Protests by Reporters at the Congress
(Check out all the PTG reports)

Danes shocked by fascist salute

Nyangweso – and dead bodies

Alpha Ibrahim Diallo from Guinea

Another dubious handshake

‘Little prince - now what?’

Frederik won’t answer questions (video)

Frederik flees more questions

TV-2

The things they say...

‘Neither FIFA nor its President have anything to hide, nor do they wish to.’

Blatter press release, 28 January, 2003

BBC Panorama Reporter Andy Davies:

‘A one million franc bribe … is it not correct that Mr Blatter asked that it be moved to the FIFA official who was named on the payment slip?’

FIFA Director of Communications Markus Siegler:

‘If you do not stop now, then we call the security and we put you out.’

FIFA Press conference, Zurich, Tuesday, 11 April 2006

‘I am deputy chairman of the finance committee of FIFA. I oversee a budget of US$2 billion and I have never seen one iota of corruption.’

Jack Warner, Trinidad Express 12 December 2004

‘Lying and deception and bad faith are standard operating procedure at FIFA.’

Adam C. Silverstein, a lawyer for MasterCard in their successful action against FIFA, New York, December 1, 2006

‘I do not believe a Jew can ever be a referee at that level (Argentine Premier League) because it’s hard work and, you know, Jews don’t like hard work.’

FIFA senior vice-president and chair of Finance Committee, Julio Grondona, 5 July 2003. Buenos Aires

‘FIFA is a healthy, clean and transparent organisation with nothing to hide. There is huge public interest in FIFA, therefore we have to be as transparent as possible. We will try to communicate in a more open way so the world can believe us and be proud of their federation.’

FIFA General Secretary Urs Linsi, January 2003, on fifa.com

Stories the World was never told

Monday October 19th, 2009

Reporters at the IOC Congress were angry about what they saw as unnecessary restrictions on access to talk to IOC members. The Denmark-based Play The Game Organisation published their own report.

Whilst most of the international media treated the IOC with its usual deference, much of the Danish media decided to take a close look at some of the IOC members. They didn’t like everything they saw.

Their first concern was the long fascist history of former and now Honorary IOC Life President Juan Antonio Samaranch. Many Danes were shocked to learn that when their Crown Prince Fredrik was inducted into the IOC he would have to parade around the room shaking the hand of every member. Having been invaded by Nazis in World War II they were well aware that Samaranch’s right hand had been raised, enthusiastically, in fascist salutes for 37 years during the dictatorship of Samaranch’s mentor, Spain’s General Francisco Franco.

Ekstra Bladet newspaper also reviewed the history of Francis Nyangweso, former army chief for Uganda’s murderous dictator Idi Amin.

The following day they focussed on Alpha Ibrahim Diallo from Guinea, a member since 1994.

Then it was back to the controversial General Lassana Palenfo.

Despite the noisy concerns of the Danish media, the Crown Prince became an IOC member.

On behalf of the Ekstra Bladet team I tried to ask Prince Frederik some questions at his press conference after the induction. His palace advisors had provided him with a script of clichés about ‘Olympic values’ and whatever question he was asked, he parroted these responses.

His meeting with reporters was cut short and he fled the building, claiming he couldn’t answer questions.

Reporter Andrew Jennings was interviewed frequently by other Scandinavian media. Here he appears on Denmark’s news channel TV-2.