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Dangerous Liaisons

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Dangerous Liaisons Play-the-game-Magazine-2002.qxd 11-06-2003 11:40 Side 3 FOTO: POLFOTO/PATRICK HERTZOG Dangerous Liaisons Links between top sport and criminality extend across the world. Even football heroes like Pelé cannot shake off allegations of links to corruption By Steen Bille he flow of money in professional Vice President of the Asian Olympic Brazil's links between sport and crimi- Two extensive »Tsport is so widespread that Committee, Gafour Rakhimov of Uzbe- nality are much stronger than this parliamentary misuse of office, corruption and crimi- kistan, a man also known as the 'Tash- particular example might suggest. reports have nality are inevitable by-products – and kent Godfather'. In the year 2000 he was It is scarcely 1½ years since the Brazil- asked for the the players are the losers every time.« refused a visa to attend the Olympic ian Lower House of Congress published indictment of It was with this background that Games in Sydney, due to strong suspi- an 800-page report on football and crime, journalists from four continents provi- cions about his involvement in drug which named 33 football leaders as being Brazilian soc- ded some of Play the game's most dra- running and other criminal activities. involved in criminal activities. The re- cer leaders, but matic presentations, giving the audi- »The Russians are the most powerful port was initially ignored by those con- they uphold ence a vivid insight into a world rarely gangsters in the western world: they gress members with close links to the their internati- referred to by the media. own banks, they have easy access to we- Brazilian Football Confederation. onal positions, One of the most memorable accounts apons, and they are ruthless« says Ger- »A similar Senate report totalling Ezequiel F. was provided by Canadian journalist man journalist Jens Weinreich, who has 1,600 pages asked for the indictment of Moores said Declan Hill, who documented the Rus- charted organised crime's close contacts 17 football leaders, and like in the former sian mafia's iron grip on its countrymen with Olympic sport for many years. »A report, the list was headed by the presi- playing professional ice hockey in the lot of money is tied up with cities' bid- dent of the Brazilian Football Confedera- Canadian NHL. ding processes – in the form of holidays, tion, Ricardo Teixeira,« says Fernandez »Their families in Russia are kidnap- cash and prostitutes for members of the Moores. »The Senate found him guilty of ped and only released when high rans- IOC. At the same time, IOC members forgery, taking out suspect bank loans, oms have been paid,« he says. »They are can use their visits to candidate cities to using his job to further his business inter- beaten up and blackmailed for hundreds forge good business contacts and make ests, and paying out large sums of cash to of thousands of dollars. Other players be- extra profits.« his friends.« Despite these activities come involved in gambling and money Weinreich adds that some five billion FIFA President Sepp Blatter recently ap- laundering – a business worth millions.« Euros is expected to be generated by 2004 pointed Teixeira to FIFA's Executive – the proceeds of four years' marketing Committee and appointed him Vice Pre- Top of the crime league for the summer and winter Olympics. sident of FIFA's Committee for Justice, Behind this organised criminality are a Security.... and Fair Play. number of Russian mafia bosses who Pelé accused In conclusion, Fernandez Moores qu- have secured influence in Canada, Ger- Ezequiel Fernandez Moores, Editor of otes former Brazilian football star Sócra- many and Russia. Among the best the Argentinian press bureau Ansa, tes, whose verdict on Brazilian football known is Alik Tochtachumow, who was places a question mark against the seems equally relevant when applied to involved in the skating scandal that squeaky-clean image of the football the entire football world. marred the 2002 Winter Olympics in god himself, Pelé. He claims that Pelé's »Football has made us notorious for Salt Lake City. FBI documents reveal sports management firm at one time dealing in under age children, passport that he is involved in money launde- accepted over 70,000 Euros from UNI- forgery, cheating, injustice, lack of ambi- ring, drug smuggling, bribery and CEF for a charity match that was sim- tion and stealing dreams. It is detestable more. The same charges apply to the ply never played. Moreover, he adds, to be represented by these people.« 3 Play the game 2002.
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