Sepp Blatter has suggested an agreement was in place for Russian WC
October 28, 2015 9:16 AM Subscribe
Suspended Fifa president Sepp Blatter has suggested there was an agreement in place for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup - before the vote took place.
The 79-year-old told Russian news agency Tass of a "discussion" in 2010 about future World Cups.
Asked whether it was a mistake to hold voting for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments simultaneously, Blatter replied that before the ballot: "It was agreed that we go to Russia because it's never been in Russia, eastern Europe, and for 2022 we go back to America."As compared to "because they paid us a shitload of money under the table", I'm okay with geographical diversity being a criterion, and with committee members having made up their minds before the actual vote.
Blatter will burn in hell, but not for this.
posted by Etrigan at 9:29 AM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
I wonder what he gains by going to the press to say this. If it's a prologue to a "my hands were tied by an irredeemably corrupt institution" defense, that doesn't do anything to make him look better.
posted by ardgedee at 9:30 AM on October 28, 2015
posted by ardgedee at 9:30 AM on October 28, 2015
In a wide-ranging interview, Blatter, who will be replaced as head of world football's governing body at an election on 26 February, also said: Russia will "never" lose the 2018 World Cup
I wonder if soccer is the new boxing, in that no one can ever again trust that the outcome is fair.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 9:31 AM on October 28, 2015
I wonder if soccer is the new boxing, in that no one can ever again trust that the outcome is fair.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 9:31 AM on October 28, 2015
If so, he has poor choice in bait.
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:34 AM on October 28, 2015
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:34 AM on October 28, 2015
because it sounds to me like he's saying the votes don't matter
Do they, though? It's not like FIFA is a country.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:35 AM on October 28, 2015
Do they, though? It's not like FIFA is a country.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:35 AM on October 28, 2015
> Blatter seems to be fishing for allies.
By threatening them with exposure if they don't have his back? That seems likely to backfire.
posted by ardgedee at 9:36 AM on October 28, 2015
By threatening them with exposure if they don't have his back? That seems likely to backfire.
posted by ardgedee at 9:36 AM on October 28, 2015
English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke says the governing body will investigate Blatter's revelation that there was a pre-vote agreement to hand the 2018 World Cup to Russia.
The FA spent £21m, including £2.5m of public money from local authorities, on England's failed bid to host the 2018 tournament.
Of course the English feel slighted. Paying £21m, including £2.5m of public money from local authorities, in bribes only to be gazumped by Russia would make anyone unhappy.
posted by three blind mice at 9:47 AM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
The FA spent £21m, including £2.5m of public money from local authorities, on England's failed bid to host the 2018 tournament.
Of course the English feel slighted. Paying £21m, including £2.5m of public money from local authorities, in bribes only to be gazumped by Russia would make anyone unhappy.
posted by three blind mice at 9:47 AM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
The FIFA ballot for Blatter's replacement as FIFA President, and I am not making this up:
Tokyo Sexwale, Prince Ali, Jerome Champagne, Sheikh Salman, Michel Platini, Gianni Infantino, David Nakhid, Musa Bility.
That list reads like a list of the villains in the new 007 film SPECTRE.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:53 AM on October 28, 2015 [38 favorites]
Tokyo Sexwale, Prince Ali, Jerome Champagne, Sheikh Salman, Michel Platini, Gianni Infantino, David Nakhid, Musa Bility.
That list reads like a list of the villains in the new 007 film SPECTRE.
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:53 AM on October 28, 2015 [38 favorites]
Or a reboot of 1980's-style WWF wrestling.
posted by Kabanos at 10:00 AM on October 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Kabanos at 10:00 AM on October 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
And for those just joining us, it's pronounced "Sex-wallah"
posted by fallingbadgers at 10:07 AM on October 28, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by fallingbadgers at 10:07 AM on October 28, 2015 [8 favorites]
I'd say we left James Bond territory long ago, passed through both Maxwell Smart and Austin Powers, and are now well into Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:13 AM on October 28, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:13 AM on October 28, 2015 [9 favorites]
And for those just joining us, it's pronounced "Sex-wallah"
Not any better.
posted by Etrigan at 10:14 AM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not any better.
posted by Etrigan at 10:14 AM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have had this weird sense lately that somebody is going to try to assassinate Blatter or some of the other disgraced officials before they stand trial. FIFA seems like its interacted with the worst of humanity and I imagine there's a lot of people who don't want to be brought out of the shadows.
