Nigeria: FIFA Seeks Evidence in Fresh Bribery Scandal

Daily Independent (Lagos)

11 May 2011

FIFA on Wednesday asked England’s Football Association and The Sunday Times to provide evidence of fresh allegations of corruption at world football’s governing body, saying they were of “extreme concern”.

The move follows widespread media reports in Britain on Wednesday which brandished officials “sleazeballs” and “rotten to the core.”

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke sent a letter to the FA asking for a report from former England 2018 chairman Lord David Triesman.

In testimony to a parliamentary hearing in London on Tuesday, Triesman named four FIFA executive committee members who had requested cash and a knighthood in exchange for their votes in the 2018 World Cup ballot.

“In his letter to The FA, the FIFA Secretary General expresses the extreme concern of FIFA and the FIFA President (Sepp Blatter) at the latest allegations questioning the integrity of some FIFA Executive Committee members in connection with the bidding procedure for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups,” a FIFA statement said.

Valcke asked the FA for a report from Triesman and any documentary evidence “to be in a position to examine the situation thoroughly and with clear-sightedness.”

He also asked the Sunday Times newspaper “to submit as soon as possible any other piece of evidence that it may be in possession of and which has not yet been sent to FIFA,” especially on “a whistleblower who had worked with the Qatar bid.”

Reports in the newspaper sparked the initial bribery allegations during the controversial bidding race for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups last year.

They prompted a FIFA inquiry which led to the suspension of two decision-makers, executive committee members Reynald Temarii, Oceania’s then football chief, and Nigeria’s Amos Adamu.

The newspaper, which provided testimony to the parliamentary commission, had already handed over evidence to Zurich-based global football chiefs at the time including video taped interviews.

Meanwhile, FIFA presidential candidate and Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam denied allegations that Qatar paid bribes to secure the 2022 World Cup.

Two FIFA executive committee members were accused at the British hearing of accepting $1.5 million in exchange for backing Qatar’s successful World Cup bid.

However Bin Hammam, the Asian Football Confederation president who hails from Qatar, emphatically denied any bribes had been paid and demanded proof of the allegations.

“I can assure you nothing like this has happened from our side,” Bin Hammam was quoted as saying by Britain’s Press Association.

“If someone wants to damage reputations like this then they have to provide the proof. You can’t just accuse people just like that.

“It didn’t happen. It is fine to say something, to try to damage the reputation of somebody but where is the proof?” added Bin Hammam, who is to challenge FIFA President Sepp Blatter at a vote in Zurich on June 1.

The British Parliament’s culture, media and sport committee revealed on Tuesday it had been given evidence from The Sunday Times newspaper which implicated African FIFA officials Issa Hayatou from Cameroon and Jacques Anouma from the Ivory Coast.

The Sunday Times claimed to have uncovered evidence indicating both men had received bribes to vote for Qatar, according to lawmakers.

AllAfrica – All the Time