Sepp Blatter’s resignation as president of world soccer governing body FIFA is the only chance to review how Russia won the 2018 World Cup hosting rights, Andriy Pavelko, Ukraine soccer federation president, told Champion magazine late evening on June 6 in Kyiv.
Noting that 38 of the 54 members of UEFA, Europe’s soccer governing body, had voted against Blatter’s re-election as FIFA president during the governing body’s congress in May,Pavelko said, “we all understand that Blatter’s resignation is perhaps the only chance to review the results of giving Russia (hosting rights) for the 2018 World Cup.” However, he said that the “current
situation is such that everything constantly changes with each passing day.”
The Federal Bureau of
Investigation is extending its investigation of bribery and corruption at FIFA
to how it awarded World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar, Reuters
reported on June 4, citing a U.S. law enforcement official who spoke on
condition of anonymity.
Russia and Qatar have denied
wrongdoing and said they’re moving forward with tournament preparations.
They were not the subjects of an
indictment unsealed by U.S. prosecutors last week as part of a case of $150
million paid in bribes that spans a quarter of a century and include kickbacks
for marketing and broadcasting rights, as well as hosting rights for the 2010
World Cup.
South Africa, which hosted that
year’s tournament, also rejected the allegation that it made illicit payments
to win the award.
Accusations
of vote-buying followed quickly after Russia was chosen to host the 2018 soccer
tournament, and FIFA appointed American lawyer Michael Garcia as the lead
investigator into possible wrongdoing. He submitted his report late last year,
but soon resigned after a summary of it was published that he said
misrepresented his findings.
Garcia’s
full report has never been released, but FIFA turned over the document to the
Swiss authorities in November when it lodged a criminal complaint in the matter.
The indictments for 14 people, including
nine FIFA officials prompted Blatter’s resignation earlier this month just days
after Swiss authorities raided the governing body’s headquarters in Zurich
ahead of its yearly congress. Blatter won a fifth four-year term at the
gathering.
“A source close to FIFA
said it was Blatter’s advisers who had told him he must quit. Critics pointed
to the widening criminal probe, disquiet among sponsors, and pressure from
European football body UEFA as possible reasons,” Reuters reported.
In a separate
investigation, Swiss authorities are also investigating how the hosting rights
were awarded to Russia and Qatar.
Kyiv Post editor-at-large March Rachkevych can be reached at
[email protected].
