Fifa Corruption

[StevieH]

the gift that keeps on giving.

Son of Fifa vice-president Julio Grondona caught up in ticket scandal

• Humberto Grondona is a technical adviser to Fifa

• Grondona admitted selling on tickets for World Cup final

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jul/04/son-fifa-vice-president-julio-grondona-humberto-ticket-scandal-world-cup

Owen Gibson

The son of Julio Grondona, the second most senior man in world football and a senior Fifa vice-president, has become embroiled in a World Cup ticket scandal.

Humberto Grondona, who has a post as a technical adviser to world football’s governing body, admitted selling on tickets to a friend. The batch included two tickets to the final.

The controversial Argentinian Julio Grondona, who railed against the British press and the FA as Fifa became engulfed in corruption allegations in 2011, has been on its executive committee since 1988 and also chairs the influential finance committee.

Grondona junior told Argentinian TV station TyC he spent more than $9,000 (5,243) on 24 category one tickets for group games and knockout matches including the final and a semi-final.

“I have a friend that is someone very well known in Argentina who wanted to come and I sold to him some of these tickets,” he said. “He on his part gave the tickets to another friend, what they then did with the tickets I have no idea.”

Asked for the identity of the person he sold the tickets to, Grondona junior added: “I cannot tell you. But do you think I would dirty my hands for $220? The truth is that I have no idea where these tickets went to.”

The involvement of Grondona’s son was confirmed by pictures that circulated of tickets with his name on them.

It will be a huge embarrassment to Fifa at a time when Rio police are clamping down on a match-fixing ring alleged to have operated from the Copacabana Palace, where Fifa president Sepp Blatter and all its senior executives are staying.

Grondona junior is not the Fifa official at the heart of the multi-million pound ticket scandal uncovered by Operation Jules Rimet, however, according to police. His ticket was seized by São Paulo police from touts in that city.

Fabio Barucke, the police investigator in charge of the Rio investigation, said a Fifa official who was a source of the tickets had access to Fifa offices and stadiums and match tickets. Some tickets have been resold for eight times their face value. Barucke said the ticketing ring aimed to make up to £60m by illegally reselling tickets and that the group had operated at previous World Cups.

The suspected ringleader has been named as Mohamadou Lamine Fofana, an Algerian man who was previously staying at the Copacabana Palace.

Barucke believes Fofana was the middleman and that the ticket source was “someone higher up” the chain. A Fifa spokeswoman urged the media not to jump to conclusions and insisted the matter was being properly dealt with.

“Everybody who violated the regulations will be sanctioned. We need to validate what tickets have been collected, what we received from the police, what was the source of the originals and where they ended up. I can’t comment on this case,” she said.

“We need to rely on the investigation that is ongoing. Fifa has a firm stance to sanction anyone who violates its regulations. Anything violated will be sanctioned. Any tickets found for future games will be cancelled and put into the ticket sales.”

[rijit]

i'm sure theres plenty of other things that needs to sort but good to see that fifa have at least addressed the questionable voting w/c voting issue.

[SantiSuk]

Speaking of tickets and finals of major sporting events, did anyone else puke at the sight of all those celebs (inc Beckhams grinning at cameras like Cheshire cats) at the Wimbledon Mens Final. The constant celeb-sycophant camera work also had me reaching for the chunder bin.

[StevieH]

Speaking of tickets and finals of major sporting events, did anyone else puke at the sight of all those celebs (inc Beckhams grinning at cameras like Cheshire cats) at the Wimbledon Mens Final. The constant celeb-sycophant camera work also had me reaching for the chunder bin.

the cameras seemed more bothered about which wealthy and/or posh celebrity gets were there watching it rather than the excellent match going on on the court. as you say, vomit-inducing.

also, david beckham now looks like the major from fawlty towers. facial hair and brass-buttoned blazer. the vapid publicity whore knobhead that he is.

[SantiSuk]

Lovely turn of phrase and oh so true!

[Chicog]

Can't knock him, a fairly unintelligent person with little natural talent, has worked his nuts off to make himself a top footballer and parlayed his success into a bloody fortune.

Most people hate him because of sour grapes, but me I say good luck to him, he's never done anyone any harm that I know of.

When you look at the better footballers that have ended up scraping a living or drinking themselves into a stupor, he is a great example of what can be achieved through hard work.

Criticise the fawning media if you will, but he's only playing their game and there's nowt wrong with that.

[StevieH]

Can't knock him, a fairly unintelligent person with little natural talent, has worked his nuts off to make himself a top footballer and parlayed his success into a bloody fortune.

Most people hate him because of sour grapes, but me I say good luck to him, he's never done anyone any harm that I know of.

