By Tony Attwood
According to Die Welt, Fifa is investigating claims that the new President of Fifa, a Mr Infantino, has been doing the rounds destroying recordings of a Fifa council meeting in Mexico.
A Fifa spokesman pronounced to Sky Sports News: “We are not in a position to indicate if we have or have not begun preliminary investigatory proceedings against an individual. We would however like to point out that there are no formal proceedings going on against Mr Infantino.”
Meanwhile there are suggestions that Infantino was also doing the rounds talking about how to get rid of Domenico Scala, the head of the audit and compliance committee before Scala resigned, after the Fifa executives changed the rules so that the audit and compliance committee could be stopped doing investigations into corruption.
Untold covered this but most of the media chose to ignore it.
What was also interesting was that Scala was responsible for deciding how much Infantino should be paid. It is widely said among Fifa watchers that Infantino described the £1.3m salary he was offered as an “insult”. Infantino then got Fifa at its congress in Mexico (the one at which it is said that recordings were destroyed) to give the Fifa council the power to appoint and remove members of the supposedly independent watchdog group.
However the fact that Infantino got very angry about his salary is of particular interest now, as it has turned out that Sepp Blatter, Jérôme Valcke and Markus Kattner had in the past awarded themselves pay rises and bonuses of around £55m without anyone else’s authority. It appears that such self-awarded pay rises break Swiss law – as well as being evidence of corruption which is what the US officials are investigating.
Now Fifa has said it will “refer the matter of these contracts and payments to the ethics committee for its review.” But with Scala removed and Fifa having given itself the right to put whomsoever it wants on the audit and compliance committee, it looks as if it can vote to Infantino the sort of salary that Blatter and co got and which Infantino seems to think is his by right.
The whole point is that amendments to contracts need to be scrutinised carefully before they are awarded, and this is where the problem comes in, because with Fifa having power over the committee that can change contracts and with no outside auditing going on, we are back where we started.
As an example of what was happening with the contracts all three officials were given “special bonuses” after the 2010 World Cup which were not listed in their contract. There were also bonuses after the 2014 WC and for the awarding of the 2018 WC to Russia.
Now Fifa has noted that “the people who signed the contracts were in principle also the ones that approved them” and so it rather looks as if, by taking total control of the relevant committees and getting rid of anyone who might be overseeing what the committees do, the top dogs in Fifa are looking to continue to get these bonuses but now with the rubber stamp of committees that are said to be overseeing the working of Fifa.
Certainly we know that in 2013 Fifa set up a new sub-committee to set salaries. This seems to have allowed extra payments to be made whenever and however the top men wanted and kept on making payments even after the Dept of Justice in the USA arrested various Fifa officials in Zurich. That was the meeting that came after Swiss law was changed to allow aggrieved parties to arrest people who were in Switzerland attending a meeting of an international body that was based on Switzerland – something we had a bit of fun pointing out on Untold.
So it very much looks as if Fifa is on the one hand saying what happened before was all wrong and needs sorting, while also saying it now has compliance committees to keep an eye on things. But Fifa has control over who is on the compliance committees, and is already removing people from them that it doesn’t like.
These moves are getting a little mention in the press, but not much – but I am sure they will all be there when the US officials move again, claiming that they have predicted as much.
The main message seems to be: Fifa hasn’t changed, and the FA is still pumping money into Fifa and talking up its willingness to host a future world cup.
- Memo to the Metro Newspaper. Just how miserable would you like me to be?
- The 57 players tipped to arrive (so far) and the 12 players on their way out. The Arsenal Transfer Index 2016
- Maybe it is wholly appropriate that the PL has a ref system different from all the rest
- Arsenal won the Fair Play League this season. I wonder why the media didn’t mention it.
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So who steps up when Infantino stands down? Is anybody at FIFA honest & trustworthy? The way things are shaping up they’ll end up with the caretaker in charge.
