FIFA have opened an investigation into the conduct of four officials – including vice-president Jack Warner and presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam – in relation to bribery allegations.
The claims were made by executive committee member Chuck Blazer, general secretary of the CONCACAF federation, allege that violations were committed under the FIFA code of ethics during a meeting organised by Bin Hammam and Warner concerning the forthcoming FIFA presidential election.
Bin Hammam is the president of the Asian Football Confederation and is challenging Sepp Blatter to be the new president of FIFA in next month's elections.
A FIFA statement read: "On 24 May, 2011, FIFA executive committee member and Concacaf general secretary Chuck Blazer reported to Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke possible violations of the FIFA code of ethics allegedly committed by officials.
"In particular, the report referred to a special meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), apparently organised jointly by FIFA vice-president Jack A. Warner and FIFA executive committee member Mohamed Bin Hammam, which took place on 10-11 May 2011. This meeting was linked to the upcoming FIFA presidential election.
"In view of the facts alleged in this report, which include bribery allegations, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, in compliance with art. 16 of the FIFA code of ethics, yesterday requested the FIFA ethics committee open ethics proceedings."
Bin Hammam and Warner, along with CFU officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester, have been invited to attend a hearing in Zurich on Sunday.
The chairman of the ethics committee, Claudio Sulser, will not oversee the proceedings because he shares Swiss nationality with Blatter, and this could be construed as a conflict of interests. The meeting will be chaired by the committee's deputy chairman Petrus Damaseb of Namibia.
The new investigation is separate to the inquiry launched earlier this month by FIFA into claims made in parliament regarding the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups last year.
The former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman alleged during a culture, media and sport select committee hearing that he had witnessed "improper and unethical" behaviour by four ExCo members – including Warner – during his time as England's 2018 World Cup bid chairman.
The charges against Bin Hammam throw his candidacy in to doubt, and there could also be implications for Qatar's 2022 World Cup.
The allegations against Warner, a long-term ally of Blatter, and considered the kingmaker in the presidential election with his control of the 40 CONCACAF votes, could signal the end of his influence within football's governing body.
View the Original article
0 comments:
Post a Comment