ZURICH: FIFA widened its probe into alleged World Cup bidding corruption on Monday after a former leading administrator reportedly claimed two candidates have colluded to trade votes.FIFA said it has “immediately requested to receive all ... potential evidence,” from Britain's Sunday Times newspaper regarding its reporting of comments from Michel Zen-Ruffinen, who was general secretary of football's world governing body for four years until 2002.
Zen-Ruffinen was secretly filmed saying Spain-Portugal and Qatar have struck a deal giving each seven votes from the 24-man FIFA executive committee which is choosing World Cup hosts in December. Spain-Portugal want to host in 2018 and Qatar is a 2022 candidate. Both need 13 votes to guarantee victory under existing rules.
“So they start with seven (votes) which ... was not expected by the other candidates. And this is not just a rumor, that's fact,” Zen-Ruffinen was quoted as saying to undercover reporters who posed as lobbyists claiming to work on behalf of one bidder.
FIFA said it will refer the evidence to its ethics committee which last week officially launched an investigation into alleged illegal collusion between bidders, which it did not name. Officials from the Spain-Portugal and Qatar bids have not confirmed they are being investigated.
“FIFA has immediately requested to receive all the documents and potential evidence that the newspaper has in relation to this matter, and will in any case analyze the material available,” it said in a statement.
“FIFA and the ethics committee are committed to have zero tolerance for any breach of the Code of Ethics and the Bid Registration. FIFA and the ethics committee are determined to protect the integrity of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process.”
The ethics panel also is investigating two current and four former members of FIFA's ruling executive following Sunday Times allegations that the bidding process was shrouded by corruption.
Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii from Tahiti were filmed seeming to offer their votes in exchange for funding for football projects. They were provisionally suspended from all football duty after appearing last Wednesday before FIFA's ethics court which used videos and transcripts provided by the newspaper.
Adamu and Temarii will miss a two-day meeting of FIFA's executive chaired by Sepp Blatter starting Thursday which is scheduled to finalize voting rules for the secret World Cup ballot on Dec. 2 in Zurich.
Zen-Ruffinen, who left FIFA after alleging financial mismanagement under Blatter's leadership, also was recorded suggesting FIFA voters could be bribed with offers of money or women.
The Swiss lawyer later told the newspaper he exaggerated his claims to help gain a consultancy fee and had only offered to assist reporters contacting FIFA officials.
Zen-Ruffinen's claims will heap more work on to the FIFA ethics committee which is scheduled to deliver verdicts on its separate investigations _ into officials and bidders _ at a meeting in mid-November, less than three weeks before polling day. He could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.
The four former executive committee members also provisionally suspended are Tunisian lawyer Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite of Mali, Botswana's Ismail Bhamjee and Ahongalu Fusimalohi from Tonga.
The 2018 contest is between England, Russia and the joint bids of Belgium-Holland and Spain-Portugal.
The 2022 race involves the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Qatar. -A
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