AOC chief: FIFA voting system open to abuse
Reuters - Friday 13 May 2011, 05:42
SYDNEY - FIFA's World Cup bidding process
will remain open to abuse unless changes are made, Australia's
Olympic chief has said in the wake of corruption allegations
over voting for the 2018 and 2022 finals.
John Coates said FIFA must make the bidding system more
transparent and respond to the damaging scandal, detonated by
England's former FA boss earlier this week.
"Mud does stick... so it is damaging," the Australian
Olympic Committee president told the AAP news agency. "It's not
good for FIFA's image. I really hope they will address things.
"Even if there's no evidence, at least there's a perception
out there that there's something wrong."
Former English Football Association chairman David Triesman
earlier this week accused four FIFA executive committee members
of asking for favours in return for World Cup votes.
Members of British Parliament involved in an inquiry over
England's failed 2018 bid said the Sunday Times newspaper had
evidence that two other FIFA executive committee were allegedly
paid $1.5 million to vote for Qatar's successful bid for the
2022 World Cup.
Triesman gave evidence on Tuesday to the inquiry into why
England failed to secure the 2018 finals, which went to Russia,
at the vote in Zurich, Switzerland last December.
Australian received only one vote in the 2022 race while
England got just two.
"It is important that all bidding systems, whether for
Olympic games, World Cups or world championships... are above
board and conducted with full integrity," Coates said.
"The onus is now back on FIFA to investigate its own."
Coates insisted FIFA needed to follow the lead of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC), which took action after
its own corruption scandal in the bid race to host the 2002
Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
"We're in the last month or so of where the 2018 Winter
Olympics goes and they're spending something like $70 million on
their bids, these cities," he said.
"There's been no suggestion of any impropriety there but
there was previously and 14 IOC members were shown the door
after Salt Lake City.
"One of the lessons FIFA's probably learning is that it's
certainly open to abuse," added Coates, who also said Australia
could struggle to fund future World Cup bids unless changes were
made.
"Whether there's money changing hands or not, but in trading
votes when you put the decisions on two World Cups together."