The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is looking into a series of potentially suspicious payments connected to the bids for the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups, which may have passed through UK-based accounts.
Advertisement
Liberian Football Association president Musa Bility, one of eight potential candidates for the FIFA presidency, says he presents the only credible option for the leadership of world football’s governing body.
Mr Green said his request to see a copy of the report had been refused.
“We have looked at it but, at the moment, I can’t confirm whether that went through London”, he said, admitting that it could be deemed “money-laundering” if it was paid via the capital.
SFO director David Green said the organisation had no jurisdiction to go after Federation Internationale de Football Association under bribery laws.
“There are a number of matters we are still looking at and digging into”.
Another Conservative MP, Damian Collins, argued the SFO “seems to be playing in the long leagues”.
But he insisted: “To support investigations – we stand absolutely ready to support any”.
Green has claimed that presently his office does not have enough evidence to start a criminal investigation, and that without having a criminal investigation, information could not be gathered from others, including the Swiss and American authorities who have made most of the arrests so far.
The court document was from the trial of executives from Fifa’s former marketing partners ISL. German football legend Franz Beckenbauer admitted Monday making a “mistake” in the bidding process to host the 2006 World Cup but denied that votes were bought.
But Zwanziger said in a statement through his lawyer on Tuesday: “It was not a solo thing by Franz Beckenbauer, the top officials of the organising committee were aware of it, Wolfgang Niersbach, Horst R Schmidt and Fedor Radmann”.
Advertisement
It is thought the bid by 45-year-old Infantino, who has been Platini’s right-hand man as general secretary of UEFA since October 2009, will depend on whether Platini is barred as a candidate.
