FIFA provisionally suspends members over 2018, 2022 World Cup ‘vote-selling scam’

LONDON - Two senior FIFA officials have been provisionally suspended over allegations of offering to sell their votes in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups.

The allegations centre on Oceania Football Confederation President Reynald Temarii and FIFA executive committee member Amos Adamu.

The duo was in the 24-member committee that would vote to decide the destination of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on December 2 in Zurich.

Temarii is accused of demanding around 1.5 million pounds from undercover journalists in order to build a sports academy, while Adamu was videotaped asking for around 500,000 pounds for a “personal project”.

Four other officials who appeared in the undercover footage - Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee - have also been suspended for 30 days on the same terms, the Guardian reports.

FIFA’s Ethics Committee Chairman Claudio Sulser said that the decision to provisionally suspend the six did not imply guilt, but would allow the committee to complete a full investigation.

The reporters were posing as lobbyists for a consortium of American companies purporting to help bring the World Cup back to the United States. No money changed hands.

Bidding countries, officials and national football associations are strictly prohibited from arranging deals in exchange for votes under FIFA rules.

England and Russia are competing for the 2018 World Cup along with joint bids by Belgium-Holland and Spain-Portugal.

The U.S. is bidding for 2022 with Australia, Japan, South Korea and Qatar. (ANI)