If Sepp wasn’t suspiciously voted in for yet another term as president of FIFA, I’m sure he’d make an ideal candidate to play The Penguin in Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight franchise. After the daylight looting of South Africa during the FIFA World Cup last year have been added to his résumé, he could create his own super-villain alter ego. Maybe “RUMPELSTEALSTUFF” or the “TELE-TSOTSI”…we’ll keep at it. There seems to be a continuous flow of controversy and speculation surrounding this little Swiss wheeler ’n’ dealer, yet somehow he magically avoids any conviction, dispelling the allegations as mere rumors. Much like a movie mob boss really.

With presidency voting scandals to bribery allegations around the World Cup host selection (among a few red flags) it makes one wonder why things like the goal line technology issue is so abruptly discussed… guess you can’t bribe machines.

I would have liked to have listed a more detailed compendium of the alleged infringements of uncle Sepp, but it is a list far too long and complicated for me to even attempt to squeeze into a single post (for a comprehensive look into Sepp and Fifa’s controversial dealings, read “FOUL” by Andrew Jennings – interesting to say the least).

As long as we love watching the beautiful game, Sepp and men like him are always going to be a necessary evil. After all, the true Villains never leave the story for long.

Nic Hoekstra

@thekaptiv

pic: castlemaineindependent.org

Russia won the right to put on the 2018 World Cup, the first time it will have been staged in Eastern Europe after 10 editions in the western half of the continent.

Qatar, which has never qualified for the World Cup finals, will stage the 2022 tournament, a first both for the Middle East and for an Arab country. It will also be the smallest nation ever to host the World Cup.

Both new hosts are major energy producers and both had planned larger and costlier investment in infrastructure and new stadiums than all their respective rivals.

Fifa President Sepp Blatter, who announced the winners after a vote of his executive committee in the Swiss financial capital, said: “We go to new lands.

“Never has the World Cup been in Russia and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and Arabic world have been waiting for a long time so I’m a happy president when we talk about the development of football.”

Russia’s prime minister Vladimir Putin flew in to Zurich immediately after the winning vote and held a news conference before going on to meet and thank Blatter and Fifa.

“We are honoured to win in this tough and fair fight,” he told reporters. “Thank you for supporting Russia. Together let us make sure football supports fair play, tolerance, honour.”

Putin said he had made the right decision to stay away from Zurich for Russia’s final presentation so Fifa executives could make their choice in peace after corruption allegations against some executive committee members in the British media.

“I did this out of respect,” he said. “There was unacceptable campaigning that was deployed for the World Cup in 2018. People were accused of corruption. They were accused without any grounds, without any reasons, no justifications.”

Football’s governing body’s executive committee voted for the two winning bids after a fierce lobbying campaign which saw world political leaders and top sports personalities gather in Zurich to press their case for one of the biggest prizes in global sport.

Russia defeated the challenge of three other European bidders, England and the joint bids of Netherlands/Belgium and Spain/Portugal.

Qatar took the honours for 2022 over rivals Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

They committed in their bid document to Fifa building nine new stadiums and renovating three existing grounds at a cost of around $3 billion.

Qatar bid chairman Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani told the Fifa executive: “Thank you for backing us and expanding the game. You will be proud of us and you will be proud of the Middle East.”

Russia won on the second round of voting in which an absolute majority was required. England, motherland of football, was humiliated, going out in the first round with just two votes despite three days of lobbying in Zurich by British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Observers said they may have suffered from an adverse reaction by Fifa to the corruption allegations and to Wednesday’s serious outbreak of soccer hooliganism at a cup match in Birmingham.

The Russians, leading with nine votes on the first ballot, obtained 13 votes on the second round, ahead of Spain/Portugal on seven and Netherlands/Belgium with just two.

Qatar led in the 2022 ballot on each of the four rounds, obtaining 14 votes against eight to the US in the final round.

“I think it was the wrong decision,” US President Barack Obama told reporters.

Australia made a first round exit with just one vote and Japan and South Korea fell out in turn on the next two rounds.

This is how Thursday’s vote unfolded:

2018 World Cup:

Round 1: England 2 votes, Netherlands/Belgium 4 votes, Spain/Portugal 7 votes and Russia 9 votes (as no absolute majority was reached, the candidate with least amount of votes, England, was eliminated)

Round 2: Netherlands/Belgium 2 votes, Spain/Portugal 7 votes and Russia 13 votes (Russia obtained an absolute majority)

2022 FIFA World Cup:

Round 1: Australia 1 vote, Japan 3 votes, Korea Republic 4 votes, Qatar 11 votes, USA 3 votes (Australia eliminated)

Round 2: Japan 2 votes, Korea Republic 5 votes, Qatar 10 votes and USA 5 votes (Japan eliminated)

Round 3: Korea Republic 5 votes, Qatar 11 votes, USA 6 votes (Korea Republic eliminated)

Round 4: Qatar 14 votes and USA 8 votes (Qatar obtained an absolute majority)

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za

Blatter told reporters at Durban’s Moses Mabhida World Cup stadium on Tuesday that Fifa had never questioned South Africa’s ability to organise the tournament.

The first African country to host the soccer World Cup marked 100 days until the tournament kicks off with a ceremony in the east coast city.

Helicopters with South African flags flew overhead and a man bungee jumped from the roof of the eye-catching new stadium.

Blatter said that at times Fifa had to put pressure on the World Cup organisers and that the journey was “paved with trust and confidence, but with patience as well”.

Source: supersport.co.za

FIFA President Sepp Blatter

However, Blatter views the method of owning clubs in England as inherently unsatisfactory, putting the Premier League at an advantage compared to their major European counterparts.

“There are big associations, like France, Germany and Spain where there is a by-law that the owners of the club must be at least 51% from the club,” said Blatter.

“They must be members of the club or partners from the same country.

“This does not exist in the Premier League and it is a problem we have to address.”

Yet Blatter is currently at a loss as to how exactly he will achieve his aims, given UK law will not be changed to implement the same ownership rules that exist in other countries.

“We have no right to interfere in economic movements,” he admitted.

“We, the whole FIFA family, is aware of this.

“We have spoken before about financial fair play. Financial fair play is not only a licensing system and financing control but financing fair play means also that all participants should observe a minimum of fair play.”

Blatter’s comments are unlikely to have much of an effect on City’s summer recruitment drive.

Yet the return of Mark Hughes from his summer holiday on Tuesday evening might be spoiled by confirmation that Eto’o intends to see out the remaining year of his contract at Barcelona.

While Barca are keen to push through the “stratospheric offer” City have made the Cameroon star given he could leave for nothing next summer and will miss a month of next term at the African Nations Cup, it seems Eto’o will resist a £25million deal that could see him net £200,000-a-week.

The situation will be clarified on Tuesday when Eto’o's agent Josep Maria Mesalles holds a press conference to outline the 28-year-old’s intentions.

While a decision to remain at the Nou Camp would be a disappointment for City, at least Hughes would avoid the major headache of how to keep all his attacking players happy given Eto’o would have been joining a squad that already included Roque Santa Cruz, Robinho and Craig Bellamy and to which Carlos Tevez will be free to add his name on July 1.

Having already signed Gareth Barry, Hughes’ other priority is central defence, although he might have to increase his £15million valuation on Joleon Lescott if he is to lure the Everton defender away from Goodison Park.

Source: football365.com

Pic: independant.co.uk