Fifa corruption scandal - South China Morning Post

Fifa boss received 33% bonus increase after Club World Cup in US$6 million pay deal

Associated Press — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:00:10 +0000

Fifa president Gianni Infantino received a 33 per cent increase in his annual bonus last year as part of a US$6 million pay package detailed on Thursday by football’s world body. Infantino’s basic annual salary was unchanged at 2.6 million Swiss francs (US$3.3 million) and his bonus rose by 550,000 Swiss francs to 2.2 million Swiss francs in 2025, when Fifa organised its first month-long men’s Club World Cup in the United States. In each of the prior two years, Infantino’s annual bonus had been...

Fifa World Cup: Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 to finish third in Qatar

Sat, 17 Dec 2022 17:35:08 +0000

Croatia defeated Morocco 2-1 in the Fifa World Cup third place play-off on Saturday, with Mislav Orsic curling home the winner. Josko Gvardiol, one of the stars of the tournament in Qatar, headed Croatia into the lead in the seventh minute at the Khalifa International Stadium but Achraf Dari brought Morocco level right away. Orsic’s terrific curling strike late in the first half ensured Croatia took home the bronze medal, the 11th World Cup in a row a European team has finished third. Morocco,...

Corruption in sport: researchers seek positive outcomes from real scandals to help ‘restore trust’ among fans

Thu, 13 May 2021 08:32:01 +0000

In 2015, former NHL player Vladimir Ruzicka resigned as coach of the Czech Republic ice hockey team after a “cash for selection” scandal in which he was accused of demanding money from parents when in charge of leading club side Slavia Prague. In a 2018 case in Nigeria, Salisu Yusuf, a respected assistant coach of the national football team, was caught accepting a US$1,000 payment from undercover journalists posing as agents to ensure two players would be picked for the Super Eagles B team. Both...

Match-fixing: 160 suspicious matches in Asia in 2020 as Covid-19 allows criminals to target vulnerable leagues, Sportradar says

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 09:18:23 +0000

The Covid-19 pandemic is allowing criminals to increasingly target less popular leagues and cross new frontiers to manipulate results for betting, with around 160 suspicious matches in Asia over the past year, according to global sports technology firm Sportradar. While the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus means that, overall, match-fixing is down on a global scale, it has not stopped criminals from trying to exploit vulnerable people and sports who are struggling to survive. And it’s...

Former Uefa chief Michel Platini arrested after probe into awarding of 2022 World Cup to Qatar

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 08:32:31 +0000

Ex-Uefa chief Michel Platini was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a probe into the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, a source close to the investigation said. The French football legend elected to lead European football’s governing body in 2007 was taken into custody by French anti-corruption police investigating the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to the gas-rich Gulf state. Qatar was named as host of the World Cup in a decision that triggered controversy over its suitability amid...

Former Fifa vice-president Juan Angel Napout sentenced to nine years in US prison

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 21:30:45 +0000

To his lawyers, he was a man who did hundreds of good deeds, including paying for his chauffeur’s knee surgery. But US prosecutors said former South American soccer boss Juan Angel Napout sometimes moved illicit cash by dispatching his personal driver on 15-hour trips from Buenos Aires to Asuncion, Paraguay. Napout, 60, a Paraguayan who was president of CONMEBOL, the governing body for South America’s soccer, as well as a vice-president of Fifa, international soccer’s governing association, was...

Ex-Brazilian soccer boss Jose Maria Marin, 86, gets 4 years in US prison in Fifa corruption probe

Wed, 22 Aug 2018 20:31:24 +0000

A former president of Brazil’s soccer federation was sentenced on Wednesday by a US judge to four years in prison after being convicted on corruption charges related to the bribery scandal at Fifa, the sport’s governing body. Jose Maria Marin, 86, was sentenced by US District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn, New York. He was also fined US$1.2 million and ordered to forfeit US$3.34 million. Marin, the former head of Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF), was convicted on December 22 by a federal...

US-based unit of Spanish media group Imagina fined US$24 million for bribing soccer officials

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 20:30:30 +0000

A Florida-based unit of the Spanish sports media group Imagina pleaded guilty to charges of bribing Latin American soccer officials and was ordered to pay more than US$24 million, the latest penalty imposed in the sprawling US investigation of corruption at world soccer’s governing body Fifa. At a hearing in New York before US District Judge Pamela Chen on Tuesday, US Imagina LLC general counsel Erika Lucas said that beginning around 2008, the company bribed officials of the national soccer...

