The Mob Museum opens its doors to a permanent exhibition on September 1 called “The ‘Beautiful Game’ Turns Ugly.” Visitors to the museum will get an in-depth view into the global scandal and corruption at the center of the world’s most watched sport, soccer. The Mob Museum’s press release about the new exhibit recognizes it’s growing international visitor base:
“This exhibit is ripped right from today’s headlines about the globe’s most popular sport,” explains Jonathan Ullman, executive director, The Mob Museum. “To our growing number of visitors from places like the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and Italy, the FIFA scandal provides an especially resonant example of the different shapes organized crime can take.”
As of May 27 2015 the widespread corruption within Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was exposed after an early AM raid in Switzerland. 7 senior FIFA executives were arrested after a three year investigation by the FBI. FIFA is the governing body of the sport of worldwide football, according to the BBC:
“The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world, larger even than the Olympics, and generates billions of dollars in revenue from corporate sponsors, broadcasting rights and merchandising.
…A 47-count indictment unveiled in a US federal court in New York charges 14 defendants with racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies in what it describes as “the defendants’ participation in a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer”.
Allegations include a $10 million bribe to secure South Africa as the host of the 2010 World Cup and over $150 million in kickbacks to various FIFA officials. The FBI ran a three year investigation in to the alleged corruption and racketeering, according to the telegraph.co.uk:
The FBI was revealed to be investigating Fifa shortly after Qatar was controversially awarded the 2022 World Cup at the expense of the United States. The investigation focused mainly on allegations of wrongdoing on US soil, particularly by members of the North and Central American football confederation, Concacaf.
For more information check out the Mob Museum’s press release and exhibit details.
The Mob Museum is located in Downtown Las Vegas at 300 Stewart Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101.
