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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

FIFA Officials Arrested on Corruption Charges; Sepp Blatter Isn’t Among Them





The Justice Department was working with law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, where FIFA is based, to coordinate arrests of several top FIFA members.


The Justice Department was working with law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, where FIFA is based, to coordinate arrests of several top FIFA members.© Fabrice Coffrini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The Justice Department was working with law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, where FIFA is based, to coordinate arrests of several top FIFA members. Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president, is among those expected to be indicted by the United States Justice Department.© Luis Acosta/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president, is among those expected to be indicted by the United States Justice Department. ZURICH — Swiss authorities conducted an extraordinary early-morning operation here Wednesday to arrest several top soccer officials and extradite them to the United States on federal corruption charges.
As leaders of FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, gathered for their annual meeting, more than a dozen plain-clothed Swiss law enforcement officials arrived unannounced at the Baur au Lac hotel, an elegant five-star property with views of the Alps and Lake Zurich. They went to the front desk to get room numbers and then proceeded upstairs.
The arrests were carried out peacefully. One FIFA official, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, was led by the authorities from his room to a side-door exit of the hotel. He was allowed to bring his luggage, which was adorned with FIFA logos.
Jeffrey Webb, left, the president of Concacaf, with FIFA’s president, Sepp Blatter, during the Concacaf U-17 championships in 2013.© Arnulfo Franco/Associated Press Jeffrey Webb, left, the president of Concacaf, with FIFA’s president, Sepp Blatter, during the Concacaf U-17 championships in 2013. The charges, backed by an F.B.I. investigation, allege widespread corruption in FIFA over the past two decades, involving bids for World Cups as well as marketing and broadcast deals.
Several hours after the soccer officials were apprehended at the hotel, Swiss authorities said they had opened criminal cases related to the bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups — incidents that, more than any others, encapsulated FIFA’s unusual power dynamic. “In the course of said proceedings,” the Swiss officials said, “electronic data and documents were seized today at FIFA’s head office in Zurich.”
The arrests were a startling blow to FIFA, a multibillion-dollar organization that governs the world’s most popular sport but has been plagued by accusations of bribery for decades.
The inquiry is also a major threat to Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s longtime president who is generally recognized as the most powerful person in sports, though he was not charged. Blatter has for years acted as a de facto head of state. Politicians, star players, national soccer officials and global corporations that want their brands attached to the sport have long genuflected before him.
An election, seemingly pre-ordained to give Mr. Blatter a fifth term as president, is scheduled for Friday. A FIFA spokesman insisted at the news conference that Mr. Blatter was not involved in any alleged wrongdoing and that the election would go ahead as planned.
The Department of Justice indictment names 14 people on charges including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. In addition to senior soccer officials, the indictment also named sports-marketing executives from the United States and South America who are accused of paying more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for media deals associated with major soccer tournaments.
The soccer officials charged are Mr. Li, Jeffrey Webb, Eugenio Figueredo, Jack Warner, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Rafael Esquivel, José Maria Marin and Nicolás Leoz.
The FIFA spokesman said that the case was a welcomed opportunity to clean up the organization, and that the group would cooperate with all inquiries.
Charges were also made against the sports-marketing executives Alejandro Burzaco, Aaron Davidson, Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis. Authorities also charged José Margulies as an intermediary who facilitated illegal payments.
“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” said United States Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch.
United States officials also revealed that four people, including the former FIFA executive Chuck Blazer, and two sports marketing companies had entered guilty pleas. Blazer forfeited $1.9 million when he entered his guilty plea in 2013, and agreed to make a second payment at sentencing.
The case is the most significant yet for Ms. Lynch, who took office last month. She previously served as the United States attorney in Brooklyn, where she supervised the FIFA investigation. Ms. Lynch and F.B.I. Director James Comey were scheduled to hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning in Brooklyn.
With more than $1.5 billion in reserves, FIFA is as much a global financial conglomerate as a sports organization. With countries around the world competing aggressively to win the bid to host the World Cup, Mr. Blatter has commanded the fealty of anyone who wanted a piece of that revenue stream. He and FIFA have weathered corruption controversies in the past, but none involved charges of federal crimes in United States court.