Fair play the goal as World Cup kicks off

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 19:59:13 +0000

After days of geopolitical summitry from the G7 to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to the Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore, sport could provide light relief from the world of trade wars and nuclear proliferation. The Fifa World Cup finals, which kick off tonight at 11pm Hong Kong time, could not be better timed. The eyes of hundreds of millions will turn to Russia as the action begins with the hosts playing Saudi Arabia in the opening group match. Chinese soccer fans and tourists will be...

Blatter hints at new evidence to challenge six-year Fifa ban

Fri, 02 Feb 2018 14:18:47 +0000

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter claims to have “new facts” and wants to reopen the financial misconduct case that led to his six-year ban. “As new facts have appeared it’s time to question the decision of the Fifa Ethics-Committee – my suspension of 6 years!” Blatter said on Friday on his reactivated Twitter account. Asked for details of potential evidence, Blatter spokesman Thomas Renggli replied in a message: “We are working on it.” Blatter is barred from soccer through October 2021 after...

Fifa defendant weeps in court after US jury finds him not guilty of bribery

Tue, 26 Dec 2017 20:15:45 +0000

A former South American soccer official wept as he was acquitted in New York on Tuesday of a corruption charge stemming from the Fifa bribery scandal – one week after two others were convicted. Jurors found Manuel Burga, the 60-year-old former president of Peru’s soccer federation, not guilty of a single racketeering conspiracy charge. The Peruvian wept when the acquittal was announced. After the verdict, he came out of the courtroom, his eyes wet, and said: “God Bless America. That’s all I can...

Former Peru soccer chief Manuel Burga awaits fate as US jury set to deliver verdict in Fifa bribery case

Tue, 26 Dec 2017 05:40:31 +0000

After convicting two former South American soccer officials of bribery, a US jury is set to return to court on Tuesday to decide the fate of a third official charged in the Fifa scandal. Jurors found Juan Napout, of Paraguay, and Jose Maria Marin, of Brazil, guilty on multiple conspiracy charges after a week of deliberations in federal court in Brooklyn. But they told US district judge Pamela Chen that they were divided over a verdict for Manuel Burga, of Peru, on his single racketeering charge....

Year of scandal – but 2017 was not only about Russian doping

Sun, 24 Dec 2017 03:09:36 +0000

Russia being banned from the Winter Olympics stole the headlines but may also have overshadowed an otherwise sorry year for sport in terms of scandals. It was a particularly damaging year for sporting officials, not least from the world of football and Fifa in particular. Former Guam football federation president Richard Lai pleaded guilty in April to taking bribes worth almost US$1 million while Costa Rican Eduardo Li, Guatemala’s Brayan Jimenez, Venezuela’s Rafael Esquivel and Julio Rocha, of...

Fifa seeks restitution after 2 officials convicted at bribery trial; third awaits verdict

Sat, 23 Dec 2017 02:55:01 +0000

Two former South American soccer officials were convicted Friday of corruption charges at the first US trial stemming from the Fifa bribery scandal, while deliberations will continue next week for a third official. A federal jury in New York deliberated a week before reaching the partial verdict. Jose Maria Marin and Juan Angel Napout, were found guilty of the top count they faced, racketeering conspiracy. Marin, the former president of Brazil’s soccer federation, and Napout, formerly president...

Why was US$2m sent to child of Fifa member before 2022 World Cup awarded? Questions as Qatar corruption report published

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 01:49:58 +0000

A sum of US$2 million was sent to the 10-year-old daughter of a Fifa official prior to Qatar being awarded the hosting of the 2022 World Cup, according to Bild. The German daily is publishing from Tuesday American independent investigator Michael Garcia’s report into alleged bribery and corruption during the bidding for the hosting of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. In an extract of the article released on Monday night, the popular tabloid claims to have got hold of the report of more than 400...

