Fifa and Interpol joined forces in anti-corruption fight 11 May: video at fifa.com/newscentre/video/video=1432804/index.html
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The international football federation, Fifa, Wednesday 11 May sent letters to Britain’s former Football Association Chairman David Triesman asking for a complete report linked to his report to the House of Commons yesterday alleging that Fifa executive committee members asked for bribes.
The allegations are linked to the UK’s failed bid to get the 2018 football World Cup.
Interpol to work with Fifa to stamp out football corruption; largest-ever private donation
The latest scandal broke just as Fifa and Interpol announced in Zurich 11 May that Fifa will donate $20 million to set up a 10-year joint programme to fight corruption in football.
The new programme will create a training centre at Interpol in Singapore, to focus on stamping out illegal betting.
It is the largest private donation Interpol has ever received.
FA says it will cooperate with Fifa investigation
The BBC reports Wednesday evening that the FA say a report is already en route to Zurich and a second report will follow shortly, with current FA Chairman David Bernstein expected to make a statement Thursday. The emphasis appeared to be on the FA’s desire to cooperate fully with a Fifa investigation.
The Guardian in December 2010 noted that David Bernstein would, in his new role as FA chairman, have some difficult tasks, including improving relations with Fifa.
Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke also sent a letter to The Sunday Times “to ask the newspaper to provide FIFA with any piece of evidence with regard to the statements made to MP John Whittingdale.”
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International sports, football
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Fifa, the international football federation, has provisionally suspended two members of its executive board and four other Fifa officials, it announced Wednesday 20 October.
Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of France, board members, have been banned from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) after their cases were heard today by the Fifa ethics committee in relation to the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups.
The two allegedly told undercover journalists working for the Sunday Times, UK, that they would be prepared to sell their votes in return for money they would invest in sports projects. The bids are to be decided 2 December 2010.
The journalists posed as US agents trying to secure bids. The Times has turned over all its video and other material to Fifa for the investigations.
Also suspended were Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee “in relation to an alleged breach of the Fifa statutes, the Fifa code of ethics and the Fifa disciplinary code”, the group said in a statement.
It will also investigate possible collusion between bidders for the games: the rules specifically forbid two or more bidding groups to work together unless they are proposing a joint bid.
Fifa’s investigation is expected to be presented to an ethics committee meeting in mid-November, at which point decisions will be made on further action to be taken.
Board members cannot be fired, as they are elected by their federations, but if they are found to have broken the rules they can be suspended. Adamu, of the West African Confederation of Football and Temarii, of the Oceania Football Confederation, are both due for re-election within six months.
For 2018, in Europe, the countries in the running are: England, Russia and joint bids by Belgium-Holland and Spain-Portugal.
For 2022: the USA, Australia, Japan, Qatar and South Korea.
Links to other sites: Aljazeera, background 17 October, Fifa decision
Rupert Murdoch is going to single-handedly save the dying print news media, which online news services are strangling, by making consumers cough up hard money, starting in June. One week before the pay-day deadline, his News International company has published the new web sites of two key papers in his save-the-papers drive, The Times and The Sunday Times. The two sites have a paywall which will be activated 1 June: visitors will be able to read the home page for free, but must pay for news beyond that point. The site might be free, but visitors wanting to read beyond page 1 today must register.
For now, the new sites at first look like a step into the past, showing a traditional newsprint page rather than a news service that relies on web-friendly tools: the typeface is the classic Times Roman of newspapers, the banner at the top is classic newspaper style and the page has six columns, normal for print but unusual for web pages today.
The company owns the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), where it says it has successfully created a for-pay online product, with owner Murdoch in 2009 pointing to a high number of iPhone downloads. But the WSJ is a specialized financial news service and the two Times in London are aimed at a general public. Industry observers are giving mixed prognoses for the venture. News International says, according to CNN, that it expects to lose 90 percent of its online readers, but that the other 10 percent it retains will be “more engaged”.
Links to other sites: CNN, The Times (new site), Sunday Times
Soft landing in Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – London-based hedge fund manager Brevan Howard is looking at the possibility of moving a part of its operations to Geneva or Nyon, the company announced 25 September. Brevan Howard is Europe’s largest hedge fund manager with assets of $26.8 billion at year-end 2008. The company says up to 100 people may relocate to Switzerland.
The news comes after the UK government is set to increase a tax on non-domiciled workers in the UK, and speculation that it may increase the top rate of income tax to 50 percent starting in April, reports the Sunday Times.
