FIFA opens corruption probe into Blatter

China Daily, May 28, 2011

FIFA announced it has opened an investigation into president Sepp Blatter on Friday as the corruption scandal gripping world soccer took another extraordinary twist.

Soccer's governing body said Blatter would appear before FIFA's ethics committee on Sunday after claims he knew about alleged cash payments at the center of a corruption probe targeting his election rival Mohamed Bin Hammam.

Bin Hammam had demanded the corruption investigation be widened to include Blatter on Thursday as the two men prepare to contest a June 1 election for control of world soccer.

The announcement came two days after Bin Hammam, FIFA vice-president Jack Warner and two Caribbean Football Union officials were summoned to the ethics committee to answer corruption allegations.

Bin Hammam and Warner were targeted after Chuck Blazer, general secretary of regional soccer body CONCACAF, reported possible misdeeds during a May 10 and 11 meeting in Trinidad.

British media reports said Bin Hammam and Warner are accused of offering $40,000 cash gifts to national associations at the Trinidad conference in return for their votes in next week's presidential election.

FIFA's statement on Friday said Blatter had been summoned to appear before the ethics committee to answer claims Warner had told him in advance of alleged payments made at the meeting.

The statement continued: "Subsequently, the FIFA Ethics Committee today opened a procedure against the FIFA President in compliance with art. 16 of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

"Joseph S. Blatter has been invited to take position by 28 May 2011, 11:00 CET and to attend a hearing by the FIFA Ethics Committee at the Home of FIFA (Zurich) on 29 May 2011."

Blatter issued only a brief statement on Friday following FIFA's announcement.

"I cannot comment on the proceedings that have been opened against me today. The facts will speak for themselves," the Swiss powerbroker said.

Blatter has denied suggestions from Bin Hammam that he had orchestrated the charges against the man seeking to unseat him, dismissing them as "ludicrous".

Agence France-Presse