This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:
Expert Links
When FIFA, the international organisation which runs football, granted Qatar the right to host the World Cup in 2022, fans all over the globe were surprised.
n
After all, this desert kingdom currently has no football stadiums and no football clubs. While temperatures of 106?F could put players' health at risk.
So why did this Gulf state win over bids from the USA and Australia? There are many who believe that corruption lay at the heart of the decision, and this week Lord Triesman, former chairman of the Football Association, named names in a parliamentary hearing.
Every country wants the World Cup. Football is the biggest sport in the world, and this is football's biggest competition. For the hosts, it brings massive global interest, prestige - and money. One report said a successful bid would bring 20 billion to the Australian economy.
No wonder then that the votes of FIFA's 24-man executive committee are much sought after by the countries bidding for future competitions.
But are some of those votes now being bought? It is six members of this committee who are accused of taking bribes.
Lord Triesman made claims against six FIFA officials. He says four of them requested bribes - and in one case a knighthood - during the bidding process for the 2018 World Cup, which Russia won at the expense of the UK.
n n He also said that Qatar paid 1.5 million to two more FIFA officials, to secure the 2022 contest. n With the shock waves of these claims being felt around the world, Sepp Blatter has asked Triesman to submit his evidence to FIFA immediately. 'I'm very sad again to be faced with such allegations,' he said. n The accused have been quick to deny the claims. One, Jack Warner says he 'laughed like hell' when he heard them and a spokesman for another, Nicolas Leoz, calls them 'pure fantasy and morbid.' n n The beautiful gamen n Will he win the vote? Many see him as the man who has allowed FIFA's corrupt culture to develop unchallenged. But his rival, Bin Hannam is also under a cloud, having played a key role in Qatar's bid. n How could 'The beautiful game' end up in this mess? n What started out as a piece of fun with a ball and some stick goal posts has become a world business driven by money and power. n But hope springs eternal, for as every player and fan knows - it's all about the game. The politics are quickly forgotten when your team scores. Goal! Goal!! " Listen to Lord Triesman deliver his damning speech. FIFA scandal - five problems to sort out.
n Blatter is anxious for the investigation to finish before the FIFA congress on June 1, when he stands for re-election as president.n Expert Links
He also said that Qatar paid 1.5 million to two more FIFA officials, to secure the 2022 contest.
With the shock waves of these claims being felt around the world, Sepp Blatter has asked Triesman to submit his evidence to FIFA immediately. 'I'm very sad again to be faced with such allegations,' he said.
The accused have been quick to deny the claims. One, Jack Warner says he 'laughed like hell' when he heard them and a spokesman for another, Nicolas Leoz, calls them 'pure fantasy and morbid.'
n The beautiful gamen n Will he win the vote? Many see him as the man who has allowed FIFA's corrupt culture to develop unchallenged. But his rival, Bin Hannam is also under a cloud, having played a key role in Qatar's bid. n How could 'The beautiful game' end up in this mess? n What started out as a piece of fun with a ball and some stick goal posts has become a world business driven by money and power. n But hope springs eternal, for as every player and fan knows - it's all about the game. The politics are quickly forgotten when your team scores. Goal! Goal!! " Listen to Lord Triesman deliver his damning speech. FIFA scandal - five problems to sort out.
n Blatter is anxious for the investigation to finish before the FIFA congress on June 1, when he stands for re-election as president.n Expert Links
Will he win the vote? Many see him as the man who has allowed FIFA's corrupt culture to develop unchallenged. But his rival, Bin Hannam is also under a cloud, having played a key role in Qatar's bid.
How could 'The beautiful game' end up in this mess?
What started out as a piece of fun with a ball and some stick goal posts has become a world business driven by money and power.
But hope springs eternal, for as every player and fan knows - it's all about the game. The politics are quickly forgotten when your team scores. Goal! Goal!!
"
Listen to Lord Triesman deliver his damning speech. FIFA scandal - five problems to sort out.
FIFA scandal - five problems to sort out.