No surprises there then...

[Yuri]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9099326.stm

Fifa is investigating allegations two of its officials offered to sell their votes in the contest to host the 2018 World Cup.

Reporters from The Sunday Times posed as lobbyists for a consortium of American companies who wanted to bring the tournament to the United States.

They approached Amos Adamu, a Nigerian who serves as a Fifa executive committee member.

He allegedly told reporters he wanted cash to build pitches in Nigeria.

Adamu, who is president of the West African Football Union, is said to have told the undercover journalists he wanted $800,000 (£500,000) to build four artificial football pitches.

This would be completely against Fifa's rules.

The Sunday Times footage shows Adamu wanting money to be paid to him directly for endorsing the US bid.

In the video, he was asked whether the money for a "private project" would have an effect on the way he voted.

He replied: "Obviously, it will have an effect. Of course it will. Because certainly if you are to invest in that, that means you also want the vote."

Reynald Temarii, president of the Oceania Football Confederation, is also alleged to have asked for a payment, in his case to finance a sports academy.

A statement from Fifa read: "Fifa and the Fifa ethics committee have closely monitored the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups and will continue to do so.

"Fifa has already requested to receive all of the information and documents related to this matter, and is awaiting to receive this material.

"In any case, Fifa will immediately analyse the material available and only once this analysis has concluded will Fifa be able to decide on any potential next steps.

"In the meantime, Fifa is not in a position to provide any further comments on this matter."

The Oceania Football Confederation confirmed it was investigating the reports.

It issued a statement saying "OFC is aware of the story that appeared in The Sunday Times in England. As such, OFC is currently looking into the matter."

A European nation will definitely host the 2018 World Cup after the United States - the last remaining non-European bidder - pulled out of the race on Friday. Australia withdrew its candidature in June. Both will refocus their efforts on 2022.

England will now battle it out with bids from Russia, Belgium/Netherlands and Spain/Portugal.

A 24-strong committee will decide by secret ballot on 2 December who should host the tournaments.

[MrJibbles]

The title of the thread is EXACTLY what I said when I heard this on the radio going to work.

SMH

[nemesis]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9099326.stm

Fifa is investigating allegations two of its officials offered to sell their votes in the contest to host the 2018 World Cup.

Reporters from The Sunday Times posed as lobbyists for a consortium of American companies who wanted to bring the tournament to the United States.

They approached Amos Adamu, a Nigerian who serves as a Fifa executive committee member.

He allegedly told reporters he wanted cash to build pitches in Nigeria.

Adamu, who is president of the West African Football Union, is said to have told the undercover journalists he wanted $800,000 (£500,000) to build four artificial football pitches.

This would be completely against Fifa's rules.

The Sunday Times footage shows Adamu wanting money to be paid to him directly for endorsing the US bid.

In the video, he was asked whether the money for a "private project" would have an effect on the way he voted.

He replied: "Obviously, it will have an effect. Of course it will. Because certainly if you are to invest in that, that means you also want the vote."

Reynald Temarii, president of the Oceania Football Confederation, is also alleged to have asked for a payment, in his case to finance a sports academy.

A statement from Fifa read: "Fifa and the Fifa ethics committee have closely monitored the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups and will continue to do so.

"Fifa has already requested to receive all of the information and documents related to this matter, and is awaiting to receive this material.

"In any case, Fifa will immediately analyse the material available and only once this analysis has concluded will Fifa be able to decide on any potential next steps.

"In the meantime, Fifa is not in a position to provide any further comments on this matter."

The Oceania Football Confederation confirmed it was investigating the reports.

It issued a statement saying "OFC is aware of the story that appeared in The Sunday Times in England. As such, OFC is currently looking into the matter."

A European nation will definitely host the 2018 World Cup after the United States - the last remaining non-European bidder - pulled out of the race on Friday. Australia withdrew its candidature in June. Both will refocus their efforts on 2022.

England will now battle it out with bids from Russia, Belgium/Netherlands and Spain/Portugal.

A 24-strong committee will decide by secret ballot on 2 December who should host the tournaments.

it is far easier to find a dishonest fifa member than it is to find an honest one

[Guest Triple XXX]

thought the EXACT same thing wen i saw it on BBC news

infact i was just WAITING for there to be a Nigerian

[MrJibbles]

Michel Zen-Ruffinen, a former secretary general of Fifa, has said he can identify Fifa executive members who are willing to be bribed to buy their votes for the World Cups in 2018 (for which England is bidding) and 2022.

The latest allegations in the cash for votes scandal come from a Sunday Times report which says Zen-Ruffinen was caught on camera going through a list of Fifa executive members, saying how much their votes would cost, and describing one of them "as the biggest gangster on earth".

Zen-Ruffinen added that the Spain/Portugal bid to host the World Cup has struck a deal with Qatar to exchange votes, which will have implications for England's 2018 bid, although Qatar have angrily denied the allegations.

"People expect a battle between Russia and England but they are very much disturbed by the alliance with Qatar, because if Spain start with seven, which nobody was expecting ... that's a real alliance. It's bound, tacked with a nice ribbon and that's really problematic. This is the most problematic thing. And I was informed about it last week. And this is not just a rumour. That's a fact."

Zen-Ruffinen, a 51-year-old lawyer who worked for 16 years at football's world governing body and was regarded as the Fifa president Sepp Blatter's protégé before falling out with him, named two Fifa members whom he maintained would be susceptible to financial inducements, and a third whom he described as "the guy you can have with ladies and not money ..."

He described a fourth member as "the biggest gangster you will find on earth", whose vote would cost "a minimum of half a million (dollars)."

Zen-Ruffinen said later that he had only been recounting "well-known rumours."

It also emerged that Spain may have secured another vote through Reynald Temarii, the Fifa executive committee member for Oceania, according to a statement by Ahongalu Fusimalohi, another member of the Oceania executive committee. "Oceania have indirectly said they will support England," Fusimalhi said. "But they are not."

Asked who they were supporting, he replied: "Spain."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/24/fifa-alleged-bribes-voting-world-cup