Fifa left red faced after head of African football is arrested on corruption charges.. 24 hours after chief insisted they were clean
FIFA bosses were left red-faced after the head of African football was arrested on corruption charges.
The arrest of 59-year-old Ahmad Ahmad from Madagascar came less than 24 hours after re-elected President Gianni Infantino insisted the “new Fifa” had put the era of “scandals or corruption” behind it.
Ahmad was arrested by French police in his Paris hotel, where he was attending the Fifa Congress and the start of the Women’s World Cup.
He has faced accusations – vehemently denied – of taking backhanders after the Confederation of African Football ripped up a deal with German sportswear giants Puma to link up with French company Technical Steel, and has also faced sexual harassment claims.
Embarrassed Fifa bosses were forced to issue a statement in which the world body said it had “taken note” of his arrest and had requested information from the French authorities.
It added: “As the Fifa President reiterated yesterday, Fifa is fully committed to eradicating all forms of wrongdoing at any level in football.
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“Anyone found to have committed illicit or illegal acts has no place in football.
“Fifa is now clean from the scandals that tarnished its reputation and this same determination should prevail in governing bodies.”
Infantino made the news yesterday as he opened the door to China staging the 2030 World Cup – delivering a huge blow to England’s bidding hopes.
FA chiefs are keen to lead a British Isles bid for the tournament after launching a feasibility study last summer.
Wembley bosses met with their Home Nations and Ireland counterparts in Paris on Tuesday to discuss the state of play.
It was expected that Fifa’s rotation rules would outlaw an Asian bid until 2034, because of Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup.
But Infantino, speaking after being re-elected “by acclamation” for a new four-year term as the head of Fifa, made it clear he would be willing to let China into the game.
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Infantino said: “The statutes say it is just the next World Cup a confederation cannot bid for but the decisions that were taken in the past say it is the next two.
“It will be the Fifa Council which will introduce the regulations for the bidding process.
“We will discuss that in the coming months including in Shanghai in October.”