Jeonbuk Motors scout at the centre of bribery scandal found hanged at stadium

Fri, 16 Jun 2017 05:24:57 +0000

The former Jeonbuk Motors scout at the centre of a bribery scandal last year was found dead at the team’s home stadium, the club said on Friday. Jeonbuk were docked nine points and fined 100 million won (HK$685,700) by the K League’s disciplinary committee for payments the scout made to referees in 2013. They were later barred from defending their Asian Champions League crown because of the scandal. An official at the club said that the scout had been found dead at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in...

Former Guatemalan judge pleads guilty in Fifa probe

Sat, 03 Jun 2017 02:56:03 +0000

A former Guatemalan judge pleaded guilty on Friday to wire fraud and conspiracy in the global Fifa corruption probe after admitting that he accepted bribes from a company trying to secure sports marketing contracts. Hector Trujillo, 63, took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes for sports marketing contracts, US prosecutors said. Trujillo was general secretary of Guatemala’s federation when he was arrested in December 2015 in Port Canaveral, Florida, while taking a Disney cruise with his...

Fifa official Sheikh Ahmad resigning amid Richard Lai bribery claims

Sun, 30 Apr 2017 11:43:05 +0000

Fifa Council member Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait is resigning from his roles under pressure from allegations in an American federal court that he bribed Asian officials. Sheikh Ahmad said on Sunday he will withdraw from a May 8 election in Bahrain for the Fifa seat representing Asia which he currently holds. “I do not want these allegations to create divisions or distract attention from the upcoming AFC (Asian Football Confederation) and Fifa Congresses,” said the Kuwaiti royal, who...

How Hong Kong background of Fifa’s latest corrupt official came in useful as he funnelled bribes back to city

Sat, 29 Apr 2017 05:53:51 +0000

The United States’ worldwide investigation into corruption in football has claimed its first victim in Asia – and Richard Lai’s extensive links to Hong Kong proved useful as he funnelled bribes to accounts back in the city where he was raised. Lai, a US passport holder and president of the Guam Football Association since 2001, pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn court to taking about US$1 million in bribes from fellow Asian Football Confederation officials on Friday. According to remarks in the US...

Fifa bans Russian World Cup head Vitaly Mutko from council election after he fails eligibility check

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:11:51 +0000

Russia World Cup head Vitaly Mutko has been barred from seeking re-election to Fifa’s top decision-making body after failing an eligibility check, people familiar with the decision have revealed. Fifa’s review committee has ruled that Mutko can no longer sit on the Fifa Council because of his role as a deputy prime minister of Russia. People familiar with the decision spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the eligibility checks on Mutko, who is also head of...

These are the world’s most corrupt countries

Wed, 25 Jan 2017 07:30:00 +0000

Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea and Syria are perceived to be the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s latest annual review that draws on a mix of business and government sources for its rankings. Somalia has held the undesirable title as the world’s most corrupt country for the past ten years, with a score of 10 on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2016, which ranks countries’ public sector from zero to 100. Countries with a lower score are deemed to...

Sepp Blatter loses appeal at CAS against six-year Fifa ban

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 14:15:15 +0000

Sepp Blatter has lost his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a six-year ban by Fifa. Blatter said in a statement on Monday it is “difficult” to accept but that “the way the case progressed, no other verdict could be expected.” The former Fifa president, who was banned for approving a US$2 million payment to Michel Platini in 2011, said he will accept the decision. “I have experienced much in my 41 years in Fifa. I mostly learned that you can win in sport, but you can also...

Partners in distraction, Fifa needs China as much as the mainland needs it

Sat, 22 Oct 2016 07:14:47 +0000

The future is the ultimate distraction and no two groups are more in need of a distraction right now than Fifa and Chinese football. Gianni Infantino is the president of Fifa and has been in the job now for about six months. He does not want to talk about the past. In some cases, he is not allowed to talk because of criminal investigations into his odiously corrupt organisation. It’s all about the future for Infantino and understandably so. There is, however, one massive problem with Fifa’s...

In the balance: Uefa fears a split as European football prepares to elect its new president

Mon, 12 Sep 2016 05:49:45 +0000

Uefa elects a new president on Wednesday whose main task will be to stop what European officials say is an inexorable slide towards a breakaway soccer Super League open only to wealthy clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester City. Aleksander Ceferin, a lawyer from Slovenia, and Dutchman Michael van Praag, an experienced football administrator, are the only candidates for a job which will essentially involve keeping European football intact in its current form. The election, which will be held...

