By Andrew Warshaw
December 7 – The corruption allegations that swirled around the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups just over a year ago have been reignited by a suggestion that the FBI is now involved.
The Daily Telegraph reported today that FBI investigators have interviewed members of England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid as part of a wider probe.
According to the paper, Investigators claim to have “really great intelligence” of malpractice as well as “substantial evidence” of outside organisations attempting to hack the email accounts of the United States bid for the 2022 tournament.
Both England and the United States were stunned by the manner of their respective ballot defeats, England gaining just two votes for 2018 and the USA crushed by Qatar for 2022.
According to the paper, the FBI is also understood to have asked questions relating to the alleged bribery of Caribbean football officials by Mohammed Bin Hammam, who was due to stand against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA Presidency in June but withdrew and was banned for life the following month.
It is suspected that the money allegedly offered at a pre-arranged meeting in Trinidad was transported through US borders, a potential offence if it was undeclared.
Jack Warner, former FIFA senior vice-president and President of the Caribbean Football Union, resigned from all football posts after a FIFA inquiry found “compelling” evidence that he conspired with Bin Hammam.
Since the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup competitions to Russia and Qatar there have been constant accusations of corruption.
As well as the cases of Bin Hammam and Warner, two other members ofFIFA’s 24-strong Executive Committee members were suspended before the Presidential vote after being exposed in a newspaper sting while 16 Caribbean football officials have been sanctioned for their involvement in the cash-for-votes affair in Trinidad.
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