FIFA investigating bribery claims
The U.S. has been unwittingly embroiled in a World Cup corruption scandal, with senior members of soccer's governing body accused of offering votes in exchange for financial payments.
Undercover reporters from London's Sunday Times newspaper posed as lobbyists supporting the USA's bid to host the 2022 World Cup as part of a sting operation on leading FIFA delegates.
FIFA requested full details of the newspaper's investigation on Saturday night and a dossier containing records and videos of reporters' meetings with Nigerian delegate Amos Adamu and Oceania Football Confederation president Reynald Temarii, who will be taken to FIFA's headquarters in Switzerland over the coming days.
It is claimed that Adamu was filmed asking for money for a personal project in exchange for his vote, while Temarii allegedly requested funds for a soccer academy.
U.S. Soccer was unaware of the investigation and there are no suggestions of any wrongdoing on its part.
"FIFA has already requested to receive all of the information and documents related to this matter and is awaiting to receive this material," said a FIFA spokesman on Sunday.
"In any case, FIFA will immediately analyze the material available and only once this analysis has concluded will FIFA be able to decide on any potential next steps. In the meantime, FIFA is not in a position to provide any further comments on this matter."
However, a FIFA source told Yahoo! Sports late on Sunday night that FIFA president Sepp Blatter has demanded a full investigation and is determined to make sure the matter is dealt with quickly.
"Obviously time is an issue here," said the source, referring to the fact that the host nation for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be decided on Dec. 2. "It is important that it is dealt with quickly and that any action that needs to be taken happens soon."
Ironically, the American bid could even benefit from this scandal, which has brought the topic of FIFA corruption firmly back into the spotlight. With the hosting rights to be determined by 24 FIFA delegates, there have long been suspicions of vote rigging and impropriety.
However, the Sunday Times report means the spotlight on such matters will now be tighter than ever before and should, in theory, ensure a "cleaner" race.
If judged purely on its merits, the USA bid for 2022 stacks up very strongly against its rivals. Following US Soccer's decision to pull out of the running for the 2018 event, it is now certain that there will be a European host in eight years – England, Spain/Portugal, Russia or Belgium/Netherlands.
Because no confederation can stage the World Cup twice in a row, that leaves the USA up against four bidders from FIFA's Asian confederation – Japan, South Korea, Australia and Qatar.
The USA's stadiums and infrastructure give it a significant advantage, while the Asian bids are hamstrung by China's strong interest in hosting the 2026 tournament.
