Stung by the revelations of the Sunday Times, FIFA moved into damage control mode on Wednesday. The world body provisionally suspended executive committee members Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii from Tahiti and four other officials as it investigates the World Cup vote-selling scandal.
A second official from Tahiti, Ahongalu Fusimalohi, is among the four former executive committee members also targeted by the probe. The other men, regrettably, are all Africans: Slim Aloulou (Tunisia), Amadou Diakite (Mali), and Ismael Bhamjee (Botswana). A reminder of how poor governance continues to hinder the progress of African football. And at a time of catastrophic corporate scandals on a planetary scale, this latest mess in Zurich demonstrates again how global sport, business, and politics are inextricably linked.
FIFA’s ethics panel (sic!) is moving quickly with the investigation to limit the negative publicity and to ensure that selection of the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments goes ahead as planned on December 2.
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5 replies on “FIFA Bribes: provisional suspensions”
Sad to say that these persons will only be replaced with the “next ones” in line. But keep informing us, please.
It even more sad that the FIFA bribe allegations and consequent suspension of the suspects is taking place just a week after we have had an influential minister suspended from cabinet in Kenya over corruption claims, and of course the Kenyan soccer team is doomed to stay in the poorest quality bith on and off the pitch because of corruption. Recently, Uganda Cranes of Ugnda held Harambee Stars of Kenya to a draw in the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier, Harambee Stars was playing at home, and am sure they’ll be beaten convincingly away in Kampala and Angola, having already been beaten away in Guinea Bissau, and it is hard to believe that this team boasts of two players playing in the European Champions League, one actually having won it last year with Inter Milan!
FIFA more powerful and controversial than ever:
http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-poweroffifa
Update 2012:
Adamu’s suspension was upheld by CAS. Details here:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1026457/former-nigerian-fifa-member-amos-adamu-loses-bribes-appeal?cc=5901
CAS also mentioned how mild the sentence was.
Adamu holds no grudges as his 3-year ban expires (Oct 21, 2013):
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/amos-adamu-no-grudge-3-ban-seeking-bribes-140720879–sow.html
Seems like the Nigerian is turning to “sport business” now. Pocketing cash from sport is something he knows how to do, and well.