By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
May 10 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter admitted today he was “shocked” by sensational new allegations of corruption involving no fewer than six of his Executive Committee and promised the world governing body would act once the evidence has been provided.
A Parliamentary hearing in London into England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid exploded into controversy when MPs revealed claims that that two Executive Committee members, including Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and the Ivory Coast’s Jacques Anouma were offered money in exchange for voting for 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar.
The shock claims were highlighted at the Culture, Media and Sport Committee where Tory MP Damian Collins said that evidence submitted by the Sunday Times newspaper, which the committee will publish, alleged that FIFA vice-president Hayatou and Anouma were paid $1.5 million (£969,000) by Qatar.
The revelations, which will stun world football, spiralled into even more drama when former England 2018 bid chairman Lord Triesman, who was not involved in the final six months of the campaign, then disclosed that four other Executive Committee members had approached him seeking favours.
They included FIFA vice-president Jack Warner who allegedly asked for £2.5 million ($4.1 million) to be channelled through him for an educational project in his native Trinidad and Tobago, while Paraguay’s FIFA member Nicolas Leoz asked for a knighthood, a claim the South American Confederation chief has consistently denied.
FIFAs Ethics Committee last year banned two other executive committee members after a Sunday Times investigation into World Cup bidding and Blatter was clearly taken aback.
“I was shocked when I am hearing this,” he said at a news conference that was supposed to be about FIFA’s new Task Force to find ways of improving the game but was dominated by the new allegations.
“Let us have time to digest this.
“First we have to have evidence.
“Then we will act immediately against anyone in breach of our ethical code.”
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said FIFA would immediately be seeking to acquire Triesman’s evidence and that of the Select Committee.
“From day one, we were very clear on what our executive committee members can and can’t do,” he said.
“I’m amazed that certain people are saying we were not very very clear in our guidelines but if there is any evidence, we will immediately pass it to our Ethics Committee,” said Valcke.
Valcke was surprised, given recent corruption scandals, that Triesman and England’s bid team had not passed their information to FIFA as soon as they were aware there was something suspicious.
“It could have been said before,” he said.
“If it was known, why did it not come to our attention?
“Why were we not informed?.”
Valcke said there was no chance that the double ballot could be re-held even though eight of FIFA’s 24 Executive Committee members are now involved in bribery and corruption allegations.
And he denied claims by MPs that FIFA had failed to reply to an official letter about the Qatar claims.
“There was a letter and we did definitely reply,” said Valcke.
“But there has not been a single time, apart from what we got from a UK newspaper, where we got any evidence anything was wrong during the process.
“I’m not saying anyone is lying but if we had clear information that there was some kind of evidence we would have immediately asked for it.”
FA general secretary officer Alex Horne, at present here for the Task Force hearing, said the FA would be asking the Select Committee for all the evidence they had “and get it sent to the FIFA ethics committee.”
Horne said it was “too early to say” whether the FA would be calling for the ballot in December to be retaken.
Blatter, rocked by arguably the biggest scandal of all less than three weeks before running for President for the fourth time, told reporters his own conscience was clear.
“I can’t answer for members of my Committee,” he said.
“I can’t say if they are all angels or devils but I am not in the category that has to go to any tribunal or ethics committee.
“My conscience is clear.”
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