FA prepare to submit full dossier on Fifa corruption
THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION will submit a full dossier to Fifa after the world governing body requested urgent evidence of the corruption allegations aimed at four members of its Executive Committee by former England 2018 bid chairman Lord Triesman.
Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke wrote to the FA, addressing chairman David Bernstein, demanding a copy of Triesman’s evidence – submitted at Tuesday’s Culture Media and Sport Committee – as well as any documents supporting accusations that four members made requests for financial assistance or favours during the bidding campaign.
“For us to be in a position to examine the situation thoroughly, and with clear sightedness, we kindly solicit you to remit us a complete report [from] Lord Triesman [together with] any or all documentary evidence at his disposal,” wrote Valcke. “We wish to underline the utmost urgency and extreme sensitivity of the matter.”
FA general secretary Alex Horne has responded by writing immediately to Fifa including some evidence provided by the committee and has promised to submit the rest as soon as possible.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter said the allegations had to be dealt with before the body’s Congress in Zurich next month.
“We have to do it very fast,” he said. “We have a Congress to come and have to deal with this matter before the Congress and not just kick it out of the minds of Fifa.
“We have to do it now, immediately, and we have three weeks. We must accelerate the movement, whether it is for the good or for the bad.”
One of the men at the centre of Triesman’s allegations, Fifa vice president Jack Warner, who is alleged to have asked for £2.5m in order to build an education centre in his native Trinidad & Tobago, was dismissive of the accusation.
“First of all, I laugh like hell because it took those guys from December to now [to say] that I have £2.5m I believe. I never asked anybody for anything,” said Warner (inset). “When these guys came here, we promised to help. I showed them a place to put a playground. They promised to come back but never did.
“What is painful is that the FA spent £19m in a bid, 24 persons in Fifa, one is from England, seven of whom from Europe. If the other 16 persons were bad, how come the only vote they got is the Englishman’s vote? How come not even one person from Europe voted for them?”
Sports minister Hugh Robertson, meanwhile, reneged on a suggestion that the FA would pull out of Fifa if they did not addressed corruption.
After initially saying “all options are open”, Robertson later said: “Leaving Fifa is not on the agenda but all the effort at Government level is on trying to get reform at Fifa.”