The International Football Federations Thread

[Lineker]

Qatar 2022 World Cup officials have described allegations they paid bribes in return for votes as "distressing, insulting and incomprehensible".

On 10 May, UK MPs published evidence from the Sunday Times newspaper claiming two African Fifa officials were paid $1.5m (£930,000) by Qatar.

But in a 1,700-word statement, Qatar attacked the source of the evidence now being investigated by Fifa.

It described the allegations as "serious, unsubstantiated and false".

Qatar officials criticised the Sunday Times for failing to provide details of the alleged bribes it claims were offered to Fifa executive committee members Issa Hayatou and Jacques Anouma.

It claimed the credibility of the newspaper's submission was compromised by the fact that its reporters were posing as corrupt representatives from the United States bid.

A whistleblower, who provided the paper with information, was probably an "embittered" ex-employee "with a significant axe to grind", the statement said.

Qatar went on to suggest the allegations were part of a long-running campaign to discredit their bid, which beat off competition from the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia in December to earn the right to host the 2022 event.

"What is concerning and unfair is that there appear to be those who are unable to accept that a team from a country like Qatar could perform in this way and are ready - on the basis of no evidence - to assume the worst," the bid committee wrote.

"Qatar is excited at the prospect of hosting one of the world's greatest sporting events and is determined to deliver a World Cup truly deserving of football fans around the world."

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has refused to rule out a rerun of the voting for the 2022 tournament if the allegations are proven.

Blatter is competing against Qatar's Mohammed Bin Hammam in the Fifa presidential elections on 1 June.

[EddieG]

Speaking of International Football, Tim Krul has been called up to the Dutch squad for the friendlies against Brazil and Uruguay. (WC rematches) :w00t:

[Colly]

Big squads though. Hope he gets a game.

[Lineker]

Candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam wants the Football Association to reconsider its decision to abstain from the Fifa presidential vote.

The FA chose not to participate on 1 June because of recent allegations of corruption against Fifa.

But Bin Hammam, who is up against incumbent president Sepp Blatter, said he was surprised by the decision.

"It's disappointing when an association decides not to try to affect change from the inside," he stated.

"The FA, with its status as the oldest association in the world and England's position as the birthplace of the modern game, is one of the most important institutions in world football.

"As a result, they should be working with Fifa and the rest of the global game to improve and enhance football. By choosing to abstain, the FA is, sadly, forfeiting that right.

"I realise they have their reasons for making their decision but I hope in the days leading up to the election that they will reconsider their position and make moves to engage fully with the global football family, both on 1 June and beyond."

The FA's decision to abstain was provoked by the failure of their 2018 World Cup bid, which drew only two votes, with Russia winning the hosting rights.

Bid officials complained that the voting system was flawed and that Fifa executive committee members had misled them.

The FA has launched an inquiry into the corruption allegations.

In addition, Qatar 2022 World Cup officials have rejected claims they paid money in return for votes.

Qatar officials criticised the Sunday Times for failing to provide details of the alleged bribes it claims were offered to Issa Hayatou and Jacques Anouma.

World football's governing body Fifa, who suspended two executive committee members from voting on the 2018 and 2022 World Cups following earlier allegations that they had offered to sell their votes, has said it will investigate.

Qatar released a statement on Monday denying all the allegations against them.

Bin Hammam, from Qatar, who has been touring the world canvassing support to become Fifa's first Asian president, previously said the governing body's reputation had been sullied by the allegations, but denied it was corrupt.

The 62-year-old has pledged to make Fifa a more transparent organisation.

"There is a growing appreciation, too, that Fifa needs to be more inclusive," he added.

"We have to set our sights on working not only with the various associations and confederations but with all those who have the love of our great game at heart.

"Many within these groups feel as if they have been pushed to the margins but, should my candidacy prove successful, then that is a trend I will work hard to reverse."

Also, in a shock horror, Sepp Blatter has declined Parliament's invitation to speak on corruption in front of a Parliamentary committee.

[stokeriño]

Bin Hammam trying to pressurise/guilt-trip the FA into voting, on the basis that he is "the other guy" and therefore perhaps more likely to receive said vote. Unfortunately the horse has bolted on that one, since everybody already knows that he offers nothing different to Blatter.

[IAceI]

You'd think he'd try and curry a bit more favour with the people actually intending on voting, rather than the FA who are obviously totally disillusioned with both choices and have said as much.

That said he'll probably lose (comprehensively too) and then claim corruption within FIFA caused him to lose. >_<

[stokeriño]

Because that worked so well for us.

