2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup Bids - Controversy

Controversy

Following an exposé by the Insight team of the British newspaper The Sunday Times, FIFA said it would investigate claims that two members of its executive committee wanted cash in exchange for support of countries bidding to host the 2018 World Cup. The two, Reynald Temarii, a French FIFA vice-president (representing the OFC territory of Tahiti), and Amos Adamu, a Nigerian member on the committee and the president of the West Africa Football Union, were alleged to have told reporters in the guise of lobbyists for the United States, that they could guarantee a vote for the US bid $800,000. Adamu claimed the money he requested was to pay for four football stadia in Nigeria. FIFA then announced their suspension a few days later.

England's 2018 World Cup bid team withdrew a complaint to FIFA about Russia's campaign following an apology from their rival bidder. The Russian sports minister Vitaliy Mutko apologised for comments made by Alexei Sorokin, who is general director of the nation's bid team. England's official complaint was that Russia had broken bidding rules when he made disparaging comments about London. FIFA's committee met on 28 October to receive reports on the bids. The English bid team had complained on 26 October, that Sorokin highlighted London's "high crime rate" and youth alcohol problems in an interview with Russian media that appeared to contravene FIFA's rules about talking about rival bidders. Tensions between the two bids then intensified after Viacheslav Koloskov, honorary president of the Russian Football Union, referred to England's 2018 bid as "absolutely primitive" and "comical".

On 10 May 2011, the former England 2018 bid chief Lord Treisman told a House of Commons select committee that four FIFA committee members approached him asking for various things in exchange for votes. Among the accused are FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, who is accused of asking for £2.5 million to be used for projects, and Nicolas Leoz, who allegedly asked to be knighted. In November 2010, a documentary broadcast by the BBC had alleged that FIFA officials voting on the World Cup bids had received large bribes between 1989 and 1999, which FIFA had not investigated and that FIFA requires bidding countries to agree to enact special laws granting FIFA and sponsors tax benefits.

Also on 10 May 2011, The Sunday Times reported that two committee members, Issa Hayatou and Jacques Anouma were given $1.5 million in exchange for their votes in favor of Qatar. FIFA requested to see the evidence of the allegations. On 30 May 2011, FIFA President Sepp Blatter rejected the evidence in a press conference, while Jack Warner, who had been suspended that day for a separate ethics violations pending an investigation, leaked an email from FIFA General Secretary Jérôme Valcke which suggested that Qatar had "bought" the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Valcke subsequently issued a statement denying he had suggested it was bribery, saying instead that the country had "used its financial muscle to lobby for support". Qatar officials denied any impropriety. Theo Zwanziger, President of the German Football Association, also called on FIFA to re-examine the awarding of the Cup to Qatar. In February 2011, Blatter admitted that the Spanish and Qatari bid teams did trade votes.