Fifa Uncovered - Netflix Series

[Barry Cartman]

This seems to be out today, already news being reported from it, not sure if this is the kind of thing that requires spoilers, but will do so just incase

Spoiler

A whistleblower who worked for the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid has claimed in a new documentary that three African Fifa officials were offered $1.5 million each for their football federations in return for their votes.

Phaedra Almajid alleges in the Fifa Uncovered series, which is being screened by Netflix, that the offer was made by Hassan Al Thawadi, the head of the bid at the time and now the secretary general of the Supreme Committee delivering the World Cup. Al Thawadi said the claims are “inherently false”.

The offer to the three Fifa executive committee members — Issa Hayatou from Cameroon, Jacques Anouma from Ivory Coast — was made at a meeting of African football federations in Luanda, Angola, in January 2010, 11 months before the Fifa vote, claimed Almajid, who was in charge of international press for the bid.

She told the documentary that the money was offered for football associations rather than the individuals. The three officials have denied any wrongdoing.

“We were talking about how Africa had been given its chance to host the World Cup and how the Arab world should be given their chance, and then Hassan offered Hayatou $1 million for Hayatou’s football federation [Cameroon] and in return we wanted his vote,” Al Majid said.

“I remember there just being laughter and then him saying that is not enough, and so the price was upped to $1.5 million — just like that. It was just so simple: ‘We will give you this money for your football federation, you give us your vote and thank you so much’.

“One by one we did the same thing with Anouma and Adamu. $1.5 million was offered to each member that evening in exchange for their vote. It was verbal, I never saw money.

“It was made very clear the money was going to football, it was never said it is going into your pocket, I do need to emphasise that. Where it ended up I have no idea.

“Before I went back to my hotel room, Hassan told me, ‘You never repeat this ever again to anyone’ and I was like, ‘OK.’

After she was sacked by the bid, Almajid revealed the offers anonymously to the Sunday Times but later signed an affidavit retracting the claims.

She explains why she did so in the documentary saying she had become scared.

“I’m starting to get threats, anonymous calls, emails, social media,” she added. “I was basically told either you sign an affidavit stating that you lied or else we are legally going to come after you.”

Al Thawadi was also interviewed for the Netflix series and denied the claims.

“My reaction, especially on the Phaedra situation, it’s frustration,” he said. “They are inherently false and there are facts on the ground that prove they are false.”

Qatar 2022 has also insisted that it:

“strictly adhered to the regulations that were in place” and that Almajid has “repeated allegations that were previously retracted”.

“She has unfortunately decided to regurgitate these falsehoods,” it said in a statement.

Ricardo Teixeira, one of three South American Fifa members accused in an indictment by the US department of justice of taking bribes to vote for Qatar, denied having done so.

“I have received favours, exchanged favours, that’s normal, but I have never been bribed to do anything in my life,” he said.

Will start watching later 

[thefmveteran86]

8 minutes ago, Barry Cartman said:

This seems to be out today, already news being reported from it, not sure if this is the kind of thing that requires spoilers, but will do so just incase

  Reveal hidden contents

A whistleblower who worked for the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid has claimed in a new documentary that three African Fifa officials were offered $1.5 million each for their football federations in return for their votes.

Phaedra Almajid alleges in the Fifa Uncovered series, which is being screened by Netflix, that the offer was made by Hassan Al Thawadi, the head of the bid at the time and now the secretary general of the Supreme Committee delivering the World Cup. Al Thawadi said the claims are “inherently false”.

The offer to the three Fifa executive committee members — Issa Hayatou from Cameroon, Jacques Anouma from Ivory Coast — was made at a meeting of African football federations in Luanda, Angola, in January 2010, 11 months before the Fifa vote, claimed Almajid, who was in charge of international press for the bid.

She told the documentary that the money was offered for football associations rather than the individuals. The three officials have denied any wrongdoing.

“We were talking about how Africa had been given its chance to host the World Cup and how the Arab world should be given their chance, and then Hassan offered Hayatou $1 million for Hayatou’s football federation [Cameroon] and in return we wanted his vote,” Al Majid said.

“I remember there just being laughter and then him saying that is not enough, and so the price was upped to $1.5 million — just like that. It was just so simple: ‘We will give you this money for your football federation, you give us your vote and thank you so much’.

“One by one we did the same thing with Anouma and Adamu. $1.5 million was offered to each member that evening in exchange for their vote. It was verbal, I never saw money.

“It was made very clear the money was going to football, it was never said it is going into your pocket, I do need to emphasise that. Where it ended up I have no idea.

“Before I went back to my hotel room, Hassan told me, ‘You never repeat this ever again to anyone’ and I was like, ‘OK.’

After she was sacked by the bid, Almajid revealed the offers anonymously to the Sunday Times but later signed an affidavit retracting the claims.

She explains why she did so in the documentary saying she had become scared.

“I’m starting to get threats, anonymous calls, emails, social media,” she added. “I was basically told either you sign an affidavit stating that you lied or else we are legally going to come after you.”

Al Thawadi was also interviewed for the Netflix series and denied the claims.

“My reaction, especially on the Phaedra situation, it’s frustration,” he said. “They are inherently false and there are facts on the ground that prove they are false.”

Qatar 2022 has also insisted that it:

“strictly adhered to the regulations that were in place” and that Almajid has “repeated allegations that were previously retracted”.

“She has unfortunately decided to regurgitate these falsehoods,” it said in a statement.

Ricardo Teixeira, one of three South American Fifa members accused in an indictment by the US department of justice of taking bribes to vote for Qatar, denied having done so.

“I have received favours, exchanged favours, that’s normal, but I have never been bribed to do anything in my life,” he said.

Will start watching later 

Yeah I've got it on reminder last night forgot it was out today might watch it later myself

[TM]

will probably watch the Netflix show at some point but I never noticed anywhere else to put documentaries so I'll pick this:

The Phenomenon: Ronaldo on BBC4 tonight at 9.30pm, on for about 90 minutes lots of bad things about this World Cup but the good thing is having a decent amount of documentaries to watch, Italia 90 ones on Ch4 and Sky as well

[WillHoward42]

48 minutes ago, TM said:

will probably watch the Netflix show at some point but I never noticed anywhere else to put documentaries so I'll pick this:

The Phenomenon: Ronaldo on BBC4 tonight at 9.30pm, on for about 90 minutes lots of bad things about this World Cup but the good thing is having a decent amount of documentaries to watch, Italia 90 ones on Ch4 and Sky as well

Watched this Sunday morning on IPlayer, thoroughly enjoyed it

[Barry Cartman]

finally got around to watching the first 2 episodes of this, loads about early Fifa and World Cups I didn't know about 

[Aitutaki]

I'm into the second episode, recommended viewing.

Its interesting to think how different FIFA could have been had Johansson won election instead of Blatter (who essentially used bribary of an African world cup).

[Barry Cartman]

Its a great watch, what a bunch of corrupt sleazy twats 

[Aitutaki]

The best part is the $40k cash in T&T being too much for even Chuck Blazer

[Barry Cartman]

For someone who had been close to Blatter for a long time, the $40k in cash seemed very naive and stupid 

[Astafjevs]

I've done episode 3.

That Qatar bid guy is a joke.

'Yeh Angola was the turning point. They were enthused by my speech.'

Phaedra Almajdi: 'Hassan (Qatar bid guy) offered $1.5m to each of the African ExCo voters'

The French journalist defending Platini as well with that abysmal excuse about subliminal messaging and putting the blame at Sarkozy's door