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:25 AM on October 28, 2015
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:25 AM on October 28, 2015
And here I've been pronouncing it like "gunwale".
posted by Kabanos at 10:25 AM on October 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Kabanos at 10:25 AM on October 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
By lose, I assume he means no one will take away Russia's hosting privileges, not that they are guaranteed to win the cup. But then again who knows with FIFA these days.
posted by humanfont at 10:30 AM on October 28, 2015
posted by humanfont at 10:30 AM on October 28, 2015
Ol' Sepp is going to spill all the tea, and I can't wait. If he's going to burn, he's going to make sure a whole bunch of others burn with him *cough*Platini*cough*.
Anyway, Rubber Puppet of Jose Mourinho for FIFA President!
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:32 AM on October 28, 2015
Anyway, Rubber Puppet of Jose Mourinho for FIFA President!
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:32 AM on October 28, 2015
Tokyo Sexwale: 2001 Name Of The Year winner, 2003 Hall Of Name inductee. The more you know.
posted by the painkiller at 10:35 AM on October 28, 2015
posted by the painkiller at 10:35 AM on October 28, 2015
It's funny because he has a foreign name.
posted by dng at 10:39 AM on October 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by dng at 10:39 AM on October 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
It's funny because it's a deeply surreal and deliciously smutty image in English. Plus, it's all part of the FIFA carnival of grotesques.
("Every nation thinks every other nation is weird. In this, every nation is right.")
posted by Devonian at 11:12 AM on October 28, 2015 [8 favorites]
("Every nation thinks every other nation is weird. In this, every nation is right.")
posted by Devonian at 11:12 AM on October 28, 2015 [8 favorites]
I think Sepp is among the scummiest scum who ever scummed, but I'm not really seeing the problem with this. Isn't it fairly routine to be reasonably certain of an outcome, or do a headcount, prior to any vote? To agree to a certain plan, and then formalize that plan with a vote?
That they agreed to Russia before actually voting on it, I'd think that's fairly normal. That they agreed to Russia because they were bought off with sacks of cash, that's a different matter. And maybe normal, too.
Enh.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:46 AM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
That they agreed to Russia before actually voting on it, I'd think that's fairly normal. That they agreed to Russia because they were bought off with sacks of cash, that's a different matter. And maybe normal, too.
Enh.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:46 AM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's also funny because "Tokyo" is a nickname, acquired due to his being into karate as a child.
posted by Etrigan at 12:00 PM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Etrigan at 12:00 PM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
And for those just joining us, it's pronounced "Sex-wallah"
I think it's more like "seh-zhwa-lah" but I realize that's not as funny.
posted by aught at 12:29 PM on October 28, 2015
I think it's more like "seh-zhwa-lah" but I realize that's not as funny.
posted by aught at 12:29 PM on October 28, 2015
Maybe "sekh-wall-é" from what I can tell?
English could really use a few extra letters.
posted by Kabanos at 1:01 PM on October 28, 2015
English could really use a few extra letters.
posted by Kabanos at 1:01 PM on October 28, 2015
I'm not really seeing the problem with this
I think the deadspin post sums it up pretty well: it's like he thinks he's talking to someone in on FIFA's internal machinations.
I think the deadspin post sums it up pretty well: it's like he thinks he's talking to someone in on FIFA's internal machinations.
It’s wild that Blatter apparently didn’t notice how alarming his statement would sound to those of us still not totally accustomed to FIFA’s twisted modus operandi. So not only were the World Cup votes to some degree fixed beforehand, that nefarious meeting between Platini, Al Thani, and French president Nicolas Sarkozy really was as shady as everyone had long assumed; and not only that, but from that meeting four voters—whose preferences for America’s hosting bid were already known by Blatter before the purportedly “secret” ballot—mysteriously switched sides and went with Qatar instead. It’s obvious that Blatter intended those remarks to insinuate some kind of hanky panky if not outright bribery on the parts of Platini and the Qataris, but the subtler aspects of the vote’s predetermined nature hit just as hard upon him and the FIFA he created.posted by yerfatma at 1:03 PM on October 28, 2015
It's not like FIFA is a country.