Open-heart surgery for former soccer great Franz Beckenbauer

Mon, 05 Sep 2016 16:19:36 +0000

Former soccer great Franz Beckenbauer has had open-heart surgery and received at least one bypass, according to a report in a German newspaper. Beckenbauer’s management team has not responded to a request for comment on his health following a report on Monday in the mass-circulation Bild newspaper. Bild said the surgery took place on Saturday and had been planned for several weeks. The 70-year-old Beckenbauer left for a clinic in southern Germany on Friday, one day after his home in Salzburg,...

Noses in the trough: Sepp Blatter and two disgraced deputies paid themselves US$80 million over five years, Fifa says

Sat, 04 Jun 2016 04:11:38 +0000

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter and two other ex-top officials – secretary general Jerome Valcke and finance director Markus Kattner – were involved in a “coordinated attempt” to enrich themselves through annual salary increases and World Cup bonuses, world soccer’s governing body said on Friday. Fifa said an internal investigation revealed that the three officials had received US$80 million in compensation over five years, calling them “massive payouts”. We look forward to showing Fifa that...

Sepp Blatter among former officials to enrich themselves: Fifa

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:45:56 +0000

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter and two other leading officials, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner, were involved in a “coordinated attempt” to enrich themselves through annual salary increases and World Cup bonuses, world soccer’s governing body said on Friday. Fifa said an internal investigation revealed that the three officials had received US$80 million in compensation over five years. We look forward to showing Fifa that Mr Blatter’s compensation payments were proper, fair Richard...

Same old tricks? Fifa reformer Domenico Scala quits over ‘loss of independence’

Sun, 15 May 2016 03:08:47 +0000

Domenico Scala, a Swiss businessman who led reforms to clean up scandal-plagued Fifa, quit his post at the global soccer body on Saturday, saying its watchdog committees had lost their independence and members would be under threat of dismissal. Scala, head of the audit and compliance committee, said the reform of Fifa, which is attempting to recover from the worst graft scandal in its history, had been undermined following a resolution by the Fifa congress on Friday. The bodies are factually...

Another day, another scandal – thank goodness there’s still some who believe sport can ever be cleaned up

Fri, 13 May 2016 08:45:00 +0000

Follow @JamesPorteous Japan seemingly made some dodgy payments during the bidding process for the 2020 Olympics. Russia’s team at...

Michel Platini fails to overturn ban and vows to quit as Uefa president over ‘deep injustice’

Mon, 09 May 2016 14:39:08 +0000

Michel Platini will resign as Uefa president after failing to overturn his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which cut his sanction from six to four years. This decision is inflicting me a suspension whose length will de facto prevent me – as if by chance – from bidding for the next Fifa presidential election Michel Platini Platini called the verdict a “deep injustice” and said he would step down from the Uefa position he has held since 2007. CAS effectively removed Platini from world...

Former president of Honduras admits to bribery in Fifa scandal

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 12:46:35 +0000

A former president of Honduras pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, admitting he solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the wide-ranging Fifa soccer scandal over lucrative broadcast rights. Rafael Callejas, 72, who was a member of Fifa’s television and marketing committee, entered the plea to racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy in Brooklyn federal court. I knew it was wrong for me to ask for and to accept such undisclosed payments Rafael Callejas He also agreed to...

South Africa wants Fifa to retract accusations of bribery over 2010 World Cup rights

Thu, 17 Mar 2016 15:06:13 +0000

Fifa should retract its statement that a bribe was paid when South Africa won the right to host the 2010 World Cup, the country’s sports minister said on Thursday. In a restitution claim lodged in the United States, Fifa highlighted a US$10 million payment from the South African Football Association as a bribe. The money was routed through the soccer governing body to a bank account controlled by disgraced Concacaf president Jack Warner. It has inflicted reputational damage of monumental...

Fifa admits votes bought in World Cup hosting rights, asks US for return of cash

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 14:00:00 +0000

While acknowledging for the first time that votes were bought in past World Cup hosting contests, Fifa is seeking to claim “tens of millions of dollars” in bribe money seized by US federal prosecutors. Fifa submitted a 22-page claim to the US Attorney’s office in New York on Tuesday that seeks a big share in restitution from more than US$190 million already forfeited by soccer and marketing officials who pleaded guilty in the sprawling corruption case. The convicted defendants abused the...

