FIFA executives accused in BBC documentary

Three FIFA executives who will help decide the the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts were accused of corruption in a BBC documentary aired just days before the crunch vote in Zurich.

The long-awaited edition of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Panorama programme, whose timing has been condemned by England 2018 chiefs, said senior FIFA officials were involved in a wide-ranging bribery scandal.

The three members of FIFA’s executive committee — Ricardo Teixeira of Brazil, African football chief Issa Hayatou and South America’s Nicolas Leoz — are alleged to have received secret payments from a sports marketing firm.

Panorama also accused a fourth FIFA executive committee member, Jack Warner, of attempting to sell World Cup tickets on the black market.

Warner is seen as a key ally for England 2018 officials whose vote will be crucial if their bid is to be successful.

Panorama said it had obtained a confidential document from International Sports and Leisure (ISL), which detailed 175 payments totalling 100 million dollars made between 1989 and 1999.

Many of the payments were funnelled to front companies set up in Liechtenstein, Panorama alleged, with much of the cash eventually being paid to a “handful” of FIFA officials.

ISL, which was awarded exclusive marketing rights for successive World Cups and other sporting events, collapsed in 2001, triggering an investigation from Swiss authorities.

Six ISL officials were tried for misusing company money but were never tried for bribery because that was not an offence in Switzerland at the time.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter declined to comment on the three FIFA executives accused of involvement in the corruption scandal.

However, he told Panorama that a Swiss court case had largely exonerated the managers of ISL involved in the investigation.

“It is important to stress that no FIFA officials were accused of any criminal offence in these proceedings,” Blatter was quoted as saying.

England 2018 officials have condemned the Panorama programme as “unpatriotic”, accusing the BBC of sensationalism by choosing to air the programme three days before the December 2 vote in Zurich.

“If they (the BBC) truly believe there’s a journalistic reason to run this Panorama — and that that’s their decision — then they could have done it at any time in the past two years,” England bid chief Andy Anson said.

“To do it the week before the vote is about one thing — sensationalism. I don’t think that’s helpful and I don’t think it’s patriotic.”

A BBC spokesman Monday defended the programme.

“The programme is in the public interest and shows that some FIFA executives involved in making decisions about the 2018 bid have a history of taking bribes and that FIFA has consistently failed to act,” the spokesman said.

“Delay until after the bid was not an option once it became clear that the winning nations might have been chosen by officials with a proven track record of corruption.

“The programme has uncovered new evidence linking current, long-serving members of the FIFA executive committee with systemic corruption.”

England is bidding to win the 2018 tournament ahead of bookmakers favourites Russia and joint bids from Spain and Portugal and Holland and Belgium.

The 2002 race, which will also be decided in a vote on Thursday, sees Australia, the United States, Qatar, Japan and South Korea vying for the tournament.