The bid to win the rights to host the Fifa World Cup is a high-stakes affair with a very thin line dividing what is legal and what is deemed unethical.
The Football Federation of Australia in their hopes of getting the World Cup Down Under may have crossed that thin line, and Fifa has said it would investigate allegations that they offered illegal inducements and gifts to sway the opinion of the voters.
The world football governing body said in an official statement, “Fifa can confirm that it is looking into this matter.
For the time being, we cannot disclose any other details or make any further comment.”
It had been alleged by Australian newspaper the Age that the FFA handed out the wives of Fifa’s executive committee pearl necklaces and cufflinks during a dinner at FFA chairman Frank Lowy’s home in 2008, when Australia hosted the annual Fifa congress and before the official bid for the 2022 World Cup was even put in place.
However, FFA chief executive Ben Buckley has denied any wrongdoing. “Football Federation Australia has acted in accordance with Fifa guidelines in respect to its bid for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. Furthermore our financial records and reporting for the World Cup bid are in accordance with our bid funding agreement and independently audited.
“Our regular progress reports under this agreement have been transparent and any suggestion otherwise is mischievous and unhelpful,” Buckley said in a statement.
Doubts were also raised when the FFA paid for the U-20 team of Trinidad and Tobago, incidentally the home federation of Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, to fly to Cyprus. However, Buckley said it was common practice for bidding nations to invest in football development schemes overseas.
The Aussies are fighting it out with the US, Japan, Qatar and South Korea to host the 2022 World Cup.