[IAceI]

I just assumed Corruption was FIFA's translation of sour grapes to be honest.

[Lineker]

Fifa presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam has denied bribery allegations made against him by Fifa executive committee member Chuck Blazer.

The American claims Fifa's ethics code was violated at a meeting "organised" by Bin Hammam and Jack Warner.

Four officials, including Bin Hammam and Fifa vice-president Warner, face a Fifa ethics hearing on 29 May, ahead of the presidential vote.

Bin Hammam said he is "confident that there is no charge to answer".

The Press Association news agency says a file has been sent to Fifa which includes sworn affidavits by several Caribbean Football Union (CFU) members, who claim they were offered thousands of dollars in cash for "development projects" at the meeting earlier this month.

The file, which includes photographs, says some of the cash was accepted, but some of those who refused to take any money approached Blazer.

The Caribbean meeting, on 10 and 11 May, was in relation to the Fifa presidential election which takes place on 1 June.

The other two officials to face the hearing are Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester from the CFU, which represents 25 Fifa member nations as well as five territories not affiliated to Fifa.

Bin Hammam - the 62-year-old president of the Asian Football Confederation - is running against current Fifa president Sepp Blatter to be the new head of football's world governing body.

Bin Hammam released a statement on his website, which continued: "This has been a difficult and painful day for me today.

"But, if there is even the slightest justice in the world, these allegations will vanish in the wind. This move is little more than a tactic being used by those who have no confidence in their own ability to emerge successfully from the Fifa presidential election.

"I remain deeply indebted to Mr Warner for his sense of fair play because without his support and understanding I would not have been able to meet with several important member associations of Fifa to discuss my election manifesto.

"Here I completely deny any allegations of wrongdoing either intentionally or unknowingly while I was in the Caribbean.

"I will offer Mr Warner my full support in ensuring we are discharged honourably by the Fifa ethics committee, a body which I hold in the highest esteem.

"I am confident that there is no charge to answer and that I will be free to stand in the Fifa presidential election on 1 June as originally planned."

Fifa has announced that Claudio Sulser, the head of the ethics committee, will not take charge of the hearing as he shares Swiss nationality with Bin Hammam's presidential rival Blatter.

The committee's deputy chairman Petrus Damaseb of Namibia will instead chair proceedings.

The Fifa statement read: "On May 24 2011, Fifa executive committee member and Concacaf general secretary Chuck Blazer reported to Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke possible violations of the Fifa code of ethics allegedly committed by officials.

"In particular, the report referred to a special meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), apparently organised jointly by Fifa vice-president Jack A. Warner and Fifa executive committee member Mohamed Bin Hammam, which took place on May 10 and 11 2011.

"This meeting was linked to the upcoming Fifa presidential election.

"In view of the facts alleged in this report, which include bribery allegations, Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke, in compliance with art. 16 of the Fifa code of ethics, yesterday requested the Fifa ethics committee to open ethics proceedings."

The allegations - levelled by Warner's longtime Concacaf ally Blazer - are likely to wreck Bin Hammam's already fading hopes of defeating Blatter in the vote by Fifa's 208 national members.

"The intriguing part of this is the person who has brought the complaints, Chuck Blazer," former Sports Minister Richard Caborn told the BBC.

"He obviously has been on the inside track in Fifa for many, many years. He's very close to Jack Warner. What his motives are, we will have to wait and see.

"It could well be the start of a total look at how Fifa is run in the future.

"Whether the pressure is now telling and that people are saying: 'We have now got to make this organisation fit for purpose.'"

MP Damian Collins, who named Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Issa Hayatou and executive committee member Jacques Anouma in Parliament as allegedly receiving bribes from Qatar 2022, called on Fifa to abandon next week's presidential election.

"Fifa needs to have a proper independent investigation and the timetable does not allow this to happen before next week," said Collins.

"If Bin Hammam is suspended it would be unacceptable for the election to simply become a shoe-in for Sepp Blatter.

"There must be a new election with new candidates allowed to come forward."

Both Hayatou and Anouma have denied the claims while Qatar 2022 World Cup officials described allegations they paid bribes in return for votes as "distressing, insulting and incomprehensible".

News of the Fifa inquiry comes soon after Fifa launched a separate investigation into claims made by former Football Association and England 2018 World Cup bid chairman Lord Triesman.

Triesman alleged that four Fifa members - Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi - sought "bribes" in return for backing England's failed 2018 World Cup bid.

Warner said the allegations made against him by Triesman were "a piece of nonsense".

On Sunday, Blatter angrily denied that Fifa is corrupt and added there is no evidence to support recent accusations of wrongdoing.

