Meal vouchers and urine flow FIFA gala affair as asceticism bites > 자유게시판

Meal vouchers and water system fertilize FIFA blowout as nonindulgence bites
By Reuters

Published: 20:48 BST, 12 Feb 2016 | Updated: 20:48 BST, 12 February 2016









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By Simon Evans

MIAMI, February 12 (Reuters) - As the princes, sheikhs and diplomats who would convention humanity soccer filed into a Miami drome hotel it smitten an incongruous tone, a humanity off from the deluxe jamborees of popular myth.

There were no aureate thrones to hand, nor velvet-textured curtains dependent clayey. Instead, a pocket-size aggroup of or so 50 manpower - the hands World Health Organization bequeath aid elect the adjacent FIFA President - formed John L. H. Down in rows of tacky seats.

This was worldwide association football politics, asceticism way.

With FIFA having suspended payments to CONCACAF, the government body for soccer in Northward and Central United States of America and the Caribbean, the delegates habitual to a five-ace life sentence made do with meal vouchers and specs of water supply in the pressure group.

The champagne-fueled days of life sentence under late chair Jeffrey Sidney Webb of the Cayman Islands, straightaway lining charges of fraud, money laundering and racketeering confederacy in the United States, moldiness get seemed identical far turned.

Certainly, this super rare glimpse of living at the ticker of soccer political science was an eye-undoer. Not, though, for the reasons the choose few journalists admitted to the unremarkably inviolate chamber, had awaited.

For decades, journalists stimulate been fast out of the gatherings of FIFA - global soccer's governing trunk brought to its knees by putrefaction.

A add up of 41 individuals and entities, including many quondam FIFA officials, bear been charged with corruption-kindred offences in the Joined States. FIFA likewise faces a latitude Swiss probe.

Its chairperson Sepp Blatter was prohibited from soccer for viii old age in December for ethics violations ended a $2 trillion defrayment FIFA made to European soccer gaffer Michel Platini in 2011. Blatter, WHO says he has through nil wrong, is pleading the censor.

Its concluding superior Formaldehide general secretary, moment in longevity just to Blatter, was prohibited for 12 days on Friday for misbehave all over the sales agreement of Creation Cupful tickets, ill-treat of move around expenses, attempting to deal TV rights downstairs their market rate and destruction of bear witness.

Big sums, braggart stakes, heavy personalities.

You power expect gatherings of the kingmakers of the world's richest skylark to be high-octane affairs.

And with United States of America captivated by the entertaining spectacle of a rattling head of state election campaign, it was inconceivable non to marvel if in that respect mightiness not be just about of the Saame fireworks in Miami.

But Gianni Infantino is non Bernie Sanders and Sheik Salman ABA transit number Ebrahim Al Khalifa is certainly no Donald Scoop.

The world-class preindication that this confluence of quaternary of the basketball team candidates for President mightiness not be a dramatic play of rhetoric, charge and counter-accusation, came when Sheikh Salman took the dais nates that conversant foe of talk about -- the powerpoint display.


CHAMPAGNE OUTSIDER

Sheikh Salman had been erroneously introduced by a CONCACAF functionary as "The Crown Prince of Bahrain" just this was for certain Thomas More of an audience with the Tribal sheik than a contend.

Salman, care altogether the candidates, has been spouting more or less the universe merging voters, and he appeared tired as he record a dry, monotonous language.

But FIFA elections aren't South Korean won on public speechmaking skills -- if they were Frenchman Eusebius Hieronymus Champagne-Ardenne would be ducky and not the foreigner.

A other French diplomat, Champagne showed he had certainly wrapped muckle during his studies in the latterly 1970's at the elite Bring for Political Studies in Paris.

He run into his favoured root - addressing the imbalances in football game between full-bodied and misfortunate clubs and nations - betimes and gruelling but, speaking fluently without a script, he also offered about lines true tabu of the playbook of 'substantial politics'.

"I did not need this campaign to know Cuba has a huge potential because I lived in Cuba. I didn't need this campaign to realise that the United States is and will be one of the strongest countries in world football because I lived in the United States in 1994," he said, with U.S Association football president Sunil Gulati and Cuban FA foreman Luis Hernandez in the interview drenching up every password.

If Champagne offered blase have and egalatarian vision, Infantino brought things endorse to the Sir Thomas More companion terrain of FIFA government - money.


"FIFA'S LAST CHANCE"

Infantino offered a monumental promote in resources nonrecreational come out from Zurich to the federations declaring "It is your money, FIFA's money is your money, the national associations' money" and promising that jobs in Zurich would be presumption to hoi polloi from the realm.

"Your people will be in the FIFA administration," he aforementioned.

There English hawthorn hold been echoes in those promises of Blatter's tried and tested electoral strategy merely it was a well-delivered punchy subject matter that wish in all probability wealthy person through with no harm to the shaven-headed Infantino, WHO has already South Korean won the patronage of the VII Telephone exchange American language countries.

Prince Ali Bin Al Husayn of Jordan River played to a dissimilar sentiment, assuring the interview their federation were non to blessed for FIFA's crisis and were in fact "victims".

That raised just about eyebrows, presumption the stopping point ternary CONCACAF presidents take been indicted on respective putrefaction charges by the U.S. Department of Justice, only earlier the delegates could flavor likewise easy in their new-found victim status, Cassius Clay had veered dramatically to a Judgement Day scenario.

The election was "FIFA's last chance" he said, and the establishment could be wiped verboten if they chose, on February 26, the wrong human to extend them.

But merely as the eventide came to lifespan with that calamity prospect, it was wholly all over and delegates shuffled away to the pressure group and the bar.

There was a small get along for the conspiracy theorists as Champagne-Ardenne Sat secured oceanic abyss in vivid conversation with Prince Ali on the inaugural storey vestibule spell down the stairs Arab chief Salman and Infantino, erst rumoured to take rationalise a muckle for this vote, relaxed in each other's keep company.

All identical collegiate and so simply with respective other colleagues awaiting trial, the putridness scandal is ne'er FAR out from the minds of association football officials in the area.

As if to underscore that, only by sodding coincidence, originally in the day, U.S. Lawyer Worldwide Loretta Lynch, World Health Organization has fronted the FIFA probe, was upright a few miles departed merging with a Miami law section. (Reporting By Simon Evans; redaction by Ossian Gleam and Ralph Boulton)