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FIFA and the ISL

News on FIFA and the ISL

Jean-Marie Weber, the biggest bag man in Olympic history

28.02.2018

One of the most significant persons in the history of IOC marketing past away last week. In his daily and very personal tales from the Olympic hotel lobbies in PyeongChang, journalist and blogger Jens Weinreich wrote about the death of Jean-Marie Weber and his important role in the world of modern sport. Play the Game brings an adapted version in English.
FBI investigates Sepp Blatter through ISL link

07.12.2015

Sepp Blatter is currently under investigation by the FBI over a letter linking him to the ISL affair, Andrew Jennings’ new BBC Panorama show airing tonight reveals.
FIFA’s new Ethics Committee fails first test

03.05.2013

Comment: The long awaited report from FIFA’s Ethics Committee about FIFA and the ISL affair is superficial, insufficient and confuses ethics with legal formalities. The exoneration of Blatter is made on a fragile basis.
Blatter cleared by FIFA ISL examination

30.04.2013

Today the long awaited official FIFA report into the ISL affair was released. The report is written by Hans-Joachim Eckert, head of the FIFA ethics committee's adjudicatory chamber and looks into the ethical responsibilities in this case which involves multi-million bribes from ISL on World Cup marketing deals in the 1990s.
Nicolas Leoz resigns from FIFA ExCo

24.04.2013

South American football president Nicolas Leoz has resigned from FIFA’s Executive Committee “for health and personal reasons” writes a FIFA press statement.
Blatter faces “once in a lifetime opportunity”

04.12.2012

There are six months left of the reform process being carried out by FIFA in the wake of a string of scandals that have seriously damaged the organisation’s credibility. Michael Hershman, one of the key figures on FIFA’s new independent governance committee (IGC), argues that President Sepp Blatter is facing a “once in a lifetime” opportunity and that, regardless of the internal opposition, change is coming to world football’s governing body.
Pieth’s prudent paper and Blatter’s play for time

02.04.2012

As so often before, FIFA’s Exco avoided to make convincing reform decisions, but investigation into the past may become possible later this year comments Jens Sejer Andersen, international director at Play the Game.
Sums of bribes for top FIFA officials exposed at hearing in Brazil

02.11.2011

Within the last month, investigative journalist Andrew Jennings has obtained documents that show the names of sports officials who received a total of 175 secret payments in bribes from the now defunct ISL sports marketing company. Among the names are some senior FIFA officials.
FIFA announces reform process against corruption

21.10.2011

A new committee on good governance supplemented by four task forces is going to propose reforms in FIFA, FIFA-president Sepp Blatter said at a press conference on Friday. He also announced that the so-called ISL case will be reopened. But it is still uncertain how far-reaching the reforms will be.
BBC Panorama - FIFA's Dirty Secrets - Part 1

03.01.2011

Watch the BBC Panorama documentary "FIFA's Dirty Secrets" that spurred so much controversy before the 2018/2022 World Cup host election on 2 December 2010.
BBC Panorama - FIFA's Dirty Secrets - Part 2

03.01.2011

Watch the BBC Panorama documentary "FIFA's Dirty Secrets" that caused so much controversy before the 2018/2022 World Cup host election on 2 December 2010.
FIFA dismisses BBC corruption claims, IOC prepares investigation

30.11.2010

The controversial and much talked about BBC Panorama documentary “FIFA’s Dirty Secrets” aired yesterday evening, naming names of three FIFA officials who were exposed as bribe-takers in the world’s biggest sport corruption case – the ISL case.
New revelations: FIFA Executives named as ISL bribe-takers

29.11.2010

Three days before the election of the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups, new documents have appeared that bring heavy charges against top FIFA officials.
The Magicians of Sport: How the Greatest Corruption Scandal in World Sport Vanished Before We Knew It Existed

19.10.2010

Knowledge bank: Presentation by Jens Sejer Andersen held at the UCSIA international workshop 'Sports, A Matter of Peace?' on FIFA, the ISL scandal and the need for an anti-corruption agency in sport.
Prosecutor's office links FIFA officials to bribery scandal

24.06.2010

Senior FIFA Officials were centrally involved in the biggest and most spectacular bribery scandal in Olympic history, Swiss prosecutor's office confirms.

The ISL case

In 2008 it was revealed that the ISL/ISMM-group - former marketing partner of FIFA, IOC and many other Olympic world federations - had paid at least 138 million Swiss francs to senior officials to secure broadcasting contracts worth several billion US-Dollars. The names of the people involved were not revealed.

See The ISL bribery system. Presentation by Jens Weinreich at Play the Game 2009

In July 2012, the highest judicial authority in Switzerland, The Federal Court, decided that the public has the right to know the so-called ISL dossier and the names of some of those individuals who benefited from the biggest corruption scheme known in sport so far.

The dossier revealed the names of a number of top FIFa officials, who had received bribes and also that the total value of the bribes paid by the ISL company to sports officials in return for broadcasting and marketing rights were much higher than presumed. The total value rose yesterday from 140 million Swiss Franc to 160 million in the years 1989-2001 – even by the exchange rates of the past it now sums up to over 100 million euro.

Read Jens Sejer Andersen's article on the decision to publish the ISL dossier: 'Unanswered questions and unsung heroes'

In April 2013, FIFA's Ethics Committee concluded its investigation into the ISL case

Download the FIFA report on the ISL case

Read the FIFA president's statement

Read Jens Sejer Andersen's comment to the Ethics Committee's findings: 'FIFA’s new Ethics Committee fails first test'

News on FIFA and the ISL

Jean-Marie Weber, the biggest bag man in Olympic history

FBI investigates Sepp Blatter through ISL link

FIFA’s new Ethics Committee fails first test

Blatter cleared by FIFA ISL examination

Nicolas Leoz resigns from FIFA ExCo

Blatter faces “once in a lifetime opportunity”

Pieth’s prudent paper and Blatter’s play for time

Sums of bribes for top FIFA officials exposed at hearing in Brazil

FIFA announces reform process against corruption

BBC Panorama - FIFA's Dirty Secrets - Part 1

BBC Panorama - FIFA's Dirty Secrets - Part 2

FIFA dismisses BBC corruption claims, IOC prepares investigation

New revelations: FIFA Executives named as ISL bribe-takers

The Magicians of Sport: How the Greatest Corruption Scandal in World Sport Vanished Before We Knew It Existed

Prosecutor's office links FIFA officials to bribery scandal

The ISL case

More ISL articles

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