Football Against Apartheid (FAA) – Statement on Arrests of FIFA Officers in Zurich 27 May 2015

9 years ago faa 0

Millions of people across the world will be watching FIFA as it appears to have, with the help of the FBI gerrymandered the most important vote at FIFA congress since expelling Apartheid SA on 16 July 1976.

The timing of the arrests could not have been planned any better to manipulate the democratic process in FIFA, and the extraordinary motion on the agenda to censure apartheid Israel.

However the facts available so far from USA Attorney General Loretta Lynch appear to be allegations confined to CONCACAF, of which the USA is a member.

FAA are concerned that whilst the attorney general states that the allegations of corruption in CONCACAF have been suspected for 24 years, that actions have not been taken against CONCACAF,  but instead extraordinary action was taken against FIFA only 2 days before the FIFA congress that was scheduled to discuss the suspension of Apartheid Israel.     Thus the USA Attorney General’s choice to disrupt the FIFA Congress rather than the ConCaCaf Congress does beg the question “Who benefits?”     At least 3 FIFA delegates who are known to favour oppressed peoples and nations will not be able to cast their votes to suspend apartheid Israel from FIFA.
The arrests appear planned to overshadow the campaign to impose sanctions on Apartheid Israel and sabotage the democratic process. UEFA also expressed interest in contesting the presidential election as Blatter appears to be unbiased in his dealings with Israeli interference in Palestinian football.

FAA is concerned that the USA is orchestrating how FIFA runs its business, by politically hijacking the FIFA Congress and all of world football as it failed to deal with alleged corruption in CONCACAF where the USA is a full member.
FAA is concerned that whilst the political agenda of the Middle East is being played out in a military combat involving bombing campaigns and massacres of civilians (547 in Gaza alone in July 2014) that the USA is using football as a tool to further its interests in that political arena.

FAA is calling for the entire world-wide football family to consider the fact that the USA Attorney General has effectively hijacked the FIFA democratic process, when the continued membership of apartheid Israel and the killing of Palestinian footballers and civilians was the most controversial issue on a FIFA agenda since the expulsion of apartheid SA in 1976.