A complete farce from the minute Blatter took office to now.
If our own FA are seen as supporting this completely corrupt organisation, then one has to ask ” are they also part of the corrupt system? ”
Untold has shown irregularities in both the PGMO and FIFA so why is it other “erstwhile” media outlets and institutions are not investigating?
Could it be that that would involve real investigation rather than soundbites?
thats what happen when people found guilty of bribery and corruption get just slap on the wrist, offend like that in some country for normal people will land them 2 years minimum jail time. ever wonder why they choose to elect platini right hand man as the new fifa president and why he makes all this dodgy decision since he became president? even after blatter and platini was found guilty and suspended, it looks like they were still in charge and the one who pulling the strings from behind the scenes. for the question why media choose to ignore the issue, maybe it bcos today media is control by certain people who belong to the same(not so secret anymore) society. basically stuff we found in the media nowdays is horseshit and manipulative,
Disgusting, utterly disgusting. Sickening.
As in the past, in the now and in the future: FICK FUFA!!!!
Football is once again being dragged in the already mucky mud of the organisation know as FIFA, how much lower can these people go. Now it seems that another lunatic has took over the asylum and can go on his merry way knowing he has the right people now in the right places. I’m disgusted by the very men who claim to have the good of the game only at heart. There is only one man for the job but unfortunately he would be to honest for these people and he already has a job as Manager of a club called Arsenal .
Leon raises a valid point….if infantino is guilty, an alleged human rights abuser is presumably next in line.
Who can take over…..those who supported blatter, and even of those who did not, our FA are pretty compromised, as are their German counterparts.
The only crumb of comfort, once the US authorities are onto people like this at least, they do not let go. Some of these people will soon be praying for a Swiss jail rather than a cell in the U.S.
If infantino is guilty, serious questions need asking of our FA ….again…who first backed the leech that is Platini, then went to the Swiss lawyer in his underground office who covets the wage of Blatter. Anyone with any credibility would have abstained, but as we all know, that is not how Realpolitik works
Let the extraditions begin, and may they meet some interesting cell mates in the U.S.
Hmm, as for me, I had wanted the Fifa Presidency to be rotated amongst the 6 Confederation units affiliated to Fifa. But the all mighty Uefa will have non of that. That’s why we are back to square one allover again.
With the recent incriminating evidences which has suggested that Mr Infantino has destroyed audio recordings of a meeting of the Fifa congress at Mexico, and orchestrated the resignation of Mr Dominico Scala, formerly of the Fifa’s audit and compliance committees, I am of the opinion that Mr Infantino is already on his way out of Fifa sooner than it is expected.
What has surprised me in this latest saga at Fifa is the resignation of Mr Scala without a fight. How can he just chicken out cheaply like that. Shouldn’t he at least have taken Infantino’s govern Fifa to the court for the arbitration of sports to decide if Fifa was right or wrong in their tampering with the independence status of the Fifa’s audit & compliance committees?
The breaking news I’ve just read on 3 websites of, BR, Espnfc and the BBC sports is, Arsenal have triggered the release clause of Jamie Vardy. So there should be credibility in the breaking news. My hopes are this Arsenal submission of a bid for Vardy will come to fruition.
And if Arsenal will not promote Mavididi to their senior squad, the young Morata should be the next target for Arsenal to pursue his signing for Arsenal too. Because before Welbeck picked up his latest big injury, Arsenal have been in need to sign a top quality striker. And now that Welbeck had been sidelined till March next year before he could play again for Arsenal, Arsenal will be in need of 2 top quality strikers one of which I hope will soon be Vardy.
Blind leading the blind & now the unsighted media seeing nothing!! The corrupt funding the corrupt and the corrupt not saying anything.
This sounds like the officiating that Arsenal have had to play under since the PGMO was created.
Excellent work Tony – it’s just making the BBC News.
