Yet, we also have the opposite story circulating http://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-fifa-blatter-probe-idUSKBN0TS23E20151209 "An internal investigation of suspended FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter has found no evidence of corruption over a 2 million Swiss franc ($2 million) payment to European soccer head Michel Platini, the Swiss newspaper Handelszeitung said on Wednesday......"
Well --- what evidence were we expecting to find? The issue is that everything was off the books --- if they do indeed find something in FIFA's financial statements that recorded this liability then the defense might have a case I guess. But I doubt they will find that. The story (whitecloud, I know you are not taking the position of the story) sounds like a leak from a Blatter sympathizer. The following quote made me chuckle: The paper said Platini had asked FIFA for his overdue salary at least twice in 2010 and that FIFA's finance chief had set aside money for the payment. This is the same finance chief that they tried to pin the $10M South Africa payment to Warner on, right? The one who is conveniently deceased? AND --- even if the above quote is true --the question is still why did it take until 2010 for Platini to ask for his overdue salary?
Finding "no evidence of corruption" doesn't equate to saying the funds were duly deserved, either, let alone invite speculation of how hard they were digging. This is the beauty behind slush funds and open accounts for select individuals to spend at their discretion. I realize there is the precedent of innocent before proven guilty, but from a business stand point there is the genuine interest in making sure all funds are directed toward legitimate investments/expenses, and that's where so much FIFA money flows into vague discretionary accounts and projects.
The way the whole operation has been conducted, with the press making a big deal of the arrests of the small fish, is as if they wanted the big fish to get scot free out of it. The moment they started arresting the little ones, that fat cats started burning evidence. I bet in the end only the weakest links will do any time, and none of the big names will suffer anything beyond early retirement to their villas, to enjoy the stolen moneys. "An internal investigation of suspended FIFA President Joseph 'Sepp' Blatter has found no evidence..." is hilarious. I just investigated myself and found no evidence that I'm slacking on the job.
There's not much info yet ("more to follow") but CAS have upheld the provisional suspension. Michel Platini: Uefa president loses suspension appeal http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35069511
we can all take a moment in order to thank good ole' Chuckie Blazer for not paying his taxes which started this ball rolling downhill...only wish that Chuckie could be rolled downhill into the muck and mire with all of his cronies.
Well, I wonder how much his terminal illness influenced his decision to cooperate as well. Staring death in the face can make a person re-think some of their decisions.
Platini just makes me laugh. This is what he's asking people to believe: - He did some legitimate consulting work for FIFA - He was owed a payment of $2 million - There was no documentation of the work or the amount owed to him - He was ok waiting around 9 years to be paid Not that there's any chance of that being true but if it was he should still be banned for life for being the biggest f***ing moron on the planet.
French FA raided: http://www.wsj.com/articles/swiss-french-investigators-raid-fifas-paris-office-1457512732
https://apnews.com/article/soccer-s...sepp-blatter-883a052d92a1562720f064c7f206af84 Sepp Blatter, Platini indicted for fraud in Switzerland
The Blatter and Platini trial begins on Wednesday. https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...michel-platini-will-make-for-electric-theatre
Sepp Blatter, the former president of FIFA, and Michel Platini, his onetime ally, were cleared of wrongdoing over a secret $2 million payment that prosecutors had labeled a bribe. nyti.ms/3Rk16W3