By Andrew Warshaw
June 5 – The Oceania Footbball Confederation will make no comment over its alleged role into how Qatar won the right to stage the 2022 World Cup until FIFA’s ethics committee investigator has completed his inquiries.
The infamous ballot of December 2010, has been thrust into the spotlight yet again in the last week after allegations that around $5 million was paid to officials by Qatar’s former Asian Football Confederation boss Mohamed bin Hammam in return for votes for the Gulf state’s successful bid.
Qatar has strongly denied the reports which in part focussed on the role of Reynald Temarii who was OFC president at the time and a member of FIFA’s executive committee when he was caught out in a cash-for-votes sting and subsequently suspended.
Last weekend’s Sunday Times expose claimed that Temarii’s legal costs as were paid by Mohamed Bin Hammam to allow him to appeal against the suspension, delaying his removal from the executive committee and thus blocking his deputy David Chung from voting instead of him. Chung’s vote would likely have been cast for Australia.
Temarii admits he received help from bin Hammam but not at that time. “I did receive financial assistance from Mr Bin Hammam towards my legal fees but that was only in February 2011,” he has been quoted as saying without further explanation.
The OFC has been silent on the matter since the latest story broke last week but now says it can make no public comment until FIFA investigator Michael Garcia has presented his eagerly awaited report to the ethics committee, expected to be towards the end of July
“Stories concerning the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 bidding process have appeared in the media this week,” the OFC said in a short statement.
“As the matter remains before the FIFA Ethics Committee, OFC does not wish to do anything that may undermine that process and is awaiting the outcome of the inquiry before making any further statement.”
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