McCain Urges Military Strikes Against FIFA
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:08 PM on October 28, 2015
McCain Urges Military Strikes Against FIFA
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:08 PM on October 28, 2015
Lifted from a comment on from that Deadspin post:
"Since I became president of FIFA, we have made FIFA a big commercial company. And this naturally provokes envy and jealousy."
"But you cannot destroy FIFA. FIFA is not the Swiss bank. FIFA is not a commercial company."
Go home, Sepp, you're drunk.
posted by Errant at 2:19 PM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
"Since I became president of FIFA, we have made FIFA a big commercial company. And this naturally provokes envy and jealousy."
"But you cannot destroy FIFA. FIFA is not the Swiss bank. FIFA is not a commercial company."
Go home, Sepp, you're drunk.
posted by Errant at 2:19 PM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Seriously, can we not have derail about how "foreign" names are "funny"?
posted by hoyland at 2:56 PM on October 28, 2015
posted by hoyland at 2:56 PM on October 28, 2015
Modulo Sexwale, it seems to be less a "foreign names are funny" thing than it is a "aristocratic names are funny" one.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 5:32 PM on October 28, 2015
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 5:32 PM on October 28, 2015
I mean, Jerome Champagne. Jerome Champagne.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 5:33 PM on October 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 5:33 PM on October 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
At this point I really want a whole bunch of national sport federations to say "You know what, screw this. Go ahead and have your corrupt world cup, assuming anybody shows up, but we're going to have our own international competition."
posted by LastOfHisKind at 6:02 PM on October 28, 2015
posted by LastOfHisKind at 6:02 PM on October 28, 2015
dng: "It's funny because he has a foreign name."
Really? That's not why I find it funny.
posted by Bugbread at 7:00 PM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Really? That's not why I find it funny.
posted by Bugbread at 7:00 PM on October 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
because it sounds to me like he's saying the votes don't matter, and the only reason why the US brought the hammer down on FIFA was because FIFA reneged on a secret agreement for 2022.
qcubed
Which makes no sense because America doesn't give a shit about the World Cup. That's why it was the one country that could "bring the hammer down" on FIFA: FIFA has no clout here because no one cares about soccer.
posted by Sangermaine at 7:41 PM on October 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
qcubed
Which makes no sense because America doesn't give a shit about the World Cup. That's why it was the one country that could "bring the hammer down" on FIFA: FIFA has no clout here because no one cares about soccer.
posted by Sangermaine at 7:41 PM on October 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
The idea that Americans don't care about soccer is an outdated idea. The Womens World Cup finale drew 25 million viewers. By comparison the Game 1 of the World Series were 14.1 million viewers. Ratings for men's World Cup averaged 4.3 million viewers.
posted by humanfont at 4:55 AM on October 29, 2015
posted by humanfont at 4:55 AM on October 29, 2015
Modulo Sexwale, it seems to be less a "foreign names are funny" thing than it is a "aristocratic names are funny" one.
Modulo Sexwale is one of the new characters in Episode VII.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:18 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Modulo Sexwale is one of the new characters in Episode VII.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:18 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I dunno, I find it funny. Not as funny as "dng", "david", or "guy" though. Those are hilarious because they're foreign.
posted by qcubed at 4:25 AM on October 29 [+] [!]
I'm not sure if I've misunderstood you here or you've misunderstood me, really.
posted by dng at 5:31 AM on October 29, 2015
posted by qcubed at 4:25 AM on October 29 [+] [!]
I'm not sure if I've misunderstood you here or you've misunderstood me, really.
posted by dng at 5:31 AM on October 29, 2015
Modulo Sexwale, it seems to be less a "foreign names are funny" thing than it is a "aristocratic names are funny" one.
Wait, what? Sexwale grew up working class in a South African township fighting against apartheid, and like Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for a time for opposing the racist government. I'm not sure how that makes his *name* "aristocratic" even if he is now a government leader and businessman in the modern South Africa.
