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Brazil: FIFA to investigate MSI investments in Corinthians [Sun Sep 18th, 2005]
This week’s activity in the Swiss home of FIFA focused on the wild upward spiral of investments made by embryonic companies in football.
Joseph (a.k.a. Sepp) Blatter is afraid of a tendency towards money laundering by fly-by-night companies such as the shady MSI (Media Sports Investment) fronted by baby-faced Kia Joorabchian – and possibly backed by controversial Russian multi-millionaire (and refugee from Vladimir Putin) Boris Berezovski.
Apart from the bleaching of blood-splattered banknotes, FIFA believes that the current rise in internet betting houses could lead to widespread manipulation of results. This would be a highly lucrative scam, as such relatively anonymous gambling is soaring into a billion-dollar business.
Hence the creation of a commission to look into the matter, starting with the sore thumb of MSI’s US$50 million investment in Brazil’s second biggest team; S.C. Corinthians of São Paulo.
According to recent reports in the ‘Folha de S. Paulo’, Corinthians is first in line for the dubious honour of being fiscally frisked by FIFA. The first step will be a detailed investigation of the signing of Carlos Alberto from FC Porto.
MSI shelled out close to 12 million dollars for the ex-Fluminense playmaker to star in Kia’s ‘Galactic’ squad at the Parque São Jorge alongside flagship investment Carlitos Tevez.
Alarm bells have started ringing given the apparent involvement of mover-and-shaker Pini Zahavi. The Israeli businessman is a close friend and business associate of none other than Chelsea’s Caucasian saviour Roman Abramovich, who Blatter is itching to get at, but is wary of a premature flop.
The ménage a trois also includes Boris Berezovski, linked to current UEFA Cup holders CSKA of Moscow via sponsors Sifnet.
The plot thickens when the Timão (Corinthians) jersey is compared to The Blues' new kit; both have recently signed up with Korean electronics giant Samsung.
As coincidence is either hit or miss, there might be nothing to the web of intrigue except intrigue itself. Kia’s new-found love of West Ham (he previously claimed to be 100% Gunners from childhood) may cause shivers at the East London club, given Brazilian moves to turf the Iranian-born businessman out. Next stop...
Aaron Marcus
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