SamuelAkinsolaAdebosin sometimes you seem like a child looking for a lost toy. Try to understand something about players like Vardy. They cheat. It is not the kind of player that Wenger will sign.
SamuelAkinsolaAdebosin
I’ve been reading this same Vardy story, and I think there’s more than a grain of truth in it. This could explain Wengers presence at Wembley last night or it might be another smoke & mirrors trick by Arsenal.
I just hope it’s not true. He’s a detestable person and one signing I would not support even if this blog did.
I also suspect there may be some truth in this…….and if there is, at Arsenal, he will have to either mend his ways, or get a lot of red cards.
Comparisons already being drawn with Ian Wright., who was also no angel, tho of course not signed by wenger
menace, why have you descended menacingly on me to the extend of terming me a child? As for me as a diehard Arsenal supporter, I can’t see anything wrong if Arsenal signed Vardy. You have labeled him a cheat. I’ve read that before. But If the Boss happens to sign him for us, he won’t be cheating anymore but plays in the Arsenal way if at all he has been cheating.
Oga Tony, the reason for my coming back on the site is, after a 2nd thought, I felt I should defend Mr Infantino for rejecting the purported annual £1.3m salary recommended for him to earn by Mr. Scala. In fairness to Mr Infantino who is a very big man as the President of Fifa, that annual salary recommended for him to be collecting by Mr Scala actually looked insulting. At least Mr Infantino should not be earning less than £6m pa as the World football governing President. He’s the man that oversees football affairs Worldwide. Therefore, him and his subordinates should be well remunerated.
If we don’t want football officials doing a top public jobs to be corrupt, they should be well paid. I believe the England’s FA Chairman will be earning well above that £1.3m recommended for Infantino to earn.
But Mr Infantino doesn’t know how to fight back in my own view. If I were him, I would have been patient and report the case to the Fifa executive committee to look into it. And if the committee rejects Mr Scala’s salary recommendations, The case should be reviewed by Mr Scala. And if he failed to review it upwards, Or his upwards review is not accepted by Mr Infantino, the case can be forwarded to the next Fifa congress to decide on it.
But instead of to be patient, Mr Infantino went about committing criminal breaches that will implicate him.
As for his been elected as the Fifa President, I still stick to my guns he shouldn’t have been elected but the Presidency should have gone to another Fifa’s Confederation unit in a rotation form other than Uefa.
But none of this means we will actually sign Vardy….and the timing , as many out there have said, seems strange…..leaked just before the Euros,,and this evenings Q and A session at the club.
As many have said, could be a player with a clever agent who wants a payday
@Mandy Dodd, really?
About FIFA – the US, the self-appointed world policeman, will undoubtedly have its own selfish reasons for pursuing the past, actual and potential FIFA leaders, whatever these people have or haven’t done. Don’t look for honesty and integrity there!
How many goals would have Vardy scored, if the referees hadn’t of been giving penalties to Leicester? 19. You want to pay over the top, for a 19 goal scorer? Please SAA, take your 10 billion or whatever, and go find some other team to buy. And then you can run them however you want. Fill the team with all the cheats in the EPL. And good luck to you.
How on Earth can the infant one get pissed about salary, when he is comparing to what Blatter gave himself?
Who knows SAA……..the widespread reporting might suggest Arsenal interest…..and maybe contact……but we have seen this sort of thing with both Higuain and Mata. I think we certainly need another striker with Danny injured, but Vardy…..remains to be seen.
Agree on the U.S. Pat, not expecting honesty or integrity from their agencies, just deserved…..and delicious vengeance against these crooks. Think the U.S. Is smarting at being denied a World Cup by them…..and FIFA disrespected Garcia and his report, Garcia has friends in very high places in the U.S.
And such a high profile case gives their fight against fraud , laundering and racketeering more credibility than perhaps it deserves..not sure America wants to be the world policeman, just an extremely vicious force against those who piss her off, and I really hope FIFA fall into,this category to the extent it appears.