Let's be honest here - people are tee-heeing about it because it has the word "sex" in it, and because it can be mis-pronounced as "sex-wallah," or seller of sex. A black man whose name can be twisted to basically mean "pimp" -- what a laugh riot!
posted by aught at 5:36 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Wait, what? Sexwale grew up working class in a South African township fighting against apartheid, and like Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for a time for opposing the racist government. I'm not sure how that makes his *name* "aristocratic" even if he is now a government leader and businessman in the modern South Africa.
Let's be honest here - people are tee-heeing about it because it has the word "sex" in it, and because it can be mis-pronounced as "sex-wallah," or seller of sex. A black man whose name can be twisted to basically mean "pimp" -- what a laugh riot!
posted by aught at 5:36 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
The idea that Americans don't care about soccer is an outdated idea. The Womens World Cup finale drew 25 million viewers.
Americans don't care about soccer unless it involves Americans:
posted by Etrigan at 7:02 AM on October 29, 2015
Americans don't care about soccer unless it involves Americans:
The 2015 tournament averaged 1.824 million viewers per each of the tournament’s 52 matches across all networks (FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2), +21% over 1,511,000 averaged on ESPN and ESPN2 for the 32 matches played in 2011.Take out that USA final and you're looking at 1.4 million on average, or slightly over half of an NBA season opener on TNT.
posted by Etrigan at 7:02 AM on October 29, 2015
I don't think it's even as nuanced as "sex wallah". "Tokyo sex whale" is an absurd set of words that is really easy to find funny.
Just because soccer isn't as popular as other sports doesn't mean that the US didn't want to host the World Cup. It's an opportunity for the host nation to have the rest of the world looking at it. And if they were invested in the idea, any reneging on a perceived commitment by FIFA could have been taken badly.
posted by trif at 8:11 AM on October 29, 2015
Just because soccer isn't as popular as other sports doesn't mean that the US didn't want to host the World Cup. It's an opportunity for the host nation to have the rest of the world looking at it. And if they were invested in the idea, any reneging on a perceived commitment by FIFA could have been taken badly.
posted by trif at 8:11 AM on October 29, 2015
aught: " A black man whose name can be twisted to basically mean "pimp" -- what a laugh riot!"
I laughed at "Tokyo Sexwale" the first time I saw it, because, come on. "Tokyo Sex Whale". It was not until several days later that I looked him up and found out he was black. It was not until reading this thread that I found out it was pronounced "wallah", as in "chai wallah". And it was not until your comment that the idea of "pimp" even entered my head.
So, I mean, I guess most MeFites could be laughing because "Hey, black guy's name is kinda like pimp!" and I was the lone guy laughing for completely unrelated reasons. I suppose it's possible, somehow.
But I wouldn't bet money on it or anything.
posted by Bugbread at 8:15 AM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
I laughed at "Tokyo Sexwale" the first time I saw it, because, come on. "Tokyo Sex Whale". It was not until several days later that I looked him up and found out he was black. It was not until reading this thread that I found out it was pronounced "wallah", as in "chai wallah". And it was not until your comment that the idea of "pimp" even entered my head.
So, I mean, I guess most MeFites could be laughing because "Hey, black guy's name is kinda like pimp!" and I was the lone guy laughing for completely unrelated reasons. I suppose it's possible, somehow.
But I wouldn't bet money on it or anything.
posted by Bugbread at 8:15 AM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
But I wouldn't bet money on it or anything.
Since people in the thread connected the dots to make this joke (I didn't make it up to be all "PC" about this; it didn't even occur to me either until I read Etrigan and Devonian's comments) you'd be missing a sure bet.
posted by aught at 8:52 AM on October 29, 2015
Since people in the thread connected the dots to make this joke (I didn't make it up to be all "PC" about this; it didn't even occur to me either until I read Etrigan and Devonian's comments) you'd be missing a sure bet.
posted by aught at 8:52 AM on October 29, 2015
NBC Premier League coverage drew 4.2 million viewers for the first matches broadcast this season.
posted by humanfont at 4:44 PM on October 29, 2015
posted by humanfont at 4:44 PM on October 29, 2015
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posted by Fizz at 9:26 AM on October 28, 2015 [3 favorites]