When you look at the better footballers that have ended up scraping a living or drinking themselves into a stupor, he is a great example of what can be achieved through hard work.

Criticise the fawning media if you will, but he's only playing their game and there's nowt wrong with that.

he's a shallow fame-hungry <deleted>. stopped being a footballer years ago to become a mannequin, a marketing vehicle for the companies that have corrupted football into the horrible 'business' it is today. the latest sky sports advert sums him up - they don't even let him speak any lines. just have his vacant fizzog there to plug their latest crappy unnecessary launch. lad's a moronic walking billboard. still, congratulations on all the money like.

[Chicog]

You just sound bitter and jealous.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[StevieH]

nah.

[jellydog]

Can't knock him, a fairly unintelligent person with little natural talent, has worked his nuts off to make himself a top footballer and parlayed his success into a bloody fortune.

Most people hate him because of sour grapes, but me I say good luck to him, he's never done anyone any harm that I know of.

When you look at the better footballers that have ended up scraping a living or drinking themselves into a stupor, he is a great example of what can be achieved through hard work.

Criticise the fawning media if you will, but he's only playing their game and there's nowt wrong with that.

My sentiments exactly. More power to him.

[StevieH]

ray whelan, the arrested CEO of the company implicated in the massive re-selling of world cup tickets, is the former agent of sir bobby charlton. that's a coincidence isn't it?

[P45Mustang]

This thread is a bit like the Daily Mail.

[Chicog]

ray whelan, the arrested CEO of the company implicated in the massive re-selling of world cup tickets, is the former agent of sir bobby charlton. that's a coincidence isn't it?

And Blatter's son in law is a shareholder of the company.

Who'd have thunk it?

[mrbojangles]

Holland have had to move out of their Hotel in Ipanena, (where they have stayed since day 1) to make room for all of the FIFA mob delegation.

[P45Mustang]

Ipanema.

Da girl so pretty.

[Chicog]

Holland have had to move out of their Hotel in Ipanena, (where they have stayed since day 1) to make room for all of the FIFA mob delegation.

I think you mean "hangers on".

So if Holland goes on to win against Argentina, they will play in Rio – at the very same place where they are based anyway. Sounds like perfect planning, doesn’t it? But: FIFA doesn’t play along here. They have completely booked out the very same hotel for sponsors over the final weekend. [/size]

One can only assume the cloggies didn't think they'd still be in it.

[StevieH]

ray whelan, the arrested CEO of the company implicated in the massive re-selling of world cup tickets, is the former agent of sir bobby charlton. that's a coincidence isn't it?

And Blatter's son in law is a shareholder of the company.

Who'd have thunk it?

from private eye:

STRANGE but true: every one of the World Cup’s 3m tickets comes via a modest two-storey office building on a business park in Cheadle Royal, south Manchester – some through the front door, others through the back door and into the black market.

The proprietors, Mexican brothers Jaime and Enrique Byrom, chums of disgraced bribe-taker and former Fifa president Joao Havelange, who have enjoyed exclusive World Cup ticket concessions for many years, are now guaranteed them for another decade under their latest deal with Sepp Blatter and his scrupulously honest executive committee. Whether the tournament is staged in Qatar, North America or Australia, the boys in Cheadle are certain winners.

Black market

Over the years the Byrom brothers have done some excellent business with the stupendously corrupt former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner from Trinidad. In 2006 they agreed to let him have more than 5,000 tickets to be resold into the rackets. They were caught by auditor Ernst & Young; but Fifa’s leaders cleared Warner, told his son and business partner Daryan (now a co-operating witness with the FBI) not to do it again, and tickled the Byrom wrists.

Unabashed by the 2006 scandal, four years later the brothers again agreed to supply Warner with tickets for him to resell into the black market. Blatter could not claim ignorance, since email correspondence with Warner was copied to Fifa and a company called Infront – a sports marketing outfit run by Blatter’s nephew Philippe, who gets big chunks of World Cup TV rights to resell. These are awarded by uncle Sepp and his Fifa colleagues.

A loan from Uncle Sepp

Meanwhile, the Byroms have granted Infront a 5 percent stake in their subsidiary company Match, which has 450,000 tickets to resell to corporate hospitality clients in VIP boxes. These include 32,000 for Brazil games and another 12,000 for the final.

Not much World Cup business eludes the brothers: Blatter also gives them the business of supplying accommodation to fans. Having lost $50m in South Africa in 2010 as fans stayed home, they have to make big profits in Brazil. Here again Uncle Sepp is helping.

Two years ago Blatter Snr gave the company jointly owned by the Byroms and his nephew a loan of £6,210,128 from Fifa “to fund the obligation for Match Services AG to provide accommodation services for the 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil”. Better still, the loan is interest-free! Oddly, however, this sweetheart deal has still not been reported in Fifa’s accounts. Shome oversight, shurely.

