Michel Platini. PHOTO: AFP
“I’m no longer astonished by the spreading of unfounded rumours aimed at tarnishing my image at an important moment for the future of football,” responded the European football boss.
The Daily Telegraph alleged that the French football legend had held ‘a secret meeting’ with Mohamed bin Hammam, the controversial Qatari accused of making slush fund payments to secure support for Qatar’s 2022 campaign. The paper said Platini held private talks with Bin Hammam “shortly before Fifa awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar”.
Meanwhile, Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke refused to comment on fresh allegations of corruption surrounding Qatar. Valcke had nothing to add to the corruption row as he attended the launching of the World Cup international broadcast centre in Rio, waving away media requests for information.
The fate of the 2022 World Cup could be decided within weeks after the man leading the internal investigation announced he would complete his probe next week and report back in July. In a statement, former US prosecutor Michael Garcia set out a timetable that would see him file a report just after this year’s World Cup ends in Brazil.
Australia denies impropriety in 2022 bid
Australia’s football chiefs rejected suggestions they acted improperly during their bid to host the 2022 World Cup after the ‘development’ grants they gave to corruption-riddled overseas football bodies were questioned.
Bonita Mersiades, the corporate affairs head for Football Federation Australia when the bid race was run, claimed that handing out the grants was similar to the allegations against a leading Qatari football official. However, Football Federation Australia denied it had done anything wrong.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2014.
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