The decision to expand to add eight more teams to the FIFA World Cup "was deferred" by the organization's exec committee Thursday, according to A.J. Perez of USA TODAY. The proposal was "one of many offered" by the '16 FIFA Reform Committee during a meeting in Zurich, the "latest effort to restructure the scandal-plagued soccer governing body." Expansion "would not occur" until the '26 tournament at the earliest (USATODAY.com, 12/3). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Joshua Robinson notes the proposed expansion "appeared as a side note buried under proposals for sweeping governance reforms at FIFA." World Cup berths have "historically been a valuable bargaining chip in FIFA’s dealings with soccer’s six regional confederations." Extra spots at the World Cup "mean more exposure for teams and greater access to prize money." A source said that the expansion proposal was "included at the behest of the confederations." Robinson notes for FIFA, directly involving 25% more countries in the tournament is "expected to boost the value of local television contracts." It is "no coincidence that nearly every candidate in the FIFA presidential race has floated the idea of a 40-team World Cup at some point" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/4). USA TODAY's Martin Rogers notes the switch is "probably going to eventually happen, given that it has the full support of FIFA’s two most populated confederations, Africa and Asia, a potential voting bloc that could virtually carry the decision even if there was disapproval elsewhere." But the idea that this is a move that would "help broaden the game around the world is a misnomer." There is a "power grab at stake here, and as ever at FIFA, that is more important than anything else" (USA TODAY, 12/4).
RINSE, REPEAT: In N.Y., Ruiz, Apuzzo, Borden & Rashbaum note the investigation that in May rocked FIFA "metastasized on Thursday" when U.S. officials "unsealed a new indictment that alleged an even more extensive network of criminal behavior across dozens of countries and that involved some of the most powerful people in international soccer." Sixteen new defendants "were identified, with charges including wire fraud, money laundering and racketeering, aimed almost entirely at individuals from Central and South America." About 14 hours before the indictment was unsealed, Swiss authorities "conducted predawn arrests in the broad investigation," led by U.S. officials. The arrests "took place at the same luxury hotel where other FIFA officials were arrested in May." Former Honduras President Rafael Callejas and the "current and former presidents" of the Brazilian Football Confederation -- Marco Polo del Nero and Ricardo Teixeira -- are among those people arrested. Taken together with the charges unsealed last spring, the U.S. has "now taken criminal action against the three successive presidents of both CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, a signal of the systemic nature of the allegations that span decades" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/4). In N.Y., Romero & Malkin note virtually "every head or former head of soccer in Central America was charged," and the heads of CONCACAF and CONMEBOL "were also charged and arrested in Zurich before a FIFA meeting" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/4). Meanwhile, the U.S. Dept. of Justice on Thursday indicated that eight defendants named in the May indictments, among them former CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb, "have pleaded guilty and agreed to forfeit" more than $40M (L.A. TIMES, 12/4).
TRYING TO MOVE ON: Jordan's Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, a FIFA presidential candidate, said the latest charges are "emblematic of what has been going on for a long, long time." He said FIFA’s legal trouble “really does emphasize and re-enforce the point that we’ve got to move on." Prince Ali: "All over the world, they are so ashamed about what is happening and they are ashamed of being a part of this organization. There are a lot of good people out there who are really sick and tired of this. They want to serve the game and help the game" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 12/3).
