From Amandala

BELMOPAN, Wed. June 3, 2015–The resignation of former longstanding International Federation of Football Association (FIFA)president, Sepp Blatter, which occurred yesterday, Tuesday, sent social media, not to mention the football world, into a frenzy. Although many influential stakeholders within that realm have been calling for Blatter’s resignationeven before the elections were held at the 65th FIFA Congress last Friday, May 29, in Zurich,

Switzerland, Blatter won a fifth consecutive term amid massive corruption scandals which have surfaced within the international football governing body.

During those elections, Football Federation of Belize (FFB) president, Ruperto Vicente – who had attended the event with two other FFB executives – voted for Blatter despite the revelations. While heading back out of the country on another footballrelated matter on Monday of this week, Vicente, in an interview with the media, asserted that he had voted for the embattled FIFA president because “he [Blatter] was up for development, and Belize needs as much assistance in development as possible, and so, we also put the challenge that it is now his responsibility to clean up the situation in FIFA.”

The very next day, however, Blatter called it quits as federal investigators from the US vowed to unearth what has been termed as a catalog of corrupt practices which were employed by FIFA officials over the past 24 years, including facilitating certain nations to win the bid to host both past and future World Cup competitions.

Upon Vicente’s return to the country today, the media again caught up with him at the airport and questioned him about the emergent situation and its effect on the future of football in Belize. He said, “Reflecting on what President Blatter said when he won the elections is that he was going to take responsibility for what goes on in FIFA, since most people, or most countries, wanted him to take the responsibility.

“He [Blatter] declared that he was going to take the responsibility. He also declared that we need to take back FIFA, [that] we need to rescue FIFA and so, I voted on the fact~ as I said before, he was into development and as a developing nation, we also need support in development.” “I also said that I voted for Blatter because the burden was on him to clean up FIFA, but when I said clean up, I didn’t know that the clean up would have started with him. I believe, looking at what is going on, that he had done the honorable thing of resigning and allowing someone else to move on with the organization. Football is the most powerful sport in the world and the most popular, so FIFA needs to move on with the sport”, Vicente stressed.

The FFB president went on to mention that what has happened “will not affect football development in any country”, and that “we will continue to get FIFA’s support in football development.” When prodded about his reaction to those who might be displeased with him for voting in favor of Blatter, he responded by saying, “in any election there are going to be those who support and those who oppose and so that is given, that’s a part of life and so I have to respect that. There are going to be people who are pleased that President Blatter is gone and there are going to be those who are sad that he left, but I believe that in all of this decision that he has made, it is going to be good for FIFA as an organization.”

We understand that the other two executives that went to the Congress – including FFB secretary general, Michael Blease, and senior vice president, Sergio Chuc, were in support of the Prince of Jordan, Ali Bin Hussein, who was Blatter’s opponent.

When Amandala spoke with Vicente today, he told us that his vote for Blatter was based on a consensus, prior to the elections, that was made between the nations that fall under CONCACAF, which is the football body that governs North and Central America.

Last Thursday, May 28, 14 high level officials of FIFA were arrested by Swiss police at the 65th Congress in Zurich, Switzerland after being indicted by US officials for racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering and even bribery.

Blatter’s departure will not come into effect until a successor is named to lead the embattled organization at a FIFA Extraordinary Congress, in possibly four months’ time.

For more on this story go to: http://amandala.com.bz/news/vicente-voted-blatter/

Related story:

FIFA discloses Ireland received $5M over Henry’s handball

By Rob Harris, AP Sports Writer From Seattle pi

In the midst of an escalating financial scandal, FIFA admitted Thursday to giving Ireland $5 million in compensation for missing a place at the 2010 World Cup after Thierry Henry’s handball set up France’s winning goal.

FIFA disclosed the payment after the money was mentioned in a radio interview by Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney. Neither FIFA nor the FAI had previously disclosed the agreement to stave off legal action following the contentious 2009 playoff game.

