ACTUALITE |
01.03.2002
Blatter denies bribery claims
Sepp Blatter has said that bribery allegations made against him are part of a "destabilisation and defamation campaign".
Thursday`s Daily Mail newspaper alleged that bribes of $100,000 were paid to persuade FIFA members to vote for Blatter as Fifa president in 1998.
"I am not surprised to learn of such an article at this time," Blatter said in a statement on FIFA`s web site on Thursday.
"It is part of a destabilisation and defamation campaign against my person that has been ongoing for some time.
"For the past few weeks, FIFA has been aware of the fact that respective documents have been launched intentionally.
Campaign
"I have expressed myself several times and in full length to all allegations in connection with the election in 1998."
Uefa president Lennart Johansson - the man beaten by Blatter in the 1998 election - said he was ready for showdown talks with Blatter following the latest controversy.
Blatter`s supporters have been accused of offering cash incentives to the heads of national associations during his successful presidential campaign.
The vice-president of the African Football Confederation (CAF) Farah Addo claimed he was offered $100,000 (£72,000) to vote for Blatter but reportedly refused the money.
One of Addo`s colleagues, Hassan Ali, told the BBC he did accept money and air tickets, but that none of the other cash pledges came to fruition.
Johansson grilled the Fifa chief last summer following the collapse of the ISL marketing company Blatter hired to oversee the next two World Cups.
"We have to thoroughly investigate the statements made and printed in Britain with names and sworn statements for the first time, that the vote for the presidency in 1998 was rigged," said Johansson.
"I would like this investigation to be part of an internal investigation, already set up, which was called to examine Fifa`s finances following the collapse of ISL last year.
Honest
"I must make it clear that although I was beaten in the presidential vote four years ago, I am not bitter about losing the election.
"The point now is we have to investigate the claims made to release Fifa from any sense of dishonesty.
"We must tell the world the truth about Fifa and show that Fifa is an honest organisation.
He added: "I am not accusing anyone of anything and I do not even care to know the names of the people who allegedly took money to change their vote.
"But eventually the truth will hunt you down and will catch up with you.
"If these allegations are true, I think that the president himself, Mr Blatter will have to make a judgment on his future. It is a matter for him to decide what to do."
An extraordinary meeting of Fifa`s executive committee will be held in Zurich on 7 March.
It follows requests 13 of the 24 members that an investigations committee be set up look into the allegations and the state of Fifa`s finances.
The calls have been led by Johansson, African confederation president Issa Hayatou and Korean FA president Chung Mong-joon, who are also both Fifa vice-presidents.
Norway Football Association president Per Ravn Omdal, who is a member of the FIFA and UEFA executive committees, said: "These rumours have been around since 1998. We have heard them many times before. I haven`t said we need an investigation, and I can`t call for that at this point.
"There is a board meeting next week, and one of the subjects will be FIFA`s economy. We may look at this in that context, but it is no investigation".
The head of Liberia`s soccer association, Edwin Snowe, described Addo`s allegations as being "without an iota of truth."
Snowe said: "I saw no evidence of the claims he is making. If it was true, he has had four years to provide the evidence. Why does he wait until two months before the (next) elections?"
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Hits: 1 | Source:BBC | |
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