FIFA suspends Executive Committee members accused of vote-selling

This decision was announced yesterday at a press conference at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich following the meeting of the ethics committee. A final decision regarding the two members will be made at a meeting in mid-November, pending further investigation.

Also, the Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into alleged agreements between member associations and their Bid Committees in relation to the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process, FIFA writes.

For now there is no discussion of postponing the December 2 election of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts, stated FIFA Secretary General, Jerome Valke.

A sad day for football
At the press conference FIFA President Sepp Blatter said that “it’s a sad day for football”.

"Our society is full of devils and these devils you find them in football. We have to fight for respect and especially we have to fight so that the people in charge of FIFA behave as they should.”

When asked by a German reporter about corruption within FIFA, Blatter stated; "I was a little bit surprised that you say is FIFA corrupt. FIFA is actually in the world of sport a well-recognised organisation and institution and if there are some activities that are against the ethics and the morals that's why the ethics committee came in" writes World Football Insider.

Play the Game comments
Founder and international director of Play the Game, Jens Sejer Andersen, appeared in World Radio Switzerland this morning commenting on the decision of the ethics committee and Blatters above mentioned statements. He sees some progress;

“Last time journalists raised questions about FIFA’s ingrained corruption they were actually thrown out and threatened with the police by the FIFA media director, so some progress has certainly happened since journalists are now allowed to ask these kinds of questions” Andersen told WRS.

Regarding Blatter’s refusal that FIFA is in any way corrupt, Andersen argued that; “Blatter seems quite oblivious that only four months ago FIFA had to settle the world's largest sports corruption case” referring to the ISL case.

Listen to the full WRS interview with Jens Sejer Andersen

Read up on Play the Game’s coverage of the ISL case

See the FIFA press conference in full