned and provides economic relief at a time when much of the international community is imposing economic sanctions,” it argues.
blah, blah, blah- It's appalling to me that the American Senators, who must be so disconnected from reality, can seriously write such a letter, considering the US's aggressive global death/war machine.
Long-time FIFA observers are, to put it mildly, skeptical about the ability of anyone outside FIFA—other than World Cup sponsors—to really influence Blatter or his organization’s decision-making
Ironically, getting the 2018 World Cup out of Russia could be easier. It’s doubtful that pressure from American politicians will provoke a change of view from Blatter—indeed, on April 20th, he tweeted “Just met President Putin. I believe the 2018 #WorldCup will help to build bridges”
So, if a letter wasn't going to get it done. Corruption charges might just encourage FIFA to see it the US way.Putin suggests US meddling:
Putin said in televised comments Thursday that he found it "odd" that the FIFA probe was launched at the request of U.S. officials for crimes which do not involve its citizens and did not happen in the United States.
Corruption charges in the U.S. were announced Wednesday against 14 people
“It looks very strange, the arrests are carried out on the request of the USA side,” he said. “They are accused of corruption – who is? International officials. I suppose that someone broke some rules, I don’t know. But definitely, it’s got nothing to do with the USA. Those officials are not US citizens. If something happened it was not in the US and it’s nothing to do with them.
“It’s another clear attempt by the USA to spread its jurisdiction to other states. And I have no doubt – it’s a clear attempt not to allow Mr Blatter to be re-elected as president of Fifa, which is a great violation of the operating principles of international organisations. The US prosecutor, as our media report, has already said that those Fifa officials have committed a crime. As if the prosecutor didn’t know about the principle of the presumption of innocence.”
“Unfortunately, our American partners use such methods to achieve their selfish aims and illegally persecute people. I do not rule out that in the case of Fifa, it’s exactly the same,” Putin said.
Russia won the rights to stage the 2018 World Cup under Blatter’s auspices. That 2010 decision, along with the award to Qatar of the 2022 tournament, is the subject of a Swiss criminal investigation running parallel to the US action.
There's also an Israeli connection via: SNIPPITS AND SNAPPITS*US ATTACKS FIFA JUST DAYS BEFORE VOTE ON ISRAELI SUSPENSION FROM THE LEAGUEGreenCrow talks Russia and Israel too: UPDATED: 2018 World Soccer Cup in Russia?Killing more then one bird with a single stoneUPDATE Begins!Blatter must go for good of FIFA
UEFA president Michel Platini delivered one of his most emotional and animated performances since his playing days when he said it was time for Sepp Blatter to quit as president of FIFA with world soccer's body facing yet another corruption crisis.
He said that he hoped that 45 or 46 of Europe's eligible 53 voting nations would vote for Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein in Friday's presidential election against Blatter who is standing for a fifth term as president.
Those votes would not be enough to topple Blatter but would send a strong signal of disapproval.
Clearly the US charges have had an effect