Fifa corruption: Top official admits bribery charges

[TomandJerry]

A top Fifa official was involved in "multiple schemes to accept and pay bribes to soccer officials", United States prosecutors say.

Richard Lai, 55, has admitted taking $950,000 (£735,000) in bribes.

The Guam Football Association boss sits on Fifa's audit and compliance committee as well as the Asian Football Confederation ethics committee.

Fifa and the AFC have provisionally banned Lai, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges in a US court on Thursday.

He admitted two counts of wire fraud conspiracy - relating to accepting and paying bribes - and one count of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts.

He agreed to pay more than $1.1m (£850,000) in forfeiture and penalties.

 

[Triggaaar]

Who knew

 

[Icy Gull]

Who knew

I know that was a rhetorical question but everybody and **** all happened for decades. No idea how Blatter got away with it for so long when it was so fecking obvious the whole set up was seriously corrupt.

 

[Triggaaar]

I know that was a rhetorical question but everybody and **** all happened for decades. No idea how Blatter got away with it for so long when it was so fecking obvious the whole set up was seriously corrupt.

I know, but what can you do? Although FIFA are world leaders in corruption, they're hardly alone, the whole world is full of it.

 

[BrianWade4]

Who knew?

 

[El Presidente]

Combine a Mafia style governing body such as FIFA with a Mafia style state such as Russia and you get...

 

[studio150]

Quelle surprise

 

[Bill Cassidy's tie up]

Andrew Jennings

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Corruption, tapping-up, illegal gambling, bribes, tax evasion, poaching, cheating, back-handers. You do wonder why, sometimes, we love this game so much, and don't wonder how some people are making a mint out of us.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

And I assume nothing will happen to the Russia/Qatar WCs

 

[Dorset Seagull]

Did I hear he had been banned from football related matters for only a few months or something. Scandalous if true

 

[FatSuperman]

I am shocked to my very core to hear this?!!? Surely a one-off...?

Bunch of utter robbing *****. I hate them.

Thanks to the football books thread I read the story about the Qatari World Cup. I didn't actually find myself hating them, since they were simply playing the game that had been laid out. Obviously I still hate a lot of stuff about the nation and its 19th century neighbours

 

[easynow]

Let's all boycott fifa video games!

 

[Seagull58]

He was on the audit and compliance committee too. Surely he knew about his transgressions and could have brought himself to justice?

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Tip of the iceberg. I'm sure there is more to come.