FOUL! is published in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Czech, Dutch, Korean, Greek, Turkish, Danish, Norwegian and Romanian. It will soon appear in Russian and Chinese.
FOUL! is the result of seven year's research into the dark depths of the men controlling the world's favourite game.
It charts the degeneration of FIFA under the leadership of Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter.
It reveals the vote-rigging that put Blatter in power and the cronyism and ticket rackets that keep him there. And in the background ... the relentless flow of kickbacks to selected officials in return for billion-dollar contracts.
In a sensational interview for the new and updated paperback edition an executive involved in paying the bribes reveals how the money was laundered, at regular intervals, through off-shore bank accounts.
Another chapter digs deeper into FIFA vice-president Jack Warner’s vast World Cup ticket racket. And there’s new disclosures about the disastrous decision by FIFA to lie to MasterCard and VISA, forge a signature on a backdated contract and crudely edit a tape of a FIFA committee meeting, hoping to fool a New York judge.
That’s everyday life at Sepp Blatter’s FIFA and there’s more in FOUL!
Read more about Andrew Jennings and FOUL! in:
Noseweek – South Africa
Columbia Journalism Review – New York
The Daily Telegraph – London
The New Yorker
Toronto Star
The London Daily Mail published extracts from FOUL! in May 2006
Both the new, updated paperback (cheaper and with three new chapters!) and the original hardback edition can be found on Amazon UK.
Ordering a copy?
The ISBN numbers are:
ISBN-13 978-0-00-720869-2
ISBN-10 0-00-720869-3
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 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 the 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
'Soccer chief's plan to boost women's game? Hotpants'
'They could wear tighter shorts. Female players are pretty, if you excuse me for saying so.'
Sepp Blatter, Former President of the World Society of Friends of Suspenders:
Sonntagsblick, 11 January, 2004
'No foreigner, particularly a white foreigner, will come to my country and harass me, intimidate me and push me around.'
Jack Warner, May 9, 2006 after the author attempted to interview him for BBC-TV about his ticket rackets
'The evidence ... would and should make any company have grave concerns about doing business with FIFA.'
Adam C. Silverstein, a lawyer for MasterCard in their successful action against FIFA
New York, December 1, 2006
'We must have a woman on the executive committee.'
Sepp Blatter, campaigning to become president of FIFA
May 30, 1998, Agence France-Press
'FIFA ... a graft-ridden autocracy.'
The New Yorker, June 26, 2006
'Among the tasks of a politics of morality [is] to work incessantly toward unveiling hidden differences between official theory and actual progress, between the limelight and the backrooms of political life.'
Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002)
'FIFA's latest actions demonstrate that it still does not govern itself by its slogan "Fair Play."'
Judge Loretta Preske, dismissing a FIFA appeal
New York, February 28, 2007
'I still believe that the future of football is feminine.'
President Sepp Blatter, FIFA press release
Zurich, 2 February 2007
'We are more important than the Catholic Church.'
IOC President Juan Antonio 'Jackboots' Samaranch
HBO Real Sports, June 1996
'MacDonald's has supported the Olympic Movement for more than 30 years and we share many of the same ideals.'
IOC President Jacque Rogge
Turin, February 7, 2006
If you see a quote that should be here, please send it to me.