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Swiss authorities seize Fifa material as 2026 bidding process suspended
Source: The Guardian
Swiss authorities seize Fifa material as 2026 bidding process suspended
Owen Gibson
Wednesday 10 June 2015 20.40 BST
Fifa has suspended bidding for the 2026 World Cup in light of the chaos that has enveloped the organisation on a day when Swiss investigators seized fresh evidence from the offices of the outgoing president, Sepp Blatter.
Amid continuing criminal investigations into the process for the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, the Swiss attorney general’s office seized data and IT equipment from Fifa’s Zurich headquarters as part of a pre-agreed handover of evidence.
The haul is understood to include material from the offices of Blatter and the secretary general, Jérôme Valcke, who is under pressure over a $10m payment from South African World Cup organisers to the former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner that US prosecutors say was a bribe.
Valcke said it would be “nonsense” to begin the 2026 bidding process in the current climate and that whatever the situation at Fifa, the World Cup had to be protected at all costs. The United States, Mexico and Canada are expected to be among those interested in hosting the 2026 tournament. Fifa has ruled the tournament can go to any continent except Asia and was due to be awarded in May 2017 under a revamped process in which all 209 Fifa associations would have a vote.
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Owen Gibson
Wednesday 10 June 2015 20.40 BST
Fifa has suspended bidding for the 2026 World Cup in light of the chaos that has enveloped the organisation on a day when Swiss investigators seized fresh evidence from the offices of the outgoing president, Sepp Blatter.
Amid continuing criminal investigations into the process for the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, the Swiss attorney general’s office seized data and IT equipment from Fifa’s Zurich headquarters as part of a pre-agreed handover of evidence.
The haul is understood to include material from the offices of Blatter and the secretary general, Jérôme Valcke, who is under pressure over a $10m payment from South African World Cup organisers to the former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner that US prosecutors say was a bribe.
Valcke said it would be “nonsense” to begin the 2026 bidding process in the current climate and that whatever the situation at Fifa, the World Cup had to be protected at all costs. The United States, Mexico and Canada are expected to be among those interested in hosting the 2026 tournament. Fifa has ruled the tournament can go to any continent except Asia and was due to be awarded in May 2017 under a revamped process in which all 209 Fifa associations would have a vote.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jun/10/swiss-seize-fifa-material-2026-world-cup-suspended