[carmine]

Its wonderful isn't it the way that FIFA and Sepp seem to have placed themselves above the law.

They just don't seem to give a damn who finds out what. When will football nations unite to rid FIFA from the sport, once and for all?

[StevieH]

they won't mate. not as long as the gravy train keeps on a-runnin'. think sepp actually needs to die before any of this changes in any way at all.

[Chicog]

Not much World Cup business eludes the brothers: Blatter also gives them the business of supplying accommodation to fans. Having lost $50m in South Africa in 2010 as fans stayed home, they have to make big profits in Brazil. Here again Uncle Sepp is helping.

Two years ago Blatter Snr gave the company jointly owned by the Byroms and his nephew a loan of £6,210,128 from Fifa “to fund the obligation for Match Services AG to provide accommodation services for the 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil”. Better still, the loan is interest-free! Oddly, however, this sweetheart deal has still not been reported in Fifa’s accounts. Shome oversight, shurely.

They also pissed off the Koreans and Japanese by returning loads of tickets and accommodation at the last minute, after failing to sell them because of their ridiculous prices.

[Chicog]

Its wonderful isn't it the way that FIFA and Sepp seem to have placed themselves above the law.

They just don't seem to give a damn who finds out what. When will football nations unite to rid FIFA from the sport, once and for all?

Because most of the football nations are united in (and addicted to) taking backhanders and freebies from Sepp in plain brown envelopes, and will do whatever he asks.

[Chicog]

Alleged Cup ticket scalper on the run

By Bradley Brooks and Renata Brito, APUpdated July 11, 2014, 6:29 am

The director of a World Cup hospitality company linked to FIFA has gone on the run just as he was to be arrested for a second time over an alleged ticket scalping scheme.

Investigator Fabio Barucke of the Brazilian police said that Ray Whelan left the lavish Copacabana Palace hotel through a service entry door about an hour before police arrived to re-arrest him.

They accuse 64-year-old Whelan of being the main source of World Cup tickets that were sold to an Algerian national they label as the biggest scalper of Cup tickets.

"He's now considered a fugitive," Barucke said outside the hotel. "We have security camera images of him exiting the hotel through a service door."

He said police expect to broaden their investigation into ticket scalping to include football administrators.

In an earlier detailed statement, Match Services denied any wrongdoing by Whelan, and said he was willing to co-operate with any investigation.

Under Brazilian law, selling tickets for sporting events above face value is illegal. But it's a crime that normally results in a small fine.

However, Barucke says he's formally requesting that a judge consider the action of Whelan and at least 11 others already arrested in the alleged scalping scheme of having formed a criminal conspiracy - which could result in significant jail time.

That would "give a shot of adrenaline" to the police investigation, Barucke said, adding that authorities had recorded about 50,000 phone calls of suspected scalpers in Rio de Janeiro, recordings that started about a month before the Cup began.

"We've only analysed about 25,000 of those calls," Barucke said, adding that he's extremely confident that football officials will also be implicated.

The Match group, which owns rights to sell World Cup hospitality packages, has acknowledged that Whelan and Algerian national Lamine Fofana discussed cash sales of final tickets for $25,000 in telephone calls wiretapped by Rio de Janeiro police - but say those were packages that included not just tickets but VIP services, hence the high price.

"The 24 hospitality packages were offered on cash basis, which is highly unusual but permitted under the various terms and conditions," Match said in a statement. "It must be noted that Mr. Whelan was not aware of the fact that Match Hospitality had internally blocked sales to Mr. Fofana."

Barucke said that police recorded 900 calls between Whelan and Fofana since the World Cup began June 12 - and that virtually all of them referred to the selling of tickets.

"Raymond knew that Fofana was a scalper, he knew that he was going to resell those tickets on the black market," Barucke said.

[SantiSuk]

I wonder if Brazil's ennui with their World Cup experience just might have some delicious unexpected consequences for FIFA.

We can live in hope for a few weeks (and I can expect another depressed head-shaking "it'll never happen" response from a certain scouse quarter )

[P45Mustang]

I think Blatter is a hypocrite.

Boateng is a very good player.

Know what I mean?

[rijit]

anyone seen this yet ?

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/united_passions/

[mrbojangles]

Good news:- Michel Platini will not stand for the Fifa presidency

Bad news:- Sepp Blatter will probably get voted in again

[SantiSuk]

oink oink slurp slurp.

[StevieH]

this is good.

