Watchdog: FIFA should postpone World Cup vote
Reuters - Monday 29 November 2010, 21:35
ZURICH - FIFA should postpone Thursday's
vote to choose the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts and allow an
independent investigation into corruption allegations, watchdog
body Transparency International (TI) said on Monday.
"FIFA's integrity and credibility, already shaken in the
past, have been badly tarnished and the reputational damage
suffered by FIFA these last weeks is considerable," the
anti-corruption organisation's Swiss chapter said in a
statement.
"It threatens to extend to other sports associations and to
the whole of Switzerland which is their home and whose citizens
often have key positions in them."
FIFA suspended two executive committee members earlier this
month following allegations of wrongdoing in the Sunday Times
newspaper.
A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) television
programme on Monday accused three other FIFA executives of
taking bribes.
TI, which issues a widely published and respected global
league table of corruption, said: "The awarding of the 2018 and
2022 football World Cup, foreseen to take place on 2 December
2010, must be postponed until all light has been shed on the
allegations published in the press.
"These have cast such discredit on FIFA's processes that a
decision under these circumstances would only fan the
controversy."
It said the internal investigation by FIFA's ethics
committee, which resulted in the suspension of executive
committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii, was
inadequate.
"An investigation must be conducted by an independent body
in order to establish the facts.
"FIFA's ethics committee does not seem to present the
required degree of independence; furthermore, the body
conducting the investigation must have extensive investigative
powers in order to be able to establish the whole truth."
FIFA were not immediately available to comment.