Photo of Andrew Jennings at a FIFA press conference asking Sepp Blatter a question

Asking Blatter about the Big Bribe

 

 

Photo of Andrew Jennings asking FIFA president Sepp Blatter if he can attend a FIFA press conference

Asking Blatter about the other bribes

 

Photo of Andrew Jennings asking Andrea Herren why he is banned

"No comment" from FIFA official Andreas Herren

 

Photo of Andrew Jennings listening to a FIFA press conference outside in a car

Andrew listens carefully as Andy Davies asks the questions inside a FIFA press conference

 

Photo of FIFA president Sepp Blatter being doorstepped by Andrew Jennings at Zurich Airport

Asking Blatter why FIFA repaid the ISL bribes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The things they say...

‘Neither FIFA nor its President have anything to hide, nor do they wish to.’

Blatter press release, 28 January, 2003

BBC Panorama Reporter Andy Davies:

‘A one million franc bribe … is it not correct that Mr Blatter asked that it be moved to the FIFA official who was named on the payment slip?’

FIFA Director of Communications Markus Siegler:

‘If you do not stop now, then we call the security and we put you out.’

FIFA Press conference, Zurich, Tuesday, 11 April 2006

‘I am deputy chairman of the finance committee of FIFA. I oversee a budget of US$2 billion and I have never seen one iota of corruption.’

Jack Warner, Trinidad Express 12 December 2004

‘Lying and deception and bad faith are standard operating procedure at FIFA.’

Adam C. Silverstein, a lawyer for MasterCard in their successful action against FIFA, New York, December 1, 2006

‘I do not believe a Jew can ever be a referee at that level (Argentine Premier League) because it’s hard work and, you know, Jews don’t like hard work.’

FIFA senior vice-president and chair of Finance Committee, Julio Grondona, 5 July 2003. Buenos Aires

‘FIFA is a healthy, clean and transparent organisation with nothing to hide. There is huge public interest in FIFA, therefore we have to be as transparent as possible. We will try to communicate in a more open way so the world can believe us and be proud of their federation.’

FIFA General Secretary Urs Linsi, January 2003, on fifa.com

 

Investigating bribes and kickbacks paid to FIFA officials

 

I had known for years that a one million Swiss francs bribe from the ISL Marketing company to one of FIFA’s most senior officials had been sent, by mistake, to FIFA House in the winter of 1997-8.

 

Blatter had banned me from FIFA press conferences so I could never get near enough to ask him who got the money.

 

Then, early in 2004, I infiltrated an African Nations Championships press conference in Tunis. (Sitting next to Blatter was then FIFA general Secretary, Urs Linsi who later departed with $6.8 million dollars hush money after only five years in the post.)

A German TV company turned on its cameras on me – and Blatter.

 

 

 

 

In 2006 BBC Panorama took up the question in a programme called ‘The Beautiful Bung.’ (English slang for a bribe) I waited in the bushes, knowing that Blatter would eventually walk by.

 

 

 

 

 

Then Blatter’s press chief Markus Siegler came out and told me that I was still banned. They positioned FIFA officials at every doorway, fearing we might force our way. This was silly, only reflecting their guilt and paranoia. At one entrance I spotted longtime FIFA mouthpiece Andreas Herren. Standing silently was his colleague John Schumacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks later, we tried again at a FIFA press conference . . . Blatter ran away, Urs Linsi was outraged and Markus Siegler became hysterical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As our investigations continued we learned that Swiss police were investigating documented allegations that Blatter had used FIFA money to repay the bribes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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