Chung said on Tuesday that FIFA’s independent ethics committee had asked for him to be handed a 15 year suspension from all football activities for alleged vote-trading and other actions during bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.
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“All that the ethics committee is relying on is that I have not fully “cooperated” or “collaborated” with the investigation and that I had violated “confidentiality” requirements”. Chung also said the committee threatened to hit him with an additional 4-year suspension for “defaming” the committee after he questioned its integrity.
Blatter, under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities, has held the presidency of world football’s governing body since 1998 and previously served since 1981 as secretary general, the organisation’s No 2 position. “It was the natural, patriotic thing when the South Korean bidding company sent out letters in 2010 to fellow executive committee members to explain about the US$777 million worldwide football fund it was proposing for the development of the sport”, he said.
Chung, the billionaire scion of the Hyundai business group, was a Federation Internationale de Football Association vice president for 17 years, and was once considered a candidate to succeed Blatter before losing his seat in 2011, to Prince Ali.
The incumbent, Sepp Blatter, is to stand down in February. “As preposterous as it may sound, there are media reports that Mr Blatter plans to stay on as president once all the presidential candidates are forced out”.
Four days after winning a fifth term, Blatter rocked the world of football in June by saying he would step down in the wake of corruption investigations by U.S. and Swiss authorities.
Scandals surrounding global soccer exploded in May, when 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives were indicted on USA charges of racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud in relation to bribery schemes that dated back decades.
Blatter has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes.
Even though major Federation Internationale de Football Association sponsors including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Visa and Budweiser last week called for Blatter’s immediate resignation, the Swiss repeated his assertion that he will not bow to pressure.
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But a few of FIFA’s sponsors aren’t so sure.
