Sepp wants Fifa boss to be probed
– Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter (right) called for an investigation into his successor Gianni Infantino, after Switzerland’s Attorney-General admitted meeting the current boss of world football’s governing body.
The attorney-general, Michael Lauber, told journalists earlier on Wednesday that his meetings with current Fifa boss Infantino were “normal and regular, especially in complex cases”.
The Football Leaks website alleges that Infantino offered favours to a senior Swiss prosecutor, Rinaldo Arnold, in a bid to foster a relationship with Lauber, possibly to obtain privileged information about the Fifa probe.
According to Football Leaks, the informal meetings occurred in the spring of 2016, a few months after
Lausanne
Infantino took charge of Fifa and vowed to restore its credibility, which had been shaken by the corruption-plagued 17-year leadership of Blatter.
Blatter reacted to Wednesday’s news by telling AFP: “The Fifa Ethics Committee must do something and open an investigation into Mr Infantino.
Zurich
Fifa president Gianni Infantino expects the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be the best ever, he said in an interview this week. “It will be a very exciting World Cup,” Infantino told beIN Sports.
“We are Fifa and we want only the best, this means that every World Cup has to be the best ever, as was the case for Russia, and all the ingredients are there to make the World Cup in 2022 an unforgettable event.”
The small gulf kingdom, which stretches only 180km from one end to the other, is unlike any previous host with little sporting tradition and a population of just over 2.5 million.
“It will be very compact, all stadiums are one hour maximum from each other, hosted by a country that has all the infrastructure ready,” said Infantino.
“Where is the transparency preached by Mr Infantino during his election? He should report himself to the Ethics Committee to show that he is transparent.”
Blatter added: “Infantino met Mr Lauber several times, whereas I have been questioned by him just once since a procedure against me was opened in September 2015.”
In addition to Blatter, the high-profile targets of Swiss investigators include former Fifa secretary-general Jerome Valcke and Nasser al-Khelaifi, the powerful Qatari national and media executive who is the president of French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
None of the Swiss cases have moved to trial, but Lauber rejected criticism that his office was working slowly, noting that several could be closed next year or referred to court. –
The tournament begins in exactly four years’ time, on November 21 2022, having been moved from the traditional June and July slot to avoid the searing summer temperatures.
“The climate will be great as well ... it’s between 15 and 25 Celsius in Doha and these are ideal conditions for such an event,” said Infantino.
The furious pace of construction has led to allegations of exploitation of migrant workers building the new infrastructure with human rights organisations condemning labour practices.
Infantino, however, emphasised, as he has done several times in the past, that the problem would not have come to light without the World Cup.
“This World Cup will leave a great legacy,” he said. “It has had a very important social impact in the whole region.”
Infantino, who was not asked about proposals to increase the tournament from 32 to 48 teams, added that some stadiums would be taken down and shipped off to other countries after the event.
“This is really a sustainable World Cup with beautiful stadiums, beautiful venues and this is the first time that 170 000 seats will be dismantled and shipped to countries which need them – in Africa and Asia,” he said.
“It will show the Arab world in a positive way and the world will be surprised.”
Qatar’s national team has never played at the World Cup and is currently ranked 96th but Infantino said there had been signs of improvement.
“The latest results have been encouraging for Qatar ... they have beaten Ecuador and Switzerland and they drew against Iceland. I think they are on the right path to having a competitive team.” – Reuters