United States law gives the Justice Department wide authority to bring cases against foreign nationals living abroad, an authority that prosecutors have used repeatedly in international terrorism cases. Those cases can hinge on the slightest connection to the United States, like the use of an American bank or Internet service provider.
Switzerland’s treaty with the United States is unusual in that it gives Swiss authorities the power to refuse extradition for tax crimes, but on matters of general criminal law, the Swiss have agreed to turn people over for prosecution in American courts.
Critics of FIFA point to the lack of transparency regarding executive salaries and resource allocations for an organization that, by its own admission, had revenue of $5.7 billion from 2011 to 2014. Policy decisions are also often taken without debate or explanation, and a small group of officials — known as the executive committee — operates with outsize power. FIFA has for years functioned with little oversight and even less transparency. Alexandra Wrage, a governance consultant who once unsuccessfully attempted to help overhaul FIFA’s methods, famously labeled the organization “byzantine and impenetrable.”
Law enforcement officials said much of the inquiry involves Concacaf, one of the six regional confederations that compose FIFA. Concacaf — which stands for Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football — includes major countries like the United States and Mexico, and also tiny ones like Barbados and Montserrat.
According to the indictment, several international soccer events were tainted by bribes and kickbacks involving media and marketing rights: World Cup qualifiers in the Concacaf region; the Gold Cup, a regional championship tournament; the Concacaf Champions League; the Copa América; and the ASouth American club championship, the Copa Libertadores. The indictment also claims that bribes and kickbacks were found in connection with the selection of the host country for the 2010 World Cup.
Concacaf was led from 1990 to 2011 by Mr. Warner, the longtime head of Trinidad & Tobago’s federation. A key powerbroker in FIFA’s governing executive committee, Mr. Warner had been dogged by accusations of corruption. He was accused of illegally profiting from the resale of tickets to the 2006 World Cup, and of withholding the bonuses of the Trinidad players who participated in that tournament.
Mr. Warner resigned his positions in FIFA, Concacaf and his national association in 2011 amid mounting evidence that he had been part of an attempt to buy the votes of Caribbean federation officials in the 2011 FIFA presidential election. A 2013 Concacaf report also found that he had received tens of millions of dollars in misappropriated funds.
But according to the rules of FIFA at the time, Mr. Warner’s resignation led to the immediate closure of all ethics committee cases against him. “The presumption of innocence is maintained,” FIFA said in a short statement announcing his departure.
Many observers found the bid process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to be flawed from the start: the decision to award two tournaments at once, critics said, would invite vote-trading and other inducements. Since only the 24 members of the executive committee would decide on the hosts, persuading even a few of them might be enough to swing the vote.
Even before the vote took place, two committee members — Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of Tahiti — were suspended after an investigation by The Sunday Times caught both men on tape asking for payments in exchange for their support. It was later revealed by England’s bid chief that four ExCo members had solicited bribes from him for their votes; one asked for $2.5 million, while another, Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay, requested a knighthood.
As new accounts of bribery continued to emerge — a whistleblower who worked for the Qatar bid team claimed that several African officials were paid $1.5 million each to support Qatar — FIFA in 2012 started an investigation of the bid process. It was led by a former United States attorney, Michael J. Garcia, who spent nearly two years compiling a report. That report, however, has never been made public; instead, the top judge on the ethics committee, the German Joachim Eckert, released a summary of the report. In it, he declared that while violations of the code of ethics had occurred, they had not affected the integrity of the vote.
Within hours, Garcia had criticised Eckert’s summary as incorrect and incomplete, charging that it contained “numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of the facts.” Nonetheless, FIFA moved quickly to embrace the report’s absolution of the bid process. Qatar World Cup officials said the review had upheld “the integrity and quality of our bid,” And Russia’s sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, told reporters, “I hope we will not have talk about this again.”
The issue was, in fact, raised against Wednesday. When pressed by reporters at the news conference, Mr. de Gregorio repeatedly said that FIFA would not consider reopening the bid process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Correction: May 27, 2015
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the year of the FIFA presidential election that Jack Warner was suspected of attempting to influence. It was 2011, not 2010.


