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Sponsors Jittery As Fifa Battles World Cup Graft Claims

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Sponsors Jittery As Fifa Battles World Cup Graft Claims Legalbrief | your legal news hub Wednesday 29 September 2021 Sponsors jittery as Fifa battles World Cup graft claims As the 2014 World Cup kicks off today, world soccer governing body Fifa has gone into overdrive to defend itself against allegations of corruption in the face of concern by sponsors over claims of wrongdoing in the bidding process that handed the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, writes Legalbrief. However, in spite of support from African and Asian soccer bosses, Fifa president Sepp Blatter is facing mounting pressure to step down. A BBC News report notes Fifa is under growing pressure from a number of sponsors after its decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. Sony, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa and Hyundai/Kia have expressed concern over claims of wrongdoing in the bidding process. In total, five of Fifa's six main sponsors have issued statements relating to the Qatar bid. Only airline Emirates has so far declined to comment. Oil company BP and the maker of Budweiser beer, who also sponsor the World Cup, have also registered their concerns, according to the report. It states Fifa's ethics committee is already investigating allegations of corruption surrounding Qatar's successful bid, with a report due next month. The furore comes after London's Sunday Times newspaper alleged that Qatar's former Fifa vice-president, Mohamed bin Hammam, paid £3m (R54.2m) to football officials around the world to help win support for Qatar in the run-up to the World Cup vote in December 2010. Qatar's World Cup organising committee reiterated it was confident the bid had been won fairly. Bin Hammam has so far declined to comment. Full BBC News report More damaging allegations have been made against the man at the centre of the bribery allegations. A report in The Independent says the Sunday Times alleges in a follow-up article that Bin Hammam arranged meetings between the energy-rich Qatari Government and its royal family and key voters, ahead of the ballot to decide the venue for the 2022 championships. According to the report, organisers of the controversial Qatar bid said the country was confident that it would retain the right to stage the showcase global event, once more fiercely denying claims that it broke the rules over payments and incentives. The report notes Bin Hammam is currently serving a life ban from the sport for a 'conflict of interests'. The Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organising committee for the event, has said Bin Hammam 'played no official or unofficial role' in the bid committee. Full report in The Independent Blatter has launched an astonishing broadside at the 'racist' British media over what he claims are dark forces threatening to destroy world football's embattled governing body, according to a report in The Guardian. It says Blatter went on the offensive three days before the World Cup starts with Fifa under pressure from the media, politicians and sponsors over new bribery allegations. 'We have seen what the British press has published,' the report quotes him as saying at the Asian Football Confederation's pre-World Cup gathering in São Paulo. 'I don't know what the reasoning is behind this but we must maintain unity.' The report says the 78-year-old toured meetings of the African and Asian football confederations to denounce the 'racism' of the western media and shore up support for his bid for a fifth term as president. According to the report, Blatter claimed that Fifa's detractors wanted 'to destroy, not the game, but they want to destroy the institution' and referred to the scandal as 'Qatar-gate'. The report says former New York attorney Michael Garcia was due to complete his investigation into the chaotic and controversial bidding races for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups this week and has promised to hand his findings to the adjudicatory chamber of Fifa's executive committee by mid-July. Blatter said he expected the final verdict to be published in September or October. Full report in The Guardian African soccer bosses have joined the fray in support of Blatter, attacking the media - 'notably British' - for what it called 'repeated, deliberately hateful, defamatory and degrading attacks' on the integrity of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) 'and the entire African continent', according to a Daily Independent report. It notes that in a resolution posted on its website following this week's general assembly meeting, CAF hit out at reports placing the region's soccer administrators at the centre of allegations of bribery to secure the 2022 World Cup for Qatar. The report says CAF declared its 'total and unreserved support' for its president, Issa Hayatou, and expressed its gratitude to Blatter for his 'continuous involvement in the development of football in Africa and his personal commitment to the fight against racism'. A report on The Namibian site notes the Sunday Times exposé alleged dozens of African soccer officials were among those paid bribes to help influence the outcome of the 2022 World Cup. The paper said Hayatou had private medical treatment paid for by Bin Hammam, while other officials received cash and luxury trips, according to the report which notes Hayatou has denied the allegations, branding them 'fanciful' and 'ridiculous'. Full Daily Independent report Full report on The Namibian site Top European football officials have publicly called on Blatter to end his reign as Fifa supremo. A report in The Guardian says England's Football Association chair, Greg Dyke, has warned Blatter that an attack on the 'racist' British media over Qatar 2022 corruption allegations was 'totally unacceptable' and backed calls for Fifa's president to stand down. The report notes that in a co-ordinated attempt to derail Blatter's plans to stand for another four years as president of the embattled world governing body, Uefa members including Dyke took on the 78-year-old head on. 'Mr Blatter, many of us are deeply troubled by your reaction to these allegations," the FA chair reportedly told him. 'It is time for Fifa to stop attacking the messenger and instead consider, and understand, the message.' The report notes that when an embattled Blatter arrived at a tense Uefa gathering on Tuesday, he told delegates he had decided to stand for four more years because he was best placed to lead Fifa through the 'storm' engulfing it. He was first told by the Dutch FA president, Michael van Praag, that he should honour the promise he made four years ago to stand down after his current term, and was then warned by Dyke that his attack on the British media was outrageous, according to the report. The report notes other Uefa members also spoke out against Blatter and urged change in order to restore Fifa's battered reputation, but only Dyke and Van Praag addressed Blatter directly before he left the meeting. In a report in The Independent, Andrew Jennings, the reporter who first exposed the corruption at the heart of football, is sceptical that Fifa's executive committee members, who enjoy the perks of office, will derail the gravy train. Full report in The Guardian Full report in The Independent .
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