D-Day for the German FA as it unveils the truth behind 2006 World Cup purchasing scandal

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 04:00:00 +0000

The German FA (DFB) is set to answer corruption allegations on Friday as accusations the 2006 World Cup was “bought” threaten to give Fifa another headache. We will first take note of the results and assess the situation. Then we will talk about the consequences in the short, medium and long term Rainer Koch, DFB’s joint interim president The 2006 finals were lauded in Germany as a huge success with fans from all the world lapping up the well-organised tournament over four sun-soaked weeks. But...

Big step forward: Fifa overwhelmingly approves anti-corruption reforms ahead of vote for next president

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 15:15:45 +0000

Soccer’s world governing body Fifa took a first step towards overcoming years of corruption and scandal on Friday by overwhelmingly passing a set of reforms intended to make it more transparent, professional and accountable. The package should help to guarantee that whoever is elected to succeed Sepp Blatter as Fifa president at the Congress being held in Zurich will face closer scrutiny and have less influence over the day-to-day management of the organisation’s business affairs. he reforms...

Disgraced Uefa chief Michel Platini says Fifa appeal rejection is ‘insulting and shameful’

Thu, 25 Feb 2016 04:19:23 +0000

Banned Uefa president Michel Platini launched a vitriolic attack on the Fifa Appeals Committee on Wednesday after it upheld his suspension from the game for ethics violations. The decision is insulting, shameful and is a violation of rights Michel Platini Frenchman Platini’s ban, along with that of former Fifa president Sepp Blatter, was reduced from eight to six years by the appeals committee, based on the mitigating factor of the pair’s services to the game. That gesture, however, did little...

Fifa’s presidential candidates weigh in on China’s attempts to become a football power and host the World Cup

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 08:15:30 +0000

Follow @JamesPorteous On Friday, football’s powerbrokers meet to elect a new president for...

Never mind presidential election – Fifa’s vote on reform proposals could be far more important

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 01:00:00 +0000

Follow @JamesPorteous The cliche is “a cesspool of corruption”. A mere pool would be a...

Why Fifa presidential sham won’t be the cleansing of football we were hoping for

Fri, 19 Feb 2016 08:15:30 +0000

The forthcoming Fifa presidential election should be a watershed moment for football. It will be anything but. The five candidates vying to sit on world football’s throne all fail to instil the confidence needed to give Fifa the clean bill of health it and the sport desperately require after Sepp Blatter’s corrupt era. Next week’s presidential elections is a charade, already classified by football supporters as null and void, a sham It’s hard to keep a straight face when each of the hopefuls...

Slap on the wrist: German great Franz Beckenbauer warned over Fifa investigation

Wed, 17 Feb 2016 15:52:31 +0000

Fifa’s ethics watchdog on Wednesday imposed a warning and a 7,000 Swiss francs (HK$55,000) fine on German soccer great Franz Beckenbauer for stonewalling an investigation. The former World Cup-winning player and coach is arguably Germany’s most iconic footballer and a household name who also ran the 2006 World Cup in his home country. Mr Beckenbauer failed to cooperate with an ethics committee investigation regarding the 2018/2022 Fifa World Cup bids despite repeated requests for his...

Michel Platini says he hopes to be back at Uefa in time for start of Euro 2016 in June

Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:45:45 +0000

Banned Uefa president Michel Platini said he hoped to clear his name in time for the 2016 European Championship soccer tournament in June after attending a hearing on Monday to appeal against his suspension. It’s been a very good hearing, very well conducted, with people who have been sincere Michel Platini Platini was banned for eight years in December along with Fifa president Sepp Blatter over a payment of two million Swiss francs (HK$15.8 million) made to the Frenchman in 2011 by Fifa with...

Former Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke banned for 12 years

Fri, 12 Feb 2016 16:42:51 +0000

Former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke became the latest high-profile soccer official to be kicked out of the sport when he was banned for 12 years on Friday after causing “considerable financial damage” to its scandal-plagued governing body. Valcke was found guilty by Fifa ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert of misconduct over the sale of World Cup tickets, abuse of travel expenses, attempting to sell TV rights below their market value and destruction of evidence. His private and personal...

