By Andrew Warshaw
Despite his indefatigable globetrotting as FIFA president, Sepp Blatter
has avoided setting foot in the United States for fear of being caught up
in an FBI investigation into the organisation he has run for 17 years.
That is the remarkable claim of an ESPN documentary aired in the US this
week - just over a fortnight before Blatter hopes to be re-elected for a
fifth term of office.
The programme alleged that Blatter has been reluctant for the best part of
four years to travel to the US because of an FBI probe into the bidding
process that led to the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia
and Qatar respectively.
Although FIFA earlier this year effectively closed the case on the bid
process after conducting their own inquiry and ruling that there was no
evidence of any wrongdoing by Qatar or Russia, Michael Garcia's report has
still not been published even in redacted form and won't be until ethics
investigations into a number of individuals, including FIFA vice-president
Angel Maria Villar Llona, have been completed.
Blatter is red hot favourite to retain his crown at the ballot on May 29.
He has always distanced himself from any corruption allegations and while
there has never been any firm evidence against him, he could do without
the latest allegations just when he is endeavouring to accentuate the
positive and persuade the majority of FIFA's 209 federations to re-elect
him.
According to ESPN, Blatter seems not to have entered the US since 2011. US
federal agents and prosecutors are reported to be continuing their
inquiries into possible corruption.
A FIFA statement categorically denied there was any deliberate intention
to stay out of the country.
"The information from ESPN that the FIFA president is avoiding travels to
the USA because of any alleged FBI requests is absolutely untrue. FIFA has
never received any request from the American law enforcement," said a
statement carried by Britain's Guardian newspaper.
The FBI has had at least one informant working in FIFA's highest circles.
Many believe there are others.
Former CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer, the once larger-than-life
FIFA powerbroker, was named last year as the main informant in an FBI
investigation reportedly into money laundering and fraud in football.? He
is currently seriously ill in a New York area hospital unable to
communicate with the outside world.
The information supplied by Blazer about shadowy deal-making was said, in
a wide-ranging article in the New York Daily News, to implicate a number
of senior football officials within the FIFA hierarchy, with most
attention apparently focussed on former CONCACAF president Jack Warner and
tax evasion allegations.
Blazer has not been involved in football since May 2013 when he was banned
by FIFA from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at
national and international level.
Blatter's alleged avoidance of travelling to the US coincides with the
time period during which Blazer became a cooperating FBI witness after
himself being threatened with charges of unpaid tax on as much as $29
million of income, most of it received while working at CONCACAF.
Contact the writer of this story at andrew.wars...@insideworldfootball.com
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