Blatter's campaign adviser Brian Alexander said the Fifa president would not comment on the case.

Wow. They're actually investigating Warner.

Edited May 26, 2011 by Macho Man LinSavage

[Lineker]

Warner is in even deeper shit now. New evidence has emerged.

Here's the e-mail:

Dear David

My apologies for this belated response to your wonderful offer of assistance to Haiti for which I am really pleased. The people need all the help that we can give. I made a visit to Haiti last weekend to meet with the President of the Haiti FF to ascertain first hand the needs of our football family. A report has since been done which outlined their needs and proposals to meet these needs in the short, medium and long term. The report is included for your information. Based on this, I will leave it up to you to determine the best options of the FA as to how you all can assist.The FIFA, besides financial assistance, is providing them with large TV screens placed at two football stadia (at which stadia football can no longer be played in the immediate future) so that all Haitians can see the 2010 World Cup. However before the earthquake owner of the rights had charged them $1.6million USD for the rights, a fee which they had agreed to pay. I have since spoken to the owners and can get this figure reduced substantially. If you believe that you can assist them in any way by contributing in part or in whole to the purchase of these rights I am sure all of Haiti will be eternally grateful.

Thanks again for any assistance you can give and I do look forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards

Jack

------------------------------------------------------------

[Lineker]

bin Hammam calls on FIFA to include Sepp Blatter in their investigation. Yeah, right

[stokeriño]

Merged the FIFA Election thread into this one, because...yeah.

[Dont Fear The Reaper]

Sepp appears to be under investigation as well

Sidenote: Chuck Blazer is a terrific name

[Lineker]

Of course they'll throw to book at Blatter

Fifa has opened ethics proceedings against its president, Sepp Blatter.

The action follows a charge by Mohamed Bin Hammam, his rival in next week's presidency election, that Blatter knew about alleged cash payments.

Bin Hammam and vice-president Jack Warner will also be at Sunday's hearing to answer charges of bribery.

Blatter issued a statement saying: "I cannot comment on the proceedings that have been opened against me. The facts will speak for themselves."

The ethics committee are bound by their rules to investigate any complaint by an executive committee member under article 16 of the ethics code.

Bin Hammam and Warner face allegations from executive committee member Chuck Blazer that they offered bribes at a meeting of the Caribbean Football Union on 10/11 May.

A file of evidence claims bundles of cash of up to $40,000 were handed over to members of the CFU at the meeting in Trinidad.

In turn, Bin Hammam is effectively claiming Blatter was aware of some wrongdoing but did not report it, in itself a breach of the code.

The committee, chaired by Namibian judge Petrus Damaseb, will also be under pressure to decide whether Blatter will face any charges or not.

BBC sports editor David Bond said: "Fifa is now an organisation completely at war. They cannot possibly continue in this way and many people will say they should suspend the presidential election, which takes place next Wednesday.

"Under Fifa's ethics code, they are duty bound, if a member of the executive committee makes a complaint to the ethics committee, to then investigate it.

"So, it may be that the allegations against Blatter don't come to much, and the allegations against Bin Hammam and Warner could be far more serious. Ultimately it seems the evidence against Blatter is only Bin Hammam's word against his.

"It is very difficult to predict exactly what will happen next, but it's hard to see this as anything other than a watershed moment for Fifa.

"It feels like at last the dam is breaking around them. It is a bit like the scene at the end of Reservoir Dogs when everyone has a gun pointed at each other's heads."

Blatter has been president of Fifa since 1998.

Meanwhile, the FA is due to send to Fifa the report they commissioned by barrister James Dingemans QC into claims by their ex-chairman, Lord Triesman, that Warner and three other executive committee members made improper requests during England's 2018 World Cup bid.

It is understood that only the claims against Warner have been corroborated by witnesses.

The claim that Warner asked for financial help to build an education centre has been backed up by Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards, while Dingemans' file also includes an email from Warner to Triesman asking the FA to pay for Haiti's World Cup TV rights.

[Lineker]

Michel Platini has ruled out running for the Fifa presidency ahead of elections marred by a corruption probe.

Platini said he would remain head of Uefa, Europe's governing body, for his full four-year term.

But the Frenchman, also a vice-president of Fifa, added that the world body "has to be clean, be good and think of the values of football".

Fifa will hold its presidential election on Wednesday if three-quarters of voters approve.

Sepp Blatter, the current Fifa president, is bidding for a fourth term in charge but is being investigated by the organisation's ethics committee over accusations, from presidential rival Mohamed Bin Hammam, that he failed to report the payment of alleged bribes.