Saturday, May 23, 2015

CANADA 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup: 14 days to go



 
 
Marta smiles ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Quarter Final match between Brazil and Colombia
© Getty Images
Germany's Birgit Prinz and Brazil's Marta top the all-time goalscorers' list at the FIFA Women's World Cup, with both forwards bagging 14 goals each.
Prinz found the back of the net 14 times over four Women's World Cups, beginning at Norway 1995 and culminating at China PR 1997. Meanwhile, Marta started scoring goals at USA 2003 and most recently tallied at Germany 2011.
And the Brazilian could take sole ownership of the record depending on how she fares at Canada 2015 in only two week's time. But with USA forward Abby Wambach right on Marta's heels with 13 goals scored for the Stars and Stripes, America's No20 could also make a push for the all-time record in Canada

CANADA 2015 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP: Teams arriving in Canada for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™



 

23 May 2015

(c) LOC
The 24 teams set to participate in the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ are starting to arrive on Canadian soil as preparations for kick-off gear up. Cameroon were the first to arrive on 15 May while Nigeria followed closely behind touching down on 20 May.
The National Organising Committee (NOC) invite media to join Canada in welcoming the participating nations at both international and domestic arrival terminals, based on the schedule available now on the FIFA Media Channel. There will be a photo opportunity and potentially additional brief media availabilities at the airports with most teams.
Please communicate with the local Venue Communications Manager in the contact list provided alongside the arrivals schedule (see right column) to confirm arrival dates, times and locations in the airport as the schedule is subject to change. Media who would like to attend are kindly requested to register their interest by email to the respective Venue Communications Manager in advance.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

League1 Ontario Women's Semi-Professional Division launches this Saturday May 23: Members of TEAM CANADA Women's Futsal are in many of the Ontario teams






20 May 2015
league1image
osaleague1lLeague1 Ontario's inaugural Women's Division season will begin with a special Kick Off day featuring four games and all seven squads.
The debut matches for the League1 Ontario Women's division will be played this Saturday, May 23 at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field and it marks the first time a soccer event will be held at the beautiful, new stadium.
"This is an opportunity to see some of the top soccer talent in the province," said League1 Ontario Chairman Dino Rossi. "Much like our Men's division, League1 Ontario will be a launching pad for soccer careers. Whether it be for increased university exposure or links into the pro ranks, or national team, we are providing these talented players with a platform on which to perform."
Four games will be featured during the League1 Ontario Women's Kick Off, with the first match taking place at 12 p.m. and the final game kicking off at 9 p.m. The Ottawa Fury, a non-League1 Ontario team, will also join the festivities to help round out the competition for the day. All of the games at the League1 Women's Kick Off will be livestreamed via the League1 Ontario Livestream page.
"The Women's World Cup will take centre stage this summer. It's an excellent time to launch League1 Ontario so we can showcase the next generation of female stars," Ontario Soccer Association Executive Director Johnny Misley said. "The League1 Ontario Women's division is going to help build national team players for the future."
Admission for the day is $10 at the gate and free for kids 12 and under.
The inaugural season for the League1 Ontario Women's division will span five months with each team playing a total of 18 league games as well as competing in the League1 Cup. League1 Ontario, the Ontario Soccer Association's standards-based semi-professional league, began in 2014 with its Men's division.
_________________________________
League1 Women's Kick Off schedule – Saturday, May 23
12 p.m. | Friendly | Ottawa Fury Academy (non League1 Ontario team) vs Sanjaxx Lions
3 p.m. | League Match | Durham United FC vs North Mississauga Panthers
6 p.m. | League Match | Vaughan Azzurri vs Woodbridge Strikers
9 p.m. | League Match | ANB Futbol vs Pro Stars FC
_________________________________
Media Accreditation and Contacts
Media wishing to apply for League1 Ontario Season Media Passes can apply to:
Cormac Rea | League1 Ontario Coordinator | crea@soccer.on.ca | 1-613-299-0374
Ben Rycroft | Ontario Soccer Association Communications Manager | brycroft@soccer.on.ca | 1-647-237-4079
____________________________
About the Ontario Soccer Association:
Founded in 1901, The Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) is the largest provincial sports organization in Canada. Its members include more than 650 Clubs servicing over 24,000 teams with 380,000 registered players, 70,000 coaches and managers, and 10,000 referees. The OSA develops and delivers programs and services throughout Ontario with the mission of providing leadership and support for the advancement of soccer in collaboration and cooperation with our membership, partners and other stakeholders by providing exceptional and sustainable programs and services.
About League1 Ontario:
League1 Ontario is the only semi-professional, standards-based, league in Ontario. Founded in 2014, the league began with a 10-team Men's division, which has now grown to 12 teams and includes a separate seven-team women's division. League1 Ontario serves as a stepping stone between the youth, amateur ranks and the full-on professional sides. Sanctioned by the Ontario Soccer Association, the league's focus, first and foremost, is the development of Canada's future stars.


