FIFA Corruption - there's an awful lot of smoke

[davieG]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Fifa-Impropriety-Lord-Triesman-Gives-Evidence-To-Commons-Culture-Media-And-Sport-Committee/Article/201105215989077?lpos=UK_News_First_UK_News_Article_Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15989077_Fifa_Impropriety%3A_Lord_Triesman_Gives_Evidence_To_Commons_Culture%2C_Media_And_Sport_Committee

Former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman has given details of alleged "improper and unethical" behaviour among Fifa executives to a committee of MPs.

He was appearing before the Commons' culture, media and sport committee to speak about his experiences as part of England's unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

In the first incidence of a senior official publicly detailing such allegations against Fifa executives, Lord Triesman outlined four key claims.

He said Trinidad and Tobago FA chief and Fifa vice chairman Jack Warner asked for £2.5m to be channelled through him.

Mr Warner, who denies any wrongdoing, said the accusation was "nonsense".

The former FA boss also alleged Paraguayan Fifa executive Nicolas Leoz asked for a knighthood in exchange for his backing of England's 2018 bid.

He went on to claim Brazilian Fifa executive Ricardo Teixeira asked him: "What have you got for me?"

And Lord Triesman said Thailand's Fifa executive Worawi Makudi asked for a friendly to be set up between his country and England, in exchange for his World Cup 2018 host vote

Lord Triesman told the committee Mr Warner made the suggestion about the £2.5m during a meeting between the pair and Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards.

"(Mr Warner) said that he was very concerned that he believed that after all his years in Trinidad and Tobago football, he had nothing that he could regard as his legacy," he said.

"What he had in mind was that some sort of school or educational establishment should be built, which had some affinity with football.

"I said immediately that in my view that the proposition was out of the question."

"Sir Dave said... you must be joking Jack, you're talking about maybe £2.5m.

"Jack Warner nodded at that, he didn't say anything, but then said the funds could be channelled through him and he would guarantee that they were appropriately spent."

Lord Triesman also claimed Mr Warner asked for £500,000 to buy Haiti's World Cup TV rights for the earthquake-hit nation, also to go through him.

In response to the accusations, Mr Warner said: "I have no intention of dignifying that piece of nonsense of Triesman who no doubt feels that he can revive his dying political career by mentioning that piece of foolishness.

"I have never asked Triesman nor any other person, Englishman or otherwise, for any money for my vote at any time.

"In the English World Cup campaign, before he was unceremoniously kicked out, I have spoken to Triesman, on his initiative, only on three occasions, while I have spoken to his other colleagues on diverse occasions and not one of his colleagues will ever corroborate his bit of trivia.

"I have been in the Fifa for 29 years and this will astound many I am sure including persons like David Dein and Geoff Thompson. This is the last I intend to say on this matter."

Conservative MP John Whittingdale, the chair of the parliamentary committee questioning Lord Triesman, said: "If Fifa is to have credibility, then clearly these allegations have got to be answered."

Fifa chairman Sepp Blatter denied knowledge of any improper behaviour, but added he could not speak for other Fifa delegates.

"I cannot say that they are all angels, or all devils," he said.

Lord Triesman was forced to step down as both FA and England 2018 chairman a year ago after taped conversations about the bid were reported in a Sunday newspaper.

Asked by the committee why he did not report the incidents to Fifa, Triesman said he feared that would damage the England bid but admitted he should have done so and pushed for action.

"The point was not pressed," he said.

"And I think, in retrospect, we would have burned off our chances. In retrospect that was not the right view to take and I accept that."

Earlier in the hearing, Englishman Mike Lee, who headed Qatar's winning bid to host the 2022 World Cup, said he was not aware of any corruption within Fifa's executive committee.

[Fosse Boy]

Coming from the FA? The organisation that seeks to sell this nation's footballing soul down the river at almost every given opportunity.

Pot. Kettle. Black.

[Steven]

Coming from the FA? The organisation that seeks to sell this nation's footballing soul down the river at almost every given opportunity.

Pot. Kettle. Black.

True but the bigger villains are undoubtedly FIFA. An organisation that should be disbanded or at the very least stripped of their beneficial status in Switzerland as it tarnishes the Swiss image. <_<

[act smiley]

Coming from the FA? The organisation that seeks to sell this nation's footballing soul down the river at almost every given opportunity.

