Comedian Showers Sepp Blatter in Cash for North Korea’s 2026 World Cup Bid

An artful interpretation of how bribe-taking happens at world soccer's governing body.

GettyImages-481383666crop
GettyImages-481383666crop

Never has Sepp Blatter seemed so uncomfortable having money thrown at him as when British comedian Lee Nelson on Monday hurled a pile of dollar bills at the embattled FIFA boss during a news conference.

Never has Sepp Blatter seemed so uncomfortable having money thrown at him as when British comedian Lee Nelson on Monday hurled a pile of dollar bills at the embattled FIFA boss during a news conference.

Blatter, who has announced his resignation from FIFA, was attempting to address the media when Nelson appeared before him, handed him a stack of money, and said it was for North Korea’s 2026 World Cup bid. The exchange left Blatter flabbergasted, yelling for security to remove Nelson as he delivered a pitch for North Korea’s fictitious bid. The actual bidding for that tournament has been suspended as FIFA grapples with the fallout of multiple corruption investigations that include allegations of bribes in exchange for World Cup hosting rights.

The rather amazing video of the incident is below:

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

Twitter: @EliasGroll

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