Doing a time search at Google News, it appears that Stuart James of the Guardian broke this (BS) story about Vardy. But the Guardian wasn’t the first to publish. There seems to be 3 or 4 other medja outlets that published before Guardian. The first as near as I can tell, is DreamTeamFC.
At the time I looked, all these stories are listed as 6 to 7 hours old. I don’t know what the real difference in time is between these stories.
In the news are a series of stories out of the University of Sussex. Some of the stories are mistitled, implying the snails only have 2 brain cells. Rather the work is about how 2 brain cells are all that is needed for a snail to do certain things.
Looking at a map, Sussex is in SE England. It seems to be about the only place further away from 😈 Mike Riley’s home turf than London. How on Earth these researchers got PGMO employees to submit to these studies, I don’t know. The names of the snails were not published. Taylor? Dean?
Arsenal siginig Vardy.I am speechless
Why would Wenger sign a cheat?
We should stay away from such players.
Mahrez would be a better buy Imo.
I really don’t post too much these days, but I still follow AFC closely. As someone who’s followed AW in and out for the last 15 years or so, I’d only request you all to wait till Vardy or whoever is signed before making sweeping conclusions either way.
Meaning, Vardy is great!! He will win us the title!! Or… ..scum of the earth!! That’s it for me! Wenger out.
… And let AW speak, if at all he is signed. A part of me is just sad, that AW isn’t just getting Akpom back, or trusting that Theo can deliver over the season. We’re light 1 forward minded player though, I just hope its someone homegrown and not someone from outside.
actually to be fair I saw this guy James break? this Vardy story on twitter quite a few days ago. We tried to sign Suarez despite the baggage he comes with, yet this story may well turn out to be a smokes and mirrors as Vardy appears to be a good player only in a counter attacking team.
Those wags at 7amkickoff have dedicated a whole article to this Vardy nonsense and the comments section (mainly literate US people) is very much against the deal, pointing out that he wouldn’t fit into our possession based style unless we were looking for a direct replacement for Walcott, in which case Mahrez would be a better choice.
The only thing that makes sense to me on Vardy, is that if the story is true (which I do not believe even with news articles stating confirmed exist), the reason for Arsenal to trigger the clause is to get him out of Leicester and on to any other team. To become someone on the market.
But, I don’t see a darned thing about this at Arsenal.com.
@Menace
Suarez had been a diver and had had a racist incident in his CV before Mr Wenger tried to break the transfer record in order to sign him. Whilst I agree with you that Vardy doesn’t fit the image of Arsenal under Mr Wenger, that doesn’t mean Mr Wenger won’t sign him.
I’d prefer Lukaku who is quality AND has a lot of room for improvement.
NEVER FORGET THREE TYPES OF PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE –
1. Who HELPED you in difficult times .
2. Who LEFT you in difficult times .
3. Who PUT you in difficult times .
I do have reservations about Vardy. He is racist and has attributes better found elsewhere.
As for paying the release clause of any Player, I believe this suggests a certain amount of arrogance which none can accuse Arsenal with.And there are better players available if one wants to play with release clauses.
I think that Vardy had a decent season and scored a good number of goals, but if there is any truth in the stories about his release clause then I hope that it is not triggered by Arsenal. He is not the player Arsenal needs and I don’t think he will repeat the goals tally he managed at Leicester. If we are really looking for a class striker then I hope we can secure Alvaro Morata. He has played for big clubs and his pedigree far outweighs Vardy, also he is only 23 (hope I have got that correct) as opposed to Vardy who is 29.
I really hope that Arsenal do not sign Vardy, I cannot abide the thought of him putting on the red and white shirt because I cannot stand cheats. I hope it’s smoke and mirrors as I really cannot see Arsene Wenger signing him but if he does I hope he is made to realise that that is not the Arsenal way to play the game of football. Vary is probably testing the waters for a new deal at Leicester well I can only hope.