High-fiving will occur in the Last Week Tonight office

September 25, 2015 12:16 PM

BBC: Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation against Sepp Blatter, the head of football's world governing body Fifa. Telegraph: Criminal proceedings have been opened against him by the Swiss attorney general on two issues: a TV rights deal that FIFA signed with Jack Warner's Caribbean Football Union and an alleged "disloyal payment" of two million Swiss francs made in 2011 to UEFA president Michel Platini. Guardian: Office of the Fifa president has been searched and data seized. LA Times: The new investigation targeting Blatter involves “suspicion of criminal mismanagement as well as -- alternatively -- on suspicion of misappropriation,” according to Swiss Atty. Gen. Michael Lauber.
posted by Wordshore (15 comments total)

Can the IOC be next? Let's hope!
posted by Mitrovarr at 12:25 PM on September 25, 2015 [10 favorites]

No. Roger Goodell got next.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:33 PM on September 25, 2015

Roger Goodell got next.

Well, he's certainly rethinking that push to get a team in Europe.
posted by Etrigan at 12:36 PM on September 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

I present to you, the transcript from the Swiss prosecutor's office:

Burns: Look at them, Smithers, enjoying their embezzlement.
Smithers: I have a much uglier word for it, sir: misappropriation.
posted by Talez at 12:39 PM on September 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
posted by gottabefunky at 12:39 PM on September 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

mmw: at 79 years old he'll be dead before he's tried in a court of law; drag it out a few years and done. he's led a long life of wealthy powerful corrupt impunity.

this prosecution at the 89.9th minute will do nothing to deter future gangsters like him unless his his entire estate is seized, including whatever holding companies and random shells he's hidden his wealth in. it needs to be published - the entire breakdown of his wealth, and in big letters proclaimed to the world that his heirs and friends DON'T GET A DIME....... the proceeds should be publically distributed to grassroots sports organizations and transparency international.
posted by lalochezia at 1:20 PM on September 25, 2015 [11 favorites]

Does anyone know what's going on with the "disloyal payment" thing? The Telegraph link says that it's a thing in Swiss law about giving money to people it's not in the best interest of the organization to give money to. How does paying giving Platini a couple million francs fall under that? I mean, it's sure as hell corruption, but is giving money to the president of UEFA contradictory to the aims of FIFA? It's not like they're direct competitors. Hell, the reason Platini got paid off was to keep him from running for Blatter's job. Again, horribly corrupt, but I don't quite understand what exactly is going on here.

At least I did finally figure out that it was a payment that is itself disloyal to the organization, not a payment to a disloyal person, which makes zero sense, even for FIFA.
posted by Copronymus at 1:23 PM on September 25, 2015

This is just going to end up in a plea or settlement that forces his retirement and the next guy will take over the reins.
posted by rhizome at 1:40 PM on September 25, 2015

If this doesn't get the Bugle back into production, nothing will.
posted by Kreiger at 1:41 PM on September 25, 2015 [5 favorites]

I believe that you've been nicked!
I believe that you've been nicked!
I believe that you've been nicked!
posted by eriko at 2:03 PM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Re: disloyal payment: I'm just spitballing here, but I think it might be that a payment which undermines the "natural" democratic process of an organization with elected positions is disloyal to the charter and stated purpose of that organization. From the Telegraph liveblog:

"The simplest explanation I have seen this afternoon (look, I'm not going to pretend my job on a sports desk makes me an expert on Swiss law...) is as follows:

Under Swiss law, a payment is classified disloyal if it is against the best interest of the employer - in this case Fifa.
According to Switzerland's attorney general, the money was supposedly paid nine years later for Platini's work as Blatter's football adviser at Fifa from 1999-2002. Platini was questioned as a witness on Friday about taking a "disloyal payment" of 2 million Swiss francs (now $2.04 million) of Fifa money in February 2011.

At the time, Platini was already tipped as a future Fifa leader but decided not to run against Blatter in that year's presidential election - instead backing the incumbent against Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar. Blatter was re-elected in May 2011 after Bin Hammam withdrew amid bribery allegations."
posted by Errant at 2:08 PM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Errant, that's my read on the situation as well.

I'm most excited at the prospect of this possibly also taking Platini down. The fact that he keeps trying to spin himself as a potential FIFA reformer would be laughable if it wasn't so tiresome. (Obligatory David Conn article about Platini.)

The whole house needs cleaning, but I can't think of many who could step in and do it.
posted by kendrak at 2:15 PM on September 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

#PigGate
Walker
Pizza Rat
Boener
Blatter

What a week.
posted by Wordshore at 2:49 PM on September 25, 2015 [3 favorites]

Mostly like the Swiss are prosecuting because he was embarrassingly bad at corruption and that kind of sloppiness cannot be tolerated for the sake of Switzerland's banking sector.
posted by srboisvert at 3:21 PM on September 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

Can we just burn down FIFA and start again? The IOC too for that matter. Just outlaw them.

Yeah I know. We can dream.
posted by adept256 at 3:47 PM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]