Blatter to speak as FIFA crisis deepens

Posted Tuesday, May 31, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

ZURICH (AFP) - Embattled FIFA president Sepp Blatter was set to speak on Monday on the corruption row that has engulfed football's governing body and threatened his own stranglehold on the top job in the sport.

Blatter, who was cleared of involvement in an ongoing bribery probe on Sunday, was due to hold a press conference at FIFA headquarters at 6pm local time (1600 GMT) following an executive committee meeting.

It follows a weekend of high drama where Blatter's rival for the FIFA presidency, Asian football chief Mohamed bin Hammam, withdrew from the election just hours before being barred from football activities pending a graft probe.

Bin Hammam confirmed Monday he plans to appeal against his suspension, saying disciplinary proceedings against him had been rigged and were "absolutely not compliant with any principles of justice".

Blatter meanwhile was facing fresh corruption allegations after FIFA vice-president Jack Warner accused him of giving one regional confederation $1 million with no questions asked.

Warner, who was also suspended with bin Hammam over claims against both men about alleged vote-buying before Wednesday's poll, unleashed what he called a "football tsunami" aimed at Blatter and FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke.

"At the end of the day, Blatter has to be stopped," Warner told Sky Sports News.

In his most serious claim, Warner accused Blatter of giving the North, Central American and Caribbean federations (CONCACAF) "a gift of one million USD… to spend as it deems fit" this month.

Warner also released an email from Valcke in which the FIFA official said he believed Qatar had "bought" the hosting rights to the 2022 tournament.

Valcke later confirmed he had sent the email to Warner but insisted it was part of a private exchange with the Trinidadian official.

However Qatar 2022's bid team reacted furiously to Warner's leak.

"Qatar 2022 categorically deny any wrongdoing in connection with their winning bid," the bid committee said in a statement.

"We are urgently seeking clarification from FIFA about the statement from their General Secretary (Jerome Valcke).

"In the meantime we are taking legal advice to consider our options."

Warner's allegations are the latest in a spiral of claims whirling around senior FIFA figures, prompting widespread calls for deep reforms at the body which heads the world's most popular sport.

But despite the farcical events of recent days Blatter, who has been at the helm of FIFA since 1998, is favourite to be re-elected unopposed for a fourth term as president on Wednesday.

Recent revelations have stemmed from the race to host the 2018 and 2022 editions of the World Cup—the globe's biggest sports extravaganza—which were won by Russia and Qatar in December.

Two FIFA officials were suspended after a newspaper sting found they offered to sell their votes, while England's former 2018 bid chief said he witnessed "improper and unethical" behaviour by four FIFA voters, including Warner.

Bin Hammam, seen as being highly influential in Qatar's successful bid, and officials from the tiny, resource-rich country have strongly denied claims that large bribes were paid to secure its shock victory.

Last week CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer reported possible misdeeds by bin Hammam and Warner at a meeting on May 10 and 11, triggering an ethics hearing which ordered their suspension on Sunday.

Blatter was also interviewed by the ethics committee on Sunday, but was not suspended.

In a separate development it emerged that the the Asian Football Confederation appointed Chinese official Zhang Jilong as its caretaker president in absence of the suspended bin Hammam.