Congratulations Sep Blatter

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

I guess I care enough to ask why. Why does he have that support? What do those nations gain?
And why do the "major footballing nations" put up with it?

£100,000 to Micronesia would, in the most positive reading, get them a nice new pitch and significantly improve their (probably woeful) current football infrastructure. And their one grateful vote in response will cancel out one negative vote from England or Spain where football is a multi-billion pound industry watched by millions (possibly even billions).

[kentonio]

Very interested to see if Blatters resignation was caused by impending indictments.

[Imran Siddiqui]

[C0ckney]

Very interested to see if Blatters resignation was caused by impending indictments.

almost certainly in my opinion. i doubt he suddenly developed some moral fibre between last week and this.

[Alexander's Horse]

This is what happens when a vote from an easily-purchased nation like Micronesia carries the same weight as a vote from an actual major footballing nation. He will never be voted out under the current system, because he has massive support from all the tiny Asian and African associations.

Yes, funny you should mention Micronesia. I lived there for three years. Their national football team claimed to be the worst in the world. The guy who coached them wrote a book about training them. They got virtually nothing out of FIFA. At one point I was funding boots and other gear for junior teams, like the "Pohnpei tigers". Most people played football barefoot.

When Micronesia claimed to be the world worst team other teams in the Pacific like Vanuatu and the Cook islands got upset, claiming they were much worse. There was this hilarious race for the wooden spoon citing cricket score defeats against Oceania group heavies like Australia - 10-nil, no - 15-nil. I think the highest was about 22-nil. That last one might have been PNG or the Solomon islands versus Australia.

Their vote in various international forums is worth is exactly the same as the UK. That was one reason I was there

I miss Micronesia. Their football team was like the Jamaican Olympic bobsled team, lots of fun and laughs. What sport should be.

[pchang]

Didn't Blatter promise he would increase the number of slots they got into the WC? Do we really want to see that level of suckitude in the WC?

[Imran Siddiqui]

He already did. 32 spots is more than when he entered.

Actually you may be thinking of Blatter's opponents. Luis Figo mentioned wanting a 40 team tournament (at least) and Prince Ali seemed receptive as well.

40 teams actually wouldn't be too horrible. Just add another team to each group in the Group Stage, add another week to the tournament to play the extra group stage game and keep everything else the same.

[Dauphin]

A five team group leaves a rest period, and you can't play the final group games simultaneously, which can be prejudicial.

I like the idea but a simple and fair way needs to adopted, such as the bottom ranked team not playing in the last round of group games.

[Dauphin]

10 groups of 4 will produce more drama and attacking football.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Then I think you run into strange things with how do we make it so only 16 teams meet in initial elimination round. I assume there will have to be a play in involving the 8 lowest ranked 2nd place finishers or pick the 6 best 2nd place finishers, but I never particularly liked ranking teams from different groups (like in the 28 team days, were you had the best 3rd place teams jump in). I'd prefer the play in method myself if you had to choose though.

[kentonio]

Sepp Blatter under criminal investigation by Swiss officials over 'disloyalty payment' to Michel Platini

OAG opens criminal proceedings

The OAG said in a statement: “The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has opened criminal proceedings against the President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) on suspicion of criminal mismanagement as well as – alternatively – on suspicion of misappropriation. Swiss criminal proceedings against the president of Fifa, Mr. Joseph Blatter, have been opened on 24 September 2015 on suspicion of criminal mismanagement (Article 158 Swiss Criminal Code / SCC) and – alternatively – misappropriation (Article 138 Swiss Criminal Code / SCC).

“On the one hand, the OAG suspects that on 12 September 2005 Mr Joseph Blatter has signed a contract with the Caribbean Football Union (with Jack Warner as the president at this time); this contract was unfavourable for Fifa. On the other hand, there is as suspicion that, in the implementation of this agreement, Joseph Blatter also violated his fiduciary duties and acted against the interest of Fifa and/or Fifa Marketing & TV AG.

“Additionally, Mr. Joseph Blatter is suspected of a disloyal payment of CHF 2 Mio. to Michel Platini, President of Union of European Football Associations (Uefa), at the expense of Fifa, which was allegedly made for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002 ; this payment was executed in February 2011.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]177787[/ATTACH]

“On 25 September 2015, representatives of the OAG interrogated the defendant Joseph Blatter following a meeting of the Fifa executive committee. At the same time, Michel Platini was heard as a person asked to provide information (Article 178 of the Swiss Code of Criminal Procedure).

“Furthermore, the OAG conducted on 25 September 2015 a house search at Fifa headquarters with the support of the Federal Criminal Police. The office of the Fifa president has been searched and data seized. As for all defendants, the presumption of innocence applies for Mr Joseph Blatter.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...Fifa-live.html

Blatter AND Platini! Get in!!

[Dinner]

He is now hiding out in Switzerland so he doesn't get arrested.

[kentonio]

He is now hiding out in Switzerland so he doesn't get arrested.

Dude, he's being investigated now by the SWISS authorities.

[The Mad Monk]

That just shows how neutral / corrupt Switzerland really is! You can flee to Switzerland to avoid prosecution in Switzerland!!!

[Alexander's Horse]

sounds like a plan...