The International Football Federation banned and fined six top officials for being involved in scandals related to World Cup bidding, FIFA’s Ethics Committee announced on Thursday.
The committee announced a one-year ban for FIFA Vice President Reynald Temarii, and three years for Amos Adamu, FIFA executive committee member. They are forbidden from taking part in any soccer-related activities during that time and were fined 5,000 Swiss franks (US$5,012) and 10,000 Swiss franks respectively.
Also banned for between two and four years are Slim Aloulou, chairman of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber, Ahongalu Fusimalohi, general secretary of the Tonga Football Association, Amadou Diakite, a member of the FIFA Referees Committee, and Ismael Bhamjee, Confederation of African Football honorary member, all for breaching some articles of FIFA’s Code of Ethics.
FIFA launched the investigation after a Sunday Times investigative report caught Adamu and Temarii on film asking for money in exchange for supporting bids for hosting the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
According to The Times, Nigeria’s Adamu was ostensibly soliciting $800,000 to build artificial soccer fields in Nigeria, while Temarii from Tahiti was asking $2.4 million for a soccer school. The paper also reported that Temarii had boasted that he was offered about $12 million for supporting another country’s bid.
The Sunday Times investigative reporters posed as lobbyists representing a group of American companies offering the two officials the opportunity to sell their votes for the upcoming vote on for the next two World Cup host countries.
“For as long as I am on the ethics committee, we will have a zero tolerance policy for all violations of standards,” said Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Ethics Committee, at a press conference broadcast live from FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, after a three-day hearing.
“We don’t want cheaters, we don’t want doping, we don’t want any type of abuses to be accepted. … We don’t want illicit advantages to take place,” he added.
“The damage caused to FIFA’s image is very great. When one talks of FIFA, there is generally a negative attitude out there, talk of corruption.”
He said that the officials may be able to rejoin FIFA once the bans expire.
England and Russia are bidding to host the 2018 World Cup along side joint proposals by Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Netherlands. The United States, Qatar, Japan, and South Korea are competing for a host of the 2022 World Cup.
Sulser also blasted the Sunday Times for being “sensationalist” for carrying out the investigative sting and also accused them of “twisting the facts” by taking video footage out of context. He said the committee watched hours of footage while what the Times presented to the public was only four minutes. The Times’ role in the scandal has sparked concerns that it might damage U.K.’s bid for the games.
Prime Minister David Cameron will go to Zurich on Dec. 2 in order to support England’s bid in a 24-member FIFA Executive Committee’s final voting, which determines who will be a host country for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup Tournaments.
FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke said that the vote would go on without the two banned committee members and would not make a big difference.
Adamu and Temarii were first suspended on Oct. 20 at the start of the investigation.
The committee announced a one-year ban for FIFA Vice President Reynald Temarii, and three years for Amos Adamu, FIFA executive committee member. They are forbidden from taking part in any soccer-related activities during that time and were fined 5,000 Swiss franks (US$5,012) and 10,000 Swiss franks respectively.
Also banned for between two and four years are Slim Aloulou, chairman of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber, Ahongalu Fusimalohi, general secretary of the Tonga Football Association, Amadou Diakite, a member of the FIFA Referees Committee, and Ismael Bhamjee, Confederation of African Football honorary member, all for breaching some articles of FIFA’s Code of Ethics.
FIFA launched the investigation after a Sunday Times investigative report caught Adamu and Temarii on film asking for money in exchange for supporting bids for hosting the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
According to The Times, Nigeria’s Adamu was ostensibly soliciting $800,000 to build artificial soccer fields in Nigeria, while Temarii from Tahiti was asking $2.4 million for a soccer school. The paper also reported that Temarii had boasted that he was offered about $12 million for supporting another country’s bid.
The Sunday Times investigative reporters posed as lobbyists representing a group of American companies offering the two officials the opportunity to sell their votes for the upcoming vote on for the next two World Cup host countries.
“For as long as I am on the ethics committee, we will have a zero tolerance policy for all violations of standards,” said Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Ethics Committee, at a press conference broadcast live from FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, after a three-day hearing.
“We don’t want cheaters, we don’t want doping, we don’t want any type of abuses to be accepted. … We don’t want illicit advantages to take place,” he added.
“The damage caused to FIFA’s image is very great. When one talks of FIFA, there is generally a negative attitude out there, talk of corruption.”
He said that the officials may be able to rejoin FIFA once the bans expire.
England and Russia are bidding to host the 2018 World Cup along side joint proposals by Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Netherlands. The United States, Qatar, Japan, and South Korea are competing for a host of the 2022 World Cup.
Sulser also blasted the Sunday Times for being “sensationalist” for carrying out the investigative sting and also accused them of “twisting the facts” by taking video footage out of context. He said the committee watched hours of footage while what the Times presented to the public was only four minutes. The Times’ role in the scandal has sparked concerns that it might damage U.K.’s bid for the games.
Prime Minister David Cameron will go to Zurich on Dec. 2 in order to support England’s bid in a 24-member FIFA Executive Committee’s final voting, which determines who will be a host country for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup Tournaments.
FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke said that the vote would go on without the two banned committee members and would not make a big difference.
Adamu and Temarii were first suspended on Oct. 20 at the start of the investigation.
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