Africa confederation backs Sheikh Salman for Fifa president

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 04:10:17 +0000

Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa gained a major boost in his bid to become the next Fifa president when he received endorsement from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Friday. Salman and Swiss Gianni Infantino are now clear front-runners to win this month’s presidential election at soccer’s ruling body Fifa, which has been embroiled in a huge corruption scandal that has seen 41 people and entities indicted by the US Department of Justice. The governing body of football...

"China to be become a serious football power" says Fifa presidential candidate Sheikh Salman

Thu, 04 Feb 2016 04:15:45 +0000

How can Fifa possibly be redeemed? Surely we should scrap it and start again? The reforms must be implemented. Further reforms I outlined (www.shaikhsalman.org) need to be adopted. Fifa needs an overhaul. We must rid ourselves of individuals who have brought the organisation into disrepute. After 112 years, Fifa must undergo significant reformation. This does not mean that we should eliminate it but that we must create a new philosophy and a new structure, which corresponds to the 21st century....

Q&A: Fifa presidential candidate Gianni Infantino

Sat, 30 Jan 2016 01:00:45 +0000

How can Fifa possibly be redeemed? Surely we should scrap it and start again? I believe in a positive future for Fifa and world football. Details about how this positive future can be achieved are published in my manifesto, which I just published. There you will find the detailed plans I have for a renewed Fifa based on significant governance reforms, better democracy and participation by Fifa’s Member Associations and a renewed focus on strengthening football development projects with greater...

HKFA chief says Fifa an ‘embarrassment’ as he calls for ‘total transformation’ after presidential election

Sat, 23 Jan 2016 12:45:00 +0000

Hong Kong Football Association chief executive Mark Sutcliffe has called for “total transformation” in Fifa, as he described the world governing body as an “embarrassment”. Fifa will hold its presidential election on February 26 as it tries to recover from a year of scandal. Sutcliffe would not say who the HKFA would prefer to be elected, but he will make a presentation to the board early next month outlining the strengths of the candidates and who he believes is best for Fifa – and who will...

Q&A: Fifa presidential candidate Jerome Champagne outlines his vision for football’s future

Sat, 23 Jan 2016 01:00:45 +0000

Q: How optimistic are you of success? It’s not about being optimistic or pessimistic, it’s about explaining the future, listening to the needs and having the experience. I was in Fifa for 11 years, dealing with all the federations around the world – I know them, I know what they need, I know their capacities, and the federations they know me. They remember when I was in Fifa, when a federation had a problem I was solving the problems, I was replying quickly, I was helping them all the time and...

‘Betrayed promises’ cost China a chance to host World Cup, says Fifa candidate Jerome Champagne

Sat, 23 Jan 2016 01:00:30 +0000

Jerome Champagne, the former Fifa insider who is running for president in the upcoming election, claims China could have hosted the 2026 World Cup before “betrayed promises” saw Qatar take Asia’s “turn” in 2022 – but he hinted the Middle East state could still lose the tournament. The Frenchman, who was disgraced ex-president Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man for 11 years before being fired in 2010, says Blatter’s plan was for 2022 to go to the US and 2026 to Asia. Under Fifa’s rules, a continent...

Fifa election turns ugly as Prince Ali accuses Asian chief of engineering bloc voting with Africa

Sat, 16 Jan 2016 02:34:27 +0000

The campaign to succeed Sepp Blatter as Fifa chief turned bitter on Friday when a presidential candidate asked for an investigation into whether his main rival is trying to break election rules. Prince Ali bin al-Hussein accused Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al Khalifa of a “blatant attempt to engineer a bloc vote” by signing a pact between the Asian Football Confederation he heads and its counterpart in Africa. With 54 voters, Africa has the biggest say in the February 26 presidential vote by...

Fifa sacks secretary general Jerome Valcke amid alleged corruption over World Cup ticket sales

Wed, 13 Jan 2016 11:44:06 +0000

Fifa said on Wednesday that it had fired secretary general Jerome Valcke amid alleged corruption involving World Cup ticket sales, one of many scandals surrounding soccer’s governing body. “The Fifa emergency committee decided, on January 9, 2016, to dismiss Jerome Valcke from the position of Fifa secretary general with immediate effect,” Zurich-based Fifa said, without giving a reason for the dismissal. Valcke was once one of the most powerful men in Fifa and responsible for ensuring that...