FIFA president faces bribery probe

ELIZABETH JACKSON: Football's world governing body, FIFA is investigating its own president over bribery allegations. Sepp Blatter will face an ethics committee tomorrow, just days before FIFA holds its re-election for president.

Here's our Europe correspondent Rachael Brown.

RACHAEL BROWN: He's been the most powerful man in the world's most popular sport for the past 13 years. Sepp Blatter was hoping to be re-elected for a fourth term, but three days before next week's presidential election, he'll be grilled by FIFA's ethics committee.

It follows a request by his presidential rival, the Asian Football Confederation chief Mohamed bin Hammam. Mr Bin Hamman has been accused of offering cash bribes to Caribbean officials in exchange for their votes.

Mr Hamman denies the bribery accusation, and has raised the stakes, claiming the FIFA boss knew about the allegations, but failed to report them, thereby breaking the association's code of ethics.

The UK's sport and olympics minister, Hugh Robertson, says there's no way an election can go ahead in this climate.

HUGH ROBERTSON: I think it's fair to say that this election process is rapidly descending into a complete farce. So by far the best thing would be for FIFA to suspend the election until these allegations have been thoroughly, robustly and I hope independently investigated by the ethics committee

RACHAEL BROWN: Allegations of corruption have long swelled around world football, but the 2018 World Cup bidding process brought things to a head. Since then, Mr Blatter has mounted a robust defence of his association.

This is Mr Blatter speaking recently in South Africa.

SEPP BLATTER: I do not accept what somebody in this room that FIFA is a corrupt organisation. I do not accept that. FIFA is not a corrupt organisation. If there are some people they are under investigation in corruption and if there's no proven evidences, then it's not corrupt. So stop please to say FIFA's corrupt. FIFA is not corrupt!

RACHAEL BROWN: Mr Blatter is now the eighth current member of FIFA's 24-man ruling executive committee placed under investigation for alleged corruption. Many commentators say this is FIFA's watershed moment.

Hugh Robertson again.

HUGH ROBERTSON: The obvious parallel actually with all of this is the IOC who went through a not dissimilar process after Salt Lake City. There is currently a bid going on for 2018 Winter Olympics. I have not heard an iota of evidence from any of the bidding nations that this is anything other than an absolutely fair and transparent process.

So FIFA could follow the example of the IOC, clean themselves up and they will do that by making themselves much more transparent and much more accountable

RACHAEL BROWN: FIFA's ethics committee is obliged to investigate any complaint by an executive committee member.

But unlike Mr Bin Hamman, who reportedly has going against him, sworn affidavits and photographic evidence of money changing hands, when it comes to Sepp Blatter, it's just one man's word against another.

This is Rachael Brown in London, reporting for Saturday AM.

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