WORLD CUP BIDS:FIFA LAST night widened its investigation into bribery allegations against two members of its executive committee to include the potential suspension of one or more bidding nations involved in the race to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Following a day of crisis meetings at its Zurich HQ involving the president, Sepp Blatter, and the secretary general, Jerome Valcke, Fifa attempted to wrest back the initiative in the wake of damaging allegations that Nigeria’s Amos Adamu and the Oceania representative, Reynald Temarii, had offered effectively to sell their votes.

Adamu has declined to comment. “I’m confident about my integrity but I made a mistake by talking in that way,” Temarii said.

But the claims have prompted a host of questions about the transparency of the bidding process and the likelihood of corruption. Fifa last night asked Claudio Sulser, chairman of its ethics committee, to “act without delay to take all possible steps, including the possibility of provisional measures” against the pair and Fifa officials who are also implicated.

The ethics committee will meet tomorrow and could also suspend one or more bidding nations. “Fifa also confirms that the alleged agreements between member associations would also be a clear violation of the bid registration document and the code of ethics. Therefore, an investigation has also been opened into the member associations in question as well as their bid committees,” it said.

The allegations in question are believed to refer to rumours of vote trading between bidders for 2018 and 2022. Given the way the process has been designed, with both tournaments being awarded on December 2nd, some believe alliances are inevitable.

Guardian Service