Blatter braced for public airing of Fifa finances

Vivek Chaudhary
Friday May 3, 2002
The Guardian


The financial crisis engulfing Fifa is to receive its most serious public airing today when the general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen reveals details of irregularities that have damaged Fifa's reputation.

In what is expected to be a heated meeting in Zurich, Zen-Ruffinen will address Fifa's 24-member executive committee outlining irregularities reportedly worth millions of pounds. He will then hold a press conference and his allegations could have a damaging impact on Sepp Blatter's hopes of being elected president for a second term this month.

Fifa's general secretary has decided to come into the open after fears that most of the blame for Fifa's financial problems was being laid at his door by Blatter supporters.

In the past few weeks Zen-Ruffinen has launched an offensive in a number of newspapers across Europe criticising Fifa's financial management. He will tell the executive committee that he wrote to Blatter four times pointing out discrepancies in the accounts but received no reply.

He is expected to claim that a secret deal between Blatter and the German football federation was struck last year. It is alleged the Germans were promised £110m to help them organise the 2006 World Cup after an agreement between Blatter and Franz Beckenbauer.

According to sources there is no record of such a deal and it was not known even to Fifa's finance committee. Germany, which is supporting Blatter in the election against the Cameroonian Issa Hayatou in Seoul on May 29, won the right to stage the World Cup on a promise that it would not cost Fifa vast sums because not many stadiums would have to be built. The Germans also promised to take nothing from the event other than ticketing revenue.

Zen-Ruffinen will also talk about what happened to about £70m of television money earned by Fifa after the sale of World Cup rights. This was reportedly put into secret offshore accounts and Zen-Ruffinen will tell executive committee members that he first raised concerns about the money several months ago and even informed Blatter that the money could not be traced.

Zen-Ruffinen is also expected to ask why Fifa's marketing partner ISL went bankrupt last year, leading to Fifa incurring serious losses, which Blatter puts at about £22.5m and his opponents at almost 100 times higher. Blatter claims he is the victim of a witch-hunt.

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