Pot. Kettle. Black.

The FA may be money driven and looking out for their own good sometimes at the expense of the good of the game, but when it comes to corruption they're nothing compared to FIFA. Why do you think every time they come away looking like fools? Fifa are the premier league of corrupt, the fa are more like Sunday league at it.

Really, suggesting the chief exec of the FA is like Jack Warner in this is like suggesting the woman who dropped that cat in a bin is like Hitler.

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

Everyone knows Fifa is bent and corrupt.

The FA are just a laod of incompetant, clueless and useless old fools who dont have aclue what they're doing, and certainly dont give a shit about the fans.

[accessory]

Bin Hammam banned for life over attempted bribery claims

So when are FIFA going to review Qatar's World Cup bid? Bin Hammam was a major player in that.

[Guest ttfn]

Bin Hannam banned for life over attempted bribery claims

So when are FIFA going to review Qatar's World Cup bid? Bin Hannam was a major player in that.

They won't. Because he wasn't an official part of the bid itself.

Bin Hammam won't say anything about FIFA either because he won't want to jeopardise the World Cup going to Qatar.

[accessory]

They won't. Because he wasn't an official part of the bid itself.

Bin Hammam won't say anything about FIFA either because he won't want to jeopardise the World Cup going to Qatar.

Oh really?

If you think that Bin Hammam had nothing to do with the Qatar World Cup, you're probably one of the few that think Blatter's a clean and honest type of guy..

[Guest ttfn]

Oh really?

If you think that Bin Hammam had nothing to do with the Qatar World Cup, you're probably one of the few that think Blatter's a clean and honest type of guy..

Please re-read what I wrote. I said Bin Hammam was not an official part of the bid. I am fully aware that he will almost certainly have been heavily involved. For starters, I can't imagine that Qatar could have even dreamed of hosting the event without a significant influence within the Exco (cash - allegedly! - aside).

[accessory]

There were a lot of questions raised at the time Qatar were awarded the 2022 World Cup. Those questions have not gone away. I'm sure that the Americans and Australians, among others, will be monitoring events at FIFA with interest.

[21st Century Fox]

Shocker!!!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/11/fifa-joao-havelange-bribes-report

[I am Rod Hull]

Sepp Blatter is just a disciple of this cvnt.....

You can thank this guy for everything that Blatter and FIFA are today.

[Narborough_fox]

Just on a side note, this is a good read on FIFA corruption -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Foul-Secret-Bribes-Rigging-Scandals/dp/0007208111

[21st Century Fox]

Hanging on in there...

Franz Beckenbauer has hit back at suggestions by the Fifa president,Sepp Blatter, that there were irregularities in the decision to award the 2006 World Cup to Germany.

In an interview on Sunday, Blatter suggested the election to decide the host of the 2006 World Cup had not run smoothly and he suspected malpractice.

Beckenbauer, who was head of the organising committee for that tournament, was unhappy with the comments. "I cannot understand the remarks and suggestions of Sepp Blatter," he said.

Blatter suggested the vote had been fixed to favour Germany over his own preference of South Africa. Germany won the right to host the tournament by 12 votes to 11, with New Zealand's representative from the Oceania confederation abstaining.

"When we talk about a World Cup being bought, I remember back to 2006 where, at the very last moment, somebody left the room and, instead of having a vote of 10-10, it finished 10-9 for Germany," said Blatter.

"I am pleased because I did not have to cast a deciding vote but for somebody to suddenly leave the room – maybe I was too kind or too naive at the time." When asked if he presumed the vote had been fixed, Blatter said: "I don't presume anything, I am stating facts."

Those facts, according to Beckenbauer, are flawed. "He has even got the result wrong," he told Bild. "It was 12-11 and not 10-9. And what was decisive was that the eight Europeans all united behind us and voted for us."

The president of the Deutsche Fussbal Liga, Reinhard Rauball, has called for Blatter to step down as a result of the ISL bribery scandal which has recently come to light, but Blatter has ruled that out.

"It is nothing new that people want rid of me," he said. "Sometimes it is the British media, then the American and then the German.

"The truth is, Rauball called me last Friday and told me that I should resign. I told him that it is not as easy as he imagines. The fact is, I have been elected by the congress. No club will decide whether and when I leave."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/16/franz-beckenbauer-sepp-blatter