FIFA dismiss Panorama allegations
Reuters - Tuesday 30 November 2010, 11:53
ZURICH - FIFA has dismissed allegations
made by a British Broadcasting Corporation programme against
three executive committee members, saying Swiss authorities had
already investigated and the case had been closed.
The BBC's Panorama programme on Monday offered what it said
was new evidence over the ruling body's appointment of
International Sports and Leisure (ISL) as its marketing arm. ISL
went bankrupt in 2001.
The programme said members Ricardo Teixeira of Brazil, hosts
of the next World Cup, Confederation of African Football (CAF)
chief Issa Hayatou and South American (CONMEBOL) head Nicolas
Leoz took bribes from ISL to win the lucrative contract.
"The matters concerning the case... which are referred to
date back many years ago and were investigated by the relevant
authorities in Switzerland," said FIFA in a statement on
Tuesday.
It added that a criminal case in the Swiss canton of Zug had
not resulted in convictions for any FIFA officials.
"In its verdict of 26 June 2008, the Criminal Court of Zug
had not convicted any FIFA Officials," said the statement.
"It is therefore important to stress again the fact that no
FIFA officials were accused of any criminal offence in these
proceedings."
"Furthermore, it is important to recall that the decision
was made on matters which took place prior to the year 2000 and
there has been no court conviction against FIFA.
"The investigation and the case are definitely closed."
Teixeira, Leoz and Hayatou are current members of the FIFA
executive committee which will decide on Thursday which
countries host the World Cups of 2018 and 2022.
All have denied any wrongdoing but were not available for
comment on the latest allegations based on what the BBC said was
a confidential ISL document which detailed 175 secret payments
between 1989 and 1999.
Hayatou is also a member of the International Olympic
Committee and that body said it would refer the matter to its
Ethics Commission.
"The IOC has taken note of the allegations made by BBC
Panorama and will ask the programme makers to pass on any
evidence they may have to the appropriate authorities," it said.
"The IOC has a zero tolerance against corruption and will
refer the matter to the IOC Ethics Commission."
A fourth member of FIFA's ex-co, Jack Warner of Trinidad who
is a vice-president, had attempted to break FIFA rules over the
sale of 2010 World Cup tickets "but the deal subsequently fell
through", according to the Panorama programme.
Two FIFA executive committee members, Reynald Temarii of
Tahiti and Amos Adamu of Nigeria, were suspended earlier this
month following an investigation that they offered to sell their
votes to undercover reporters from the Sunday Times newspaper.