Handballs and hard tackles: The day in FIFA
The FIFA corruption scandal took a series of bizarre turns on Thursday, most notably with a former ally of Sepp Blatter threatening to implicate his old boss directly in the wrongdoing. Here are the day’s highlights:
Warner’s warning
Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice-president charged in the U.S. investigation into fraud at soccer’s governing body, vowed Thursday to expose a direct link between Sepp Blatter and the stunning corruption claims that brought down the FIFA president. “Not even death will stop the avalanche that is coming,” he said, ominously. Warner went so far as to claim to possess documents and cheques linking FIFA officials, including Blatter, to the 2010 national election in Trinidad & Tobago. He said the material was so explosive that he feared assassination and had given it to his lawyers for release in the event of his death or incarceration.
Handball windfall
In another bizarre twist, FIFA admitted Thursday to giving Ireland $5 million in compensation for missing a place at the 2010 World Cup after French star Thierry Henry’s illegal handball set up his side’s winning goal in a qualifying game. The referee missed the call, and FIFA publicly stated that the call had to stand, but made the payoff to stave off legal action by the Irish. Ireland had initially asked in private whether FIFA could let them play in the World Cup finals as a 33rd team, a request that Blatter mocked publicly on stage in front of FIFA delegates. The Irish were incensed by the snub and after a no-holds-barred meeting with Blatter, he allegedly made the cash concession.
Qatar’s counterstrike
Qatar’s foreign minister says he knows what’s really behind allegations that his country was wrongly awarded the 2022 World Cup: racism. Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, visiting Tunisia Thursday, denounced the furor surrounding the widening FIFA scandal and said his country co-operated with American investigators and was cleared of any suspicion. “Unfortunately, there are some parties that cannot swallow the fact of an Arab and Muslim country hosting this competition,” he said. “This cup will take place for the first time in the history of football and sport in an Arab country.”
London calling
If Qatar is pulled as host, the British government knows a country that just might be able to step up to the plate. “Obviously, if FIFA came forward and asked us to consider hosting it, we have the facilities in this country, and of course we did mount a very impressive, if unsuccessful, bid to host the 2018 World Cup,” culture secretary John Whittingdale told the House of Commons. However, Whittingdale acknowledged that “it does seem very unlikely that another European country would host it in 2022” because Russia is due to stage the World Cup in 2018. For now, at least.
Canada’s turn
In the opening news conference for the Women’s World Cup, the first question the head of Canadian soccer faced was whether there were bribes involving Canada’s bid to be host. The question stemmed from the corruption scandal that has rocked FIFA. “This World Cup? No, absolutely not,” said Victor Montagliani, the president of the Canadian Soccer Association. He was peppered at the start of Thursday’s press conference with questions related to possible improprieties, even though Canada was the only candidate when the bids were considered in 2011. “I actually think that it’s a positive thing that the first tournament after whatever happened last week is the Women’s World Cup,” he said. “Because women’s football is a very pure form of football. And I think women’s football can shine some light in the dark clouds that are hanging over the game.”