But Platini stated there was "no possibility" of him entering the leadership contest

"If there is an election then a new president will be elected for four years," he commented. "If there is no election then it will be complicated but I don't know what will happen."

Despite the problems, Platini said corruption was a wider problem and not just a matter for football and Fifa.

"We know perhaps in the big assemblies there are not so clean people, like with journalists, football players, in music, politicians," he said.

"Let's go to the executive committee, the disciplinary committee, let the people have some evidence and take a decision after that."

Platini was elected for a second term as Uefa president in March, meaning 2015 would be the earliest opportunity for him to stand for the Fifa leadership if he serves his full period in office.

He is one of seven Fifa vice-presidents and has been a member of the Fifa executive committee since 2002.

Blatter will appear before Fifa's ethics committee at the body's headquarters in Zurich on Sunday and will not be at Saturday's Champions League final at Wembley. Bin Hammam and vice-president Jack Warner will also be at the hearing to answer charges of bribery.

They face allegations from executive committee member Chuck Blazer that they offered bribes at a meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) on 10 and 11 May.

A file of evidence claims bundles of cash of up to $40,000 (£24,200) were handed over to members of the CFU at the meeting in Trinidad.

In turn, Bin Hammam is effectively claiming Blatter was aware of some wrongdoing but did not report it, in itself a breach of Fifa's ethics code.

But Warner insisted he was innocent when he spoke to local Trinidad media on Saturday.

"The time has come when I must stop playing dead," he said, before flying to Switzerland. "In the next couple days, you will see a football tsunami that will hit Fifa and the world that will shock you."

Warner dismissed suggestions that the file compiled by John Collins, a former United States federal prosecutor who is now a member of Fifa's legal committee, could end his career within football's ruling body.

"Why should be hanged now and by whom? The American Chuck Blazer? His American lawyer John Collins? Give me a break guys," he added.

"I will hold my head high to the very end because I am not guilty of a single iota of wrongdoing. Que sera, sera. I am not remotely bothered."

The crisis has prompted BBC sports editor David Bond to claim Fifa is "an organisation completely at war".

[stokeriño]

It would seem Platini, currently near-guaranteed FIFA President of the future by virtue of being Blatter's golden child but not a great deal else, is making a decent effort to cover his bases.

[Lineker]

So bin Hammam has withdrawn from the race, leaving Blatter to run unopposed. Democracy at its finest!

[Lineker]

The guy announcing the ethics committee outcome is stretching his statement out to hilarious proportions.

Warner and Blatter have turn on one another . Blatter off the hook, Warner and bin Hammam banned and temporarily suspended pending a full inquiry. And amazingly enough, the elections are still going ahead!

[IAceI]

Anything that sees Warner exposed is fine by me. And we really should have blown the top off this earlier rather than turning around and complaining after it backfired on us. Just my opinion of course.

[Lineker]

Suspended Fifa vice-president Jack Warner has made public an e-mail that claims Mohamed Bin Hammam "bought" the 2022 World Cup finals for Qatar.

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke admitted he sent the e-mail, which also questioned why Asian football boss Bin Hammam was running for Fifa president.

Valcke wrote: "[Hammam] thought you can buy Fifa as they bought the World Cup."

The Qatar 2022 World Cup bid team has issued a statement "categorically denying any wrong-doing" over the bid.

"We are urgently seeking clarification from Fifa about the statement from their General Secretary," continued the Qatar officials' statement.

"In the meantime we are taking legal advice to consider our options."

As the then president of the Asian Football Confederation, Bin Hammam was technically neutral in the 2022 World Cup bid process as three other AFC nations, South Korea, Japan and Australia, were also in the running.

However, as a Qatari national, the 62-year-old openly supported his homeland with their successful bid.

Bin Hammam responded to Valcke's allegations that he "bought" the 2022 World Cup for Qatar by telling BBC Sport on Monday: "I don't know why he [Valcke] has said that."

Bin Hammam added: "If I was paying money for Qatar you also have to ask the 13 people who voted for Qatar."

When asked whether Valcke's allegation was true, Bin Hammam replied: "What do you think?"

Valcke stressed that his e-mail to Warner was intended to remain "private" and pointed out that Warner had only published selected parts of it.

"He [Warner] sent me an email asking if I want that [bin Hammam to run for Fifa president], he said that I should ask Bin Hammam to pull out," Valcke added.

Valcke also denied that he had influenced Fifa's ethics committee, which suspended Warner and Bin Hammam on Sunday over separate allegations of bribery, pending further investigation.

