Nigeria: High Fraud And Fifa’s Terrible Stink

Daily Independent (Lagos)

Pius Anakali

14 May 2011

analysis

It’s a season of scandal. Everywhere you turn, there are stories of corrupt practices in world’s football governing body, FIFA. In this report, PIUS ANAKALI profiles some of the named culprits and concludes that the bidding process Should be commercialised.

Football is politics. No, it is not anymore. Now, football is business. If you doubt, ask Amos Adamu how much he has amassed for just being a privileged member of the FIFA Executive and if you add that to what came his way as a Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Executive, then you know why FIFA and NFA laws are supreme.

That probably also explains why the likes of NFA Chairman, Sani Lulu, and his cohorts, Taiwo Ogunjobi and Amanze Uchegbulam, would go to court to challenge their sack from office. The trio was sacked for various corrupt allegations linked to them.

Well, don’t be surprised if reprieve comes their way one day and they return to the Glasshouse to plunder what is left of it.

In a country where amassing wealth is like national service or where money speaks and having it makes one a tin god worshipped day and night, then you know that, with money, you can make your enemy do your bidding. With money, you call the shots.

But you must have a deep pocket to be able to do this and that is what is being an NFA, CAF or FIFA Executive member offers: free money.

Therefore many literally fight, almost kill and even try to deny others from these rewarding plum positions. The case of Ibrahim Galadima, who was nominated by Nigeria to represent it at the CAF and FIFA committees, is still fresh in the mind.

Yet, Nigeria’s Adamu is not the only alleged ‘thief.’ Issa Hayatou, CAF president, has always been implicated; he too has always denied the allegations.

But the recent revelation has made many to wonder if these allegations against Hayatou aren’t true.

Born 1946, Hayatou became CAF President in 1987. In 2002, he ran for president of FIFA but was defeated by current president, Sepp Blatter, before settling for the committee’s job.

Having been CAF president for over two decades, Hayatou has seen successful eras in FIFA World Cup appearances by Senegal, Nigeria, and Cameroon, and pushed for increased African places in the finals from two to five, with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa seeing the hosts garner an automatic sixth spot for African teams.

But a recent BBC’s current affairs programme allegation that threw more light on the other side of Hayatou alleged that Hayatou had taken bribes in the 1990s regarding the award of contracts for the sale of television rights to the football World Cup. It alleged Hayatou was paid 100,000 French Francs by the company.

The latest had to do with 2022 World Cup award, but as usual, he is claiming his innocence.

Jacques Anouma is the other African on the board of FIFA. Like Hayatou, Anouma was allegedly paid $1.5 million to support the Qutari bid.

Over the years, Jack Warner has been a recurring decimal of some sort. Ask any sports journalist and you will hear tales and stories of alleged corrupt practices. That is why the latest revelation may not be too much of a surprise.

Before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Warner, as special advisor to Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), was alleged to have brokered a deal between the Federation and the players on Trinidad and Tobago’s 2006 World Cup team. The deal was on sharing the formula of the proceeds from their participation in the World Cup.

After the tournament the Federation declared a revenue of TT$18.25 million, costs of TT$17.9 million and offered the players a split of TT$5,644.08 per player. The players rejected this figure, disputing the Federation’s numbers while Warner also criticised the players and accusing them of greed.

The Trinidad and Tobago government later revealed that the Federation received in excess of TT$173 million for their part in the tournament in Germany as against Warner’s claim.

Warner once again caused controversy in an interview with the BBC about England’s chances of holding the 2018 FIFA World Cup where he asserted that though “England invented the sport, but has never made any impact on world football” despite being one of the only then seven nations to ever lift the World Cup.

During the bidding process to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, Warner continually supported the English bid, promising to vote in England’s favour at the draw in December 2010. Warner approached the England bid team through David Beckham, offering to hold off on bringing out the vote for Russia in exchange for promises in relation to CONCACAF. Russia won the vote to hold the FIFA World Cup in 2018, with Warner widely reported to have voted for the Russian bid.

Born in 1947, Ricardo Teixeira is the current president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), a post he has occupied since 1989 and will remain in charge until the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil, completing then over 25 years as head of the institution.

In November 2010, he was alleged to have taken bribes in the 1990s regarding the award of World Cup television rights.

Worawi Makudi from Thailand is also in the news for the wrong reasons. As president of the Thailand FA, Makudi was criticised in late 2009 when the national team failed to reach the semi-finals of the South East Asia Games for the first time in 26 years.

He was alleged to have asked to be given the TV rights to the game: “I said TV rights should go to the Federation of the country staging the game; that was what was believed was the critical thing to making the arrangement a success.”

Nicolas Leoz, a 82-year-old Paraguayan, has been president of Conmebol, the South American Football Confederation, for more than 20 years. He was a former sports journalist, lawyer and part-time history professor.

Leoz had asked England for a knighthood, but when he was refused he shrugged and walked away.

The scenario is still unfolding as more would be released, but if the thinking in some quarters is anything to go by, the bidding process should be commercialised with each nation’s representatives asking their FA to commit certain amount to the nation’s coffer.

If that is done, the negotiating power of an Adamu will be highly useful.

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