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FIFA crisis deepens over Qatar WC claims

ZURICH: FIFA plunged deeper into crisis on Monday when its general secretary confirmed he had sent a private email to a fellow executive committee member saying Qatar had bought the rights to stage the 2022 World Cup.

Jerome Valcke, general secretary of world soccer's governing body, told reporters an email made public by vice-president Jack Warner was genuine.

According to Warner, who is under provisional suspension from all football activity, the email referred to Mohamed bin Hammam, who was at that time a candidate to stand against Blatter in the presidential election.

“For MBH, I never understood why he was running,” Warner quoted the email from Valcke as saying. “If really he thought he had a chance or just being an extreme way to express how much he does not like anymore JSB (Blatter).

“Or he thought you can buy FIFA as they bought the WC (World Cup).”

bin Hammam withdrew from the presidential race before the ethics committee suspended him and Warner on Sunday. However, bin Hammam said on Monday that he would appeal his suspension.

The committee decided both men had cases to answer over allegations that the Qatari paid bribes to Caribbean officials to vote for him in Wednesday's election instead of Blatter.

Valcke told reporters in Zurich on Monday he did send the email but that Warner had only published selected parts of it.

“It was a private email and we will discuss it,” Valcke said ahead of the FIFA congress which starts on Tuesday.

“He sent me an email asking if I want that (bin Hammam to run). He said that I should ask bin Hammam to pull out.”

Asking for refund

On Monday, an Australian senator demanded a refund from FIFA on the $48.8 million the country spent on its bid for the 2022 World Cup, won by Qatar.

Earlier this month, Qatar's World Cup bid team strongly denied allegations, made by a British member of parliament, that it had paid two executive committee members to vote for the Gulf nation.

Problems have been stacking up for FIFA and Blatter, who was cleared of any wrongdoing in the bribes-for-votes hearing on Sunday, since the vote to stage the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Last November, executive committee members Reynald Temarii and Amos Adamu were banned over allegations that they agreed to sell their votes in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting contest to undercover newspaper reporters.

In total, 10 of the 24 members of the powerful executive committee have been subject to allegations of corruption.

Zhang takes over

Meanwhile, China's Zhang Jilong has temporarily taken charge of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after bin Hammam was suspended, a former top official said Monday. — Agencies

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