Fifa is a swamp of greed - Sepp Blatter claims to be taking lead on ethics but deserves nothing but strongest ridicule Trying to reform Sepp Blatter's army of superannuated freeloaders is rather like throwing a pebble against the Hoover Dam, writes Oliver Brown

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/11109065/Fifa-is-a-swamp-of-greed-Sepp-Blatter-claims-to-be-taking-lead-on-ethics-but-deserves-nothing-but-strongest-ridicule.html

In a sign that Fifa has slipped far beyond parody and into the realm of grisly, wretched travesty, Sepp Blatter would like to us to believe that he has "taken the lead" on ethics. This from a man who would not know the definition of "ethics" if one of them sprang fully formed from the writings of Aristotle and slapped him in the face with a Hublot watch.

Sometimes the Swiss have a lot to answer for. First they harbour the slithering sycophants of Juan Antonio Samaranch’s International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, then they allow Fifa's venal nest-featherers to fence off a fiefdom in which they perpetuate sport's most obscene gravy train. From the ghastly Blatter to the preposterous Jérôme Valcke, whose contribution to 'Watch-gate' was to try to ensure that Fifa executives received two £16,000 timepieces rather than one, there is something rotten in the canton of Zurich.

Blatter couches his bid for a fifth term as Fifa president in terms that "my work is not done". How ought we to interpret this? That there is an even greater number of junkets to take, even more lavish payola to snaffle from eager-to-please World Cup hosts? In 16 years, all that this geriatric charlatan has succeeded in creating is the most risibly corrupt sports body on Earth. His Fifa is the type of place that dispenses £500 per diems like Swiss petits fours, the kind of shadowy star chamber where ExCo members can claim over £200 a day just to cover their room service.

It is a wonder, indeed, that anyone serious about change in football governance even dignified Fifa's first 'ethics summit' with their presence. In Blatter's opening address on Friday morning he made not a single mention of the bidding scandal over the 2022 World Cup, or of why many of his top men had returned from Brazil with luxury wrist-wear that should have sent them straight through the red channel at customs, or of chief investigator Michael Garcia's report on Qatar. Instead, fittingly, he stepped down from the rostrum holding a glass trophy.

In an indication of how gravely Fifa regard the cronyism and chicanery in their midst, 'ethics chief' Hans Joachim Eckert confirmed that Garcia's findings would "never" be divulged and that no ruling would be made until the "spring". He declared, pompously: "You cannot expect anything to be disclosed to the public." Well, obviously not.

Blatter bristled recently when pressed on Fifa's lip service to any notion of transparency or ethical practice. "Listen, I am still a member of the international sports writers' organisation (AIPS)," he said. "I just ask for a little more respect." There are two outrages here. The first is that AIPS allow the man to be a member in the first place. The second is that Blatter, having since 1998 turned Fifa into a temple of grace-and-favour largesse that would have made Louis XIV blanch with embarrassment, makes the presumption of meriting any respect at all.

For he deserves nothing but the strongest and most sustained ridicule. "We have an exemplary organisation on ethics," he said on Friday. That must be why he plucks out locations for the Fifa congress in the manner of someone idly flicking through a Kuoni brochure. 2009: the Bahamas. 2011: Mauritius. The Mauritian expedition was such an extravagant Indian Ocean holiday for the delegates that each of them allegedly had a £300 tablet computer thrown in just for turning up.

Blatter's translation of "exemplary" must also explain his refusal to clarify whether he is one of the 65 recipients of the Hublot watches. It is a legitimate issue, considering his Fifa sidekicks were happy enough to accept the gift of free handbags from England's 2018 World Cup bid team. Speaking of the English, the abject 'Watch-gate' episode also reflects terribly poorly on Greg Dyke and the Football Association in their efforts to hold Fifa to account.

Dyke's lamentable 'dog-ate-my-homework' excuse that he was unaware of a £16,000 watch in his Rio goodie bag, claiming that he was "waiting" to give it away to charity, raises far more questions than it answers. What was he waiting for, the right charity or simply the right time? The FA's silence on the matter gives the unfortunate impression, too, that while they are content to sack Edward Lord from the board for daring to speak out of turn on Richard Scudamore and sexism, they are prepared to do nothing about their chairman receiving a free watch so ostentatious that Dyke should, by rights, be feeling the full wrath of Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs.

But then, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, where Fifa is concerned. We should perhaps welcome Jérôme Champagne's decision to stand against Blatter in the 2015 presidential election by championing a more democratic agenda, but it feels, rather like the previous effort bySports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl, a purely token gesture. Trying to reform Blatter's army of superannuated freeloaders is rather like throwing a pebble against the Hoover Dam. For Fifa, as all the evasions at its ludicrous ethics summit prove, is not a force for reform, but a pestilential swamp of greed.

[Franky Bear]

Blatters latest tweet. It shows how far removed this swine is.....

https://twitter.com/SeppBlatter/status/512886793352781824

[Franky Bear]