The Fifa secretary general stated: "The first time I met the chairman of the ethics committee was yesterday [sunday] at 1700 [bST] before we went to the press conference. I had no contact at all with anyone."

Bin Hammam was suspended a matter of hours after withdrawing from the Fifa presidential race on Sunday morning.

His decision leaves 75-year-old incumbent Sepp Blatter, who is seeking a fourth term in charge of the organisation he has run unopposed since 1998, as the only man running for the office. Blatter is due to hold a news conference on Monday at 1700 BST.

Fifa has said its election will go ahead, as scheduled, on Wednesday.

Warner, who is president of the North, Central American and Caribbean confederation (Concacaf), has reacted angrily to the allegations of bribery and the Fifa ethics committee's decision to suspend him.

The Trinidad and Tobago government minister raged: "I look on the suspension as the worst form of justice by any sporting organisation.

"They came premeditated, they weren't prepared to listen, they were hand-picked to do a task and they did just that.

"The guys were hand-picked by Blatter. A kangaroo court would be a decent thing to say."

Warner, who also turned on Valcke, stated: "I wrote to Valcke telling him, among other things, that the outcome of the [Fifa presidential] elections may cause some fracture in the Arab world which we can ill afford now and that I will like to ask Bin Hammam to withdraw from the race.

"To which Jerome replied to me and I quote: 'For MBH [Mohamad Bin Hammam], I never understood why he was running. If really he thought he had a chance or just being an extreme way to express how much he does not like anymore JSB [Joseph Sepp Blatter].

"Or he thought you can buy Fifa as they [Qatar] bought the WC [World Cup]'."

Warner showed the e-mail to television crews and added: "You don't have to believe me, you don't have to like me, nobody has to eat with me, drink with me or sleep with me but Jesus Christ, take the truth when you see it."

Warner has also accused Blatter of making a gift of computers and an unauthorised $1m (£607,000) to Concacaf officials.

"I indicated that at the Miami Concacaf Congress on 3 May Mr Blatter made a gift of $1m to Concacaf to spend as it deems fit," Warner said in a statement.

"This annoyed [uefa] president Michel Platini who was present and he approached secretary general Jerome Valcke complaining that Mr Blatter had no permission from the finance committee to make this gift to which Jerome replied that he will find the money for Mr Blatter.

"I also indicated Fifa, through Mr Blatter, organised gifts of laptops and projectors to all members of the Caribbean and no objections have been made today of this to date."

However, Platini said on Monday that he was having a joke with Swiss Blatter.

The Frenchman said: "He [blatter] can give [to] the projects that he wants to give. I joke, I said 'but Sepp this was not accepted by the committee' - but he can give many projects to many national associations and we will confirm in the GOAL project after.

"In many Congresses for many, many years the president can give one or two projects to national associations - he has his own budget and he can give to one confederation and then it has to be approved of course by the executive committee next time."

Blatter has denied any wrong-doing as have Warner and Hammam, who are accused of offering financial incentives to members of the Caribbean Football Union.

Deputy chair of Fifa's ethics committee, Petrus Damaseb: "Mr Bin Hammam is hereby provisionally banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity"

In a file of evidence it was claimed bundles of cash of up to $40,000 (£24,200) were handed over to members of the CFU at the meeting in Trinidad on 10 and 11 May.

The payments were allegedly made to secure votes for Bin Hammam in his campaign to challenge Blatter for the presidency.

Bin Hammam effectively claimed Blatter was aware of some of the wrongdoing but the Fifa president did not report it, in itself a breach of Fifa's ethics code, but he was found to have no case to answer.

And last week, Qatar 2022 World Cup officials denied allegations, published in the Sunday Times, that they paid bribes in return for votes.

Meanwhile, independent Australian senator Nick Xenophon has demanded that Fifa refunds the Aus$45.6m (£29.6m) they spent on their unsuccessful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

Xenophon said: "It appears corrupt and highly questionable behaviour goes to the core of Fifa.

"Australia spent almost $46m on a bid we were never in the running for.

"Now we hear that bribes may have been made to fix the result for who will head up Fifa."

As vice president, China's Zhang Jilong will take charge of the AFC in the absence of Bin Hammam.

However, the decision to suspend Bin Hammam has been met with widespread criticism throughout the Middle East.

AFC vice president Yousuf al-Serkal, from neighbouring United Arab Emirates, said: "I think Bin Hammam has been mistreated.

"Bin Hammam is the right person who should have been elected to the presidency of Fifa from the point of view of change."

Also, lol Nick Xenophon.