By Paul Nicholson
February 24 – Shaikh Salman has responded immediately to an attack on his integrity by British Conservative member of parliament Damian Collins who used the legal protection of parliamentary privilege in the House of Commons to launch a series of accusations against Salman.
Collins alleges that Shaikh Salman had used FIFA Goal development funds to help finance his failed bid to win the AFC presidency in 2009 and that in 2013 the Olympic Council of Asia was approached by the Kyrgyzstan football federation for money, allegedly for cash (millions of dollars according to Collins) for their one vote.
Salman’s response to the vote buying allegation was that he had “no knowledge whatsoever of any inducements offered, or of any payments made by the OCA to any football associations and absolutely no evidence has been forthcoming to show this to have been the case.
“Shaikh Salman won the 2013 AFC presidential election by a landslide, with 33 of the 46 votes. The other candidates received 6 and 7 votes respectively. Shaikh Salman was clearly the overwhelming choice of AFC members.”
Salman is similarly dismissive of the accusations that he misappropriated FIFA GOAL money saying: “FIFA-financed GOAL projects are a matter of public record, which are published on FIFA’s website. Funding allocated to Goal projects was used for the projects on terms agreed with FIFA and the funding was paid to the third party contractors who carried out the projects. All of the funds allocated and the amounts actually received are listed on FIFA’s website. These are based on FIFA’s audited accounts. See: http://www.fifa.com/development/facts-and-figures/association=bhr/index.html.
“It would be virtually impossible to use GOAL funds since the money is transferred directly to the companies contracted to implement the projects. FIFA did ask for clarification on how the GOAL money had been used as part of its procedure in auditing all GOAL funds. The BFA responded with adequate information and documents, and consequently the inquiry was closed.”
The weakness within the Collins logic in that the timescales of when he says the funds were taken do not fit with the election timescale. “Some of the GOAL projects Shaikh Salman was alleged to have used to fund his campaign were fully completed before the 2009 campaign even started. For example, a Bahraini construction company, M&I Construction received GOAL funds to build the BFA’s headquarters, which were completed and inaugurated at a ceremony in 2003 some six years before the 2009 campaign,” said a statement.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Shaikh Salman’s 2009 election campaign was funded entirely from his own pocket.”
The actual petition Collins is supporting with his allegations is that “the House of Commons urges the Government to confirm that it would not support bids from the English Football Association to host FIFA tournaments should Sheikh Salman be elected as President of FIFA.”
While the facts underlying Collins petition seem based in opposition media reports from Bahrain and primarily on hearsay from the 2013 election, the strategic wisdom of Collin’s petition is unlikely to be a vote winner wither with English football fans (who are generally not overly noted for their integrity over how they win matches) or within FIFA’s corridors.
Collins has been a leader within the NewFIFANow lobby group whose agenda has subtly shifted from reform to a call for a dissolution of FIFA (see http://www.insideworldfootball.com/fifa/18843-swiss-paper-uncovers-aussie-led-group-funding-campaign-to-destroy-fifa?highlight=WyJ3ZWx0d29jaGUiXQ==)
Last month Collins made a failed attempt to organise all the presidential candidates to present their campaign manifestos in Brussels under the auspices of the EU. The event only drew one candidate and Collins was humiliated on the day essentially being left with only a press conference.
What was probably even more humiliating for Collins but perhaps shows where the real power balance within the EU, particularly in respect of the UK’s most recent political fumblings in the area, lies is that at least two of the candidates (Salman and Infantino) have separately held talks at senior EU level about the crisis at FIFA and their remedies.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734790802labto1734790802ofdlr1734790802owedi1734790802sni@n1734790802oslol1734790802hcin.1734790802luap1734790802