The revelation was made two days after FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced under pressure that he will resign, likely by March. Blatter, who has headed FIFA since 1998, was re-elected to a fifth term last Friday despite criminal investigations into FIFA that included U.S. criminal charges against executive committee members and arrests at the FIFA Congress in Zurich.

The loan highlights the lack of transparency that plunged FIFA into the biggest scandal of its 111-year history. Northern Ireland’s Jim Boyce, who retired as a FIFA vice president last week, called for an investigation into the Irish loan.

In November 2009, Ireland was furious that Henry’s handball in extra time enabled William Gallas to score and give France a 2-1 aggregate win and a place in the 32-nation field on South Africa. Swedish referee Martin Hansson was criticized heavily for not making a handball call.

FIFA rejected requests by the FAI that the game be replayed and Ireland be added to the field as an extra team. The compensation deal risks setting a precedent that other disgruntled teams could try to apply if in-game decisions go against them.

“While the referee’s decision is final, and the Football Association of Ireland ultimately accepted it as such, in January 2010 FIFA entered into an agreement with FAI in order to put an end to any claims against FIFA,” FIFA said in a statement. “FIFA granted FAI a loan of $5 million for the construction of a stadium in Ireland. At the same time, UEFA also granted the FAI funds for the same stadium.”

The 56,000 seat Aviva Stadium was built on the site of the Lansdowne Road national stadium and opened in 2010.

“The terms agreed between FIFA and the FAI were that the loan would be reimbursed if Ireland qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup,” the FIFA statement said. “Ireland did not so qualify. Because of this, and in view of the FAI’s financial situation, FIFA decided to write off the loan as per 31 December 2014.”

The FAI responded to the FIFA statement by calling the payment a “legal settlement agreement” rather than a loan and saying it was 5 million euros not 5 million dollars, as FIFA said.

“FIFA’s settlement with the Association has at no time influenced the FAI’s criticism of FIFA as demonstrated by our consistent criticisms of Sepp Blatter,” the Dublin-based governing body said. “Furthermore the settlement was made without any conditions other than confidentiality.”

FAI Chief Executive John Delaney, who faces heavy domestic criticism for his own 360,000 euro salary and the association’s error-prone record, earlier said the FAI could not discuss details of the FIFA payment as part of a confidentiality clause.

Speaking hours before FIFA’s statement, Delaney said he angrily confronted Blatter face to face in November 2009 at a meeting in Switzerland days after the second leg of the playoff.

Delaney said Ireland was threatening to sue FIFA unless it received compensation, either through an exceptional entry for its team into the 2010 competition or financial compensation. He said that while Blatter mocked the Irish demands in public, FIFA behind the scenes quickly offered a confidential financial settlement.

“We felt we had a legal case against FIFA,” Delaney on RTE radio on Thursday. “Also the way Blatter behaved, if you remember on stage, having a snigger and having a laugh at us. So that day when I went in and I told him how I felt about him, and there were some expletives used, we came to an agreement.”

The disclosure troubled Boyce, who served on FIFA’s executive committee from 2011 until last week.

“I’m absolutely astounded,” he said. “I have never heard anything as ridiculous in my life. If a payment of $5 million has been paid because of a handball and threatened legal action then I hope a full investigation will be carried out into this and any other such arbitrary payments.”

Associated Press Writer Shawn Pogatchnik in Dublin contributed to this report.

IMAGE: File – France’s Thierry Henry, left, passes the ball as Ireland’s goalkeeper Shay Given, right, tries to stop it, just before William Gallas (unseen) scored the goal for France during their World Cup qualifying playoff second leg soccer match at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis outside Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. FIFA has admitted to giving Ireland $5 million in compensation for missing out on a place at the 2010 World Cup after Thierry Henry’s handball that set up the French winner. The payment _ initially a loan _ was not disclosed in the wake of the 2009 playoff game, which France won 2-1 on aggregate to reach the finals in South Africa. The cash from FIFA was first disclosed in public on Thursday June 4 2015 by Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney, who didn’t say it was a loan. Photo: Michel Euler, AP / AP

For more on this story go to: http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/FIFA-discloses-Ireland-received-5M-over-Henry-s-6307321.php