MP’s “appalled” by FIFA allegations of corruption and call for independent investigation

In the newly released report, the committee concludes that FIFA President Sepp Blatter has shown no appetite to properly address the corruption crisis engulfing FIFA and said that it has seen no evidence that reform is likely to occur, writes the British newspaper The Telegraph.

The newspaper cites committee chairman John Whittingdale who says that: “The credibility of FIFA has been hugely damaged and it is now up to Mr Blatter to deliver on his promises made at the time of his re-election and to show that allegations of misconduct and corruption will no longer be swept under the carpet”.

Furthermore he urges “the FA to continue to press for real change in Fifa and to work with other national associations to ensure that it happens.”
In general the committee is “appalled by the allegations of corruption made against members of the Fifa executive committee during the course of our inquiry,” the report states referring to the allegations of corruption against Jack Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam, who are accused of paying up to $1m in bribes to Caribbean football officials in relation to Bin Hammam’s FIFA presidential campaign.

“They are sufficiently serious for Fifa to commission a full, urgent and independent investigation, and for the outcome to be made public… Instead, Fifa has given every impression of wishing to sweep all allegations of misconduct under the carpet and dismissing anyone bringing allegations to them with an approach bordering on contempt,” the report says.

According to the British committee FIFA is not the sole to blame for England failing to win the 2018 World Cup bidding. According to The Telegraph the committee’s report is also highly critical of the England 2018 campaign, which is accused of not learning the lessons of the failed 2006 World Cup bid, of failing to do sufficient groundwork before launching the bid and of lacking “the components of a successful bid”.

SOURCE: THE TELEGRAPH