World Cup bid teams impose news blackout over corruption scandal

By Andrew Warshaw

October 21 – The bid teams of Spain/Portugal and Qatar imposed a total news blackout today as reports named them as the countries being investigated by FIFA as part of the explosive 2018 and 2022 World Cup corruption scandal.

While FIFA steadfastly continued to refuse to publicly confirm the identity of either candidate under suspicion of collusion, insideworldfootball learned from two separate sources that Spain/Portugal and Qatar were the bidders being probed.

What is still very much a grey area, however, is exactly to what extent they have allegedly broken FIFA’s strict code of ethics, with the world governing body facing the threat of acting too hastily merely to save face.

While FIFA’s provisional suspension of Executive Committee members Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii were viewed as inevitable by insiders following the recent Sunday Times corruption allegations that actually named them allegedly trading cash for votes, no-one was able to explain exactly how Spain/Portugal and Qatar had breached the rules except to cite unsubstantiated newspaper claims.

Spain/Portugal is bidding for the 2018 World Cup and Qatar for 2022, the inference being that they have done a deal on vote-swapping, so serious a manoeuvre that it would inevitably lead to them both being kicked out of the bid process.

That seems unlikely to happen, at this stage at least.

Collusion between bidding countries is explicitly forbidden but it is understood that Qatar has already asked FIFA for clarification over the process that led to the investigation being launched in the first place and the evidence – or lack it - allegedly held against them.

One theory is that FIFA has far more damning information at its disposal than mere rumours following last weekend’s initial Sunday Times expose.

Another is that the newspaper will be bringing out more revelations this weekend that will weed out further corruption and throw considerable light on the antics of certain bidding nations.

Both the suspensions of Adamu (pictured) and Temarii and the inquiry into the two bid contenders will be resolved on November 17 by the FIFA Ethics Committee.

If the two Executive Committee members are thrown out for good pending that final hearing, the all-important decision on December 2 seems likely to come down to 22 instead of 24 voting members.

FIFA seem unlikely to torpedo two replacements into the voting committee, meaning bidding candidates would have to frantically rework their strategies in double-quick time.

Adamu, 57, allegedly said he wanted ,£500,000 ($800,000) to build four artificial football pitches.

Temarii, who played for French club Nantes during the 1980s, is alleged to have asked for a payment to finance a sports academy.

He has already pleaded his innocence and will have more to say on the issue.

Four other FIFA officials – Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee – have also been provisionally suspended from taking part in any football-related activity.

“Let us do our job and clarify the situation and bring back credibility to football,” said FIFA President Sepp Blatter yesterday.

“Trust us and you will see confidence will be restored.”

It was a plea from a man under huge pressure not to take the flak for the unprecedented scandal.

He was backed up by his number two, Jerome Valcke, who insisted the vote would go ahead on time, with or without a 24-strong executive committee.

“There is no discussion about postponement,” Valcke said.

“We have done everything to ensure it’s a fair and transparent decision for the two World Cups.”

Two World Cups, not one.

A decision that was always likely to come back to haunt FIFA before the process reached its conclusion.

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