FIFA to act swiftly over vote-selling
Reuters - Monday 18 October 2010, 19:21
ZURICH, Oct 18 (Reuters) - FIFA launched a formal
investigation into allegations that two executive committee
members had offered to sell votes ahead of the decision on the
2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts and said it would act swiftly.
"FIFA has opened proceedings against two current members of
the executive committee to ascertain whether they have violated
the code of ethics," football's governing body said in a statement
on Monday.
"(FIFA) has asked the chairman of the ethics committee to
act without delay to take all possible steps including the
possibility of provisional measures, should the relevant
conditions be met.
"Investigations are also ongoing in relation to other FIFA
officials who may have been involved in the issue in question."
The ethics committee is due to meet on Wednesday.
FIFA's announcement came as the allegations threatened to
discredit the bidding process, which is due to end when it
announces the winners in Zurich on December 2.
The 24-strong executive committee will decide both venues on
a majority vote.
NEWSPAPER REPORT
FIFA said some member associations would be investigated for
"alleged agreements" which might have broken the bidding rules.
It did not elaborate.
"FIFA also confirms that the alleged agreements between
member associations would also be a clear violation of the bid
registration document and the code of ethics," said the
statement.
"Therefore, an investigation has also been opened into the
member associations in question as well as their bid
committees."
Britain's Sunday Times newspaper said Oceania Football
Confederation (OFC) president Reynald Temarii and Nigeria's Amos
Adamu - both executive committee members - had offered to sell
their votes when approached by reporters posing as lobbyists for
an American consortium.
The newspaper report said Adamu was filmed asking for
500,000 pounds for a personal project and that
Tahitian Temarii asked an undercover reporter in Auckland for
NZ$3m ($2.27 million) to fund a sports academy at the OFC's
headquarters.
Adamu and Temarii both declined to comment on the matter at
FIFA headquarters on Monday.
England and Russia are bidding for the 2018 finals along
with joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands. The
candidates for 2022 are the United States, Japan, South Korea,
Qatar and Australia.