Zwanziger wants Qatar World Cup reviewed
Reuters - Wednesday 01 June 2011, 07:59
BERLIN - The head of Germany's football federation on Wednesday called for football's governing body FIFA
to re-examine the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar,
following a corruption scandal.
"There is a considerable degree of suspicion that one cannot
simply sweep aside, and I must expect that awarding this World
Cup under these conditions needs to be examined anew," Theo
Zwanziger told German television, referring to Qatar.
"I first would like to comment on how that should be done
when I know more about the facts. Like I said, I'm an outsider
and was not a member of the executive," he said.
The game's reputation has come intense scrutiny after a
spate of corruption allegations, the suspension of two senior
FIFA officials and suggestions Qatar bought the 2022 World Cup,
accusations the Gulf state has strenuously denied.
"If FIFA behaves the way people expect, that is by clearly
taking action against this cancerous tumour of bribery, then
there is no need for these concerns," Zwanziger said, referring
to fears sponsors could start pulling out.
"None of us could have imagined such a scandal. There is no
end to the suspicions falling on members the FIFA executive," he
said.
"The task now is to shed light in a determined fashion,
punish the guilty and develop mechanisms that prevent something
like this from ever happening again," Zwanziger added.
He rejected a call by the English football federation FA to
delay the re-election of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, as this
would leave the body without a leader to take charge and finally
get to the bottom of the allegations.
Zwanziger however said he was pushing for a secret ballot,
so any critics could submit a protest vote without fear of any
reprisals.