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Entrenador José Luis Sierra asume elogiando al plantel: "Colo Colo tiene el mejor equipo del fútbol chileno"



 

El Coto expresó que Paredes, que renovó, y Suazo pueden jugar juntos, quiere que siga Vecchio y tiene claro que en el cuadro albo "salir campeón es una obligación".

 19/05/2015 - 13:38
En el Monumental José Luis Sierra asumió como reemplazante de Héctor Tapia en la banca de Colo Colo. Llega por dos años.
"Es un hombre de la casa que vuelve por la puerta ancha. Agradezco al dircetorio de Unión Española y a José Luis, para conversar y arreglar un acuerdo en poco tiempo. Se cumplieron de manera íntegra las condiciones de salida, que incluye dos partidos a programar", explicó el presidente de ByN Aníbal Mosa en la presentación.
En su primera declaración como DT de Colo Colo, Sierra dijo que "agradezco a Unión. Estoy orgulloso y agradecido. Sé la responsabilidad que significa y espero responder a esa responsabilidad".
Definiendo ya algunos puntos, el Coto habló de la situación de Emiliano Vecchio. "Yo traje a Chile a Emiliano. Con nosotros jugó muy bien. Es un jugador de mi gusto, uno de los importantes que puede tener este club".
Respecto del esquema dijo que "lo que más me gusta es jugar con tres delanteros" y que él considera a Humberto Suazo como atacante y parte del plantel, ante rumores de ofertas.
Frente a las distintas exigencias, Sierra comentó que "salir campeón con la Unión es casi un regalo. En Colo Colo es una obligación".
Sierra también comentó que "me siento preparado para un salto de esta envergadura. Son desafíos mayores y entiendo la responsabilidad. Estar cerca de ganar títulos más continuamente me motiva".
Sobre el trabajo de Tapia, el nuevo técnico de Colo Colo expresó que "no es tema mío analizar el trabajo anterior. No conozco la interna. Sería irresponsable".
Sierra destacó que "Colo Colo tiene para mi, lo dije antes de llegar, el mejor equipo del fútbol chileno o cerca de serlo".
Además, durante la jornada, el club confirmó la continuidad de Esteban Paredes hasta 2016. Sobre la opción de que jueguen juntos con Suazo, Sierra declaró que "los buenos jugadores siempre pueden jugar juntos. Paredes y Suazo son muy buenos jugadores".

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Justicia chilena ordena reabrir investigación por la muerte del ex presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva

La Primera Sala de la Corte de Apelaciones acogió las solicitudes presentadas por Carmen Frei, el Consejo de Defensa del Estado y el sindicado como cómplice en el deceso del ex mandatario, Pedro Valdivia.

Claudia Soto I. / 19/05/2015 - 13:16
La Primera Sala de la Corte de Apelaciones de Santiago ordenó reabrir la investigación de la muerte del ex presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva -en enero de 1982- con el objetivo de esclarecer la presunta intervención de terceros.
La resolución fue dictada por los ministros Dora Mondaca, Jenny Book y Carlos Carrillo, y se tomó en consideración de las solicitudes presentadas por la defensa de Pedro Valdivia Soto, quien fue sindicado como cómplice en el homicidio del ex mandatario, y por los querellantes Carmen Frei y el Consejo de Defensa del Estado.
En octubre pasado, el ministro en visita de la Corte de Apelaciones, Alejandro Madrid, había cerrado el sumario por el homicidio del ex presidente.
En la causa se encuentran procesadas seis personas. Como autores de homicidio Luis Becerra Arancibia, Patricio Silva Garín y Raúl Lillo Gutiérrez; como cómplice Pedro Valdivia Soto y como encubridores Helmar Rosenberg Gómez y Sergio González Bombardiere.
El ministro vocero de Gobierno, Marcelo Díaz, sostuvo esta mañana que "todo esfuerzo por conocer la verdad y hacer justicia en todo tipo de causas vinculadas a la violaciones de Derechos Humanos es esencial".

EPL 2014-2015: Alexis Sánchez, finalista para ser elegido por los hinchas el mejor de la Premier League


El chileno aparece junto a otras cuatro estrellas de la Liga Inglesa como opción para ser el futbolista más destacado de Inglaterra.

F. S. / 19/05/2015 - 16:02
Alexis Sánchez ha tenido una brillante primera temporada en Inglaterra. El tocopillano ha marcado 16 goles en la Liga Inglesa y ha sumado varios elogios por su gran desempeño.
Debido a esto, el nacional asoma como uno de los cinco finalistas para ser elegido por los fanáticos de la Premier League como el mejor jugador de la temporada.
El chileno compite con estrellas como Sergio Agüero (Manchester City), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), David De Gea (Manchester United) y Eden Hazard (Chelsea).
Los hinchas tiene plazo para votar hasta el 25 de mayo en este sitio. El jugador elegido se conocerá un día después.

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    Saturday, May 16, 2015

    ONTARIO LEAGUE 1: Semi-Professional Women's soccer set to take Ontario



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    league1image

    osaleague1l
    League1 Ontario's inaugural Women's Division season will begin with a special Kick Off day featuring all seven squads.
    The debut matches for the League1 Ontario Women's division will be played May 23 at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field.
    "We are thrilled to be able to host our League1 Ontario Women's Kick Off event in such a terrific venue, as well as release the League1 Ontario Women's Division schedule," said Chairman Dino Rossi. "I expect the competition for the League title will be fierce. Our clubs are working hard to get ready for the season and I am confident they will demonstrate just how high the level of women's soccer is in the province of Ontario."
    Four games will be featured during the League1 Women's Kick Off, with the first match taking place at 12 p.m. and the final game kicking off at 9 p.m. The Ottawa Fury, a non-League1 Ontario team, will also join the festivities to help round out the competition on the day.
    All of the games at the League1 Women's Kick Off will be livestreamed via the League1 Ontario Livestream page.
    "In this, a Women's World Cup year, it's fantastic that we are able to showcase some of the best women's soccer players our province has to offer," Ontario Soccer Association Executive Director Johnny Misley said. "The League1 Ontario Women's division is going to help build national team players for the future."
    Admission for the day is $10 at the gate and free for kids 12 and under.
    The inaugural season for the League1 Women's division spans five months with each team playing a total of 18 leagues games as well as competing in the League1 Cup. The schedule for the Cup competition will be announced in the coming days. League1 Ontario, the Ontario Soccer Association's standards-based semi-professional league, began last year with its Men's division.
    _________________________________
    League1 Women's Kick Off schedule – Saturday, May 23
    12 p.m. | Friendly | Ottawa Fury Academy (non League1 Ontario team) vs Sanjaxx Lions
    3 p.m. | League Match | Durham United FC vs North Mississauga Panthers
    6 p.m. | League Match | Vaughan Azzurri vs Woodbridge Strikers
    9 p.m. | League Match | ANB Futbol vs Pro Stars FC
    _________________________________
    Media Accreditation and Contacts
    Media wishing to apply for League1 Ontario Season Media Passes can apply to:
    Cormac Rea | League1 Ontario Coordinator | crea@soccer.on.ca | 1-613-299-0374
    Ben Rycroft | Ontario Soccer Association Communications Manager | brycroft@soccer.on.ca | 1-647-237-4079
    ____________________________
    About the Ontario Soccer Association:
    Founded in 1901, The Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) is the largest provincial sports organization in Canada. Its members include more than 650 Clubs servicing over 24,000 teams with 380,000 registered players, 70,000 coaches and managers, and 10,000 referees. The OSA develops and delivers programs and services throughout Ontario with the mission of providing leadership and support for the advancement of soccer in collaboration and cooperation with our membership, partners and other stakeholders by providing exceptional and sustainable programs and services.
    About League1 Ontario:
    League1 Ontario is the only semi-professional, standards-based, league in Ontario. Founded in 2014, the league began with a 10 team Men's division, which has now grown to 12 teams and includes a separate seven-team women's division. League1 Ontario serves as a stepping stone between the youth, amateur ranks and the full-on professional sides. Sanctioned by the Ontario Soccer Association, the league's focus, first and